2. Explain the meaning of the words annuals, biennials and perennials.

3. Name the types of gardens mentioned in the text. Speak on each type.

4. Make a summary of the text using of the following prompts:

When selecting plants, gardeners must take into account ...

They also evaluate ...

They consider, too, ...

Annuals bloom and produce seed ...

Biennials live for ...

Perennials are plants ....

Gardeners can choose plants for ...

Some popular traits include ...

A gardener can experiment with ...

Herb gardens may feature ...

Flower gardens may combine ...

Specialized gardens include ...

Botanical gardens are designed to ...

UNDERSTANDING SOIL

Healthy soil is indispensable for a healthy garden. Plants derive water, oxygen for their roots, and essential nutrients from the soil. Soil consists of two components: minerals from weathered rocks and organic matter from decayed organisms and animal wastes. The mineral content of the soil provides plants with nutrients, such as calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. Organic matter improves drainage and helps prevent waterlogged soils, reducing the occurrence of diseases such as root rot. It also binds the mineral nutrients so they remain in the soil and are not washed away. The spaces, or pores, between the tiny particles of minerals and organic matter are occupied by either water or air(1). Water holds vital dissolved nutrients, while air provides the roots with oxygen. Most plants do best in a soil(2) in which half the pore space is filled with air and half with water.

Plants use nutrients obtained from soil to build the cells and tissues needed for growth. Nutrients that plants need in large amounts, called macronutrients, include oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and an array of minerals. They also need micronutrients, or trace nutrients, which consist of cobalt, chlorine, boron, iron, zinc, molybdenum, nickel, manganese, and copper.

Soil texture, the size of the individual soil particles, affects how fast water drains and how well plants absorb nutrients. The largest soil particles are grains of sand. Sand grains fit loosely together with large gaps between them, resembling marbles in a jar. The large pores let water (and the nutrients dissolved in it) drain out too quickly for most plants to absorb it. Clay particles, on the other hand, are very tiny, and they pack closely together, resembling tiny beads in a jar. The pores between clay particles are so small that water drains very slowly. Slow drainage can lead to oxygen deprivation because the water takes the place of air in the pores. Another disadvantage of clay is that it binds water and some nutrients so tightly that most plants cannot absorb them. A third soil particle is silt, which is larger than clay but smaller than sand.

Most plants thrive in a soil type known as loam, which contains roughly 50 percent sand, 25 percent clay, and 25 percent silt. A loam soil drains water well, but not too quickly, and as a result, the plant can absorb nutrients more readily. Exceptions include desert plants, such as cacti, which do best in a sandy soil, and cottonwoods, which flourish in silty soils.

Plant nutrient absorption is also dependent on a soil's pH, a measure of acidity or alkalinity. The minerals from which a soil is formed and the amount of rain that passes through the soil determine its acidity or alkalinity. Pure water has a pH of 7.0, which is neutral—neither alkaline or acidic. Soils with a pH of less than 7.0 are acidic, those with a pH greater than 7.0 are alkaline. Most plants absorb nutrients best in a soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.5; however, plants such as rhododendrons require an acidic soil, while others, such as lilacs, grow better in an alkaline soil. Acidic soils are more common in the eastern half of the United States, where rainfall is plentiful, while alkaline soils are more common in the drier west.

Notes

1. are occupied by either water or air – заповнені або водою, або повітрям

2. Most plants do best in a soil - Більшість рослин почуваються найкраще у такому грунті