Description: This is
a VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
See text below
Text:
Most kinds of rose plants come from Asia. But roses
are also native to other areas including northwest
Africa, Europe and the United States. In nineteen
eighty-six, Congress chose the rose as America's
national flower. Technically, Congress and President
Ronald Reagan declared it the "national floral
emblem." Whatever the name, the decision did not
smell sweet to supporters of other popular flowers.
Some people say roses are difficult to grow. But you
have a good chance of success if you start with a
few suggestions from experts. You should plant your
roses where they can get sunshine for about six
hours on bright days. You can buy roses from a
garden center or by mail order. You can buy potted
roses, also known as container roses, or bare-root
plants. Each kind has its fans. Some gardeners say
potted roses are easier to plant. They say the roots
develop better. But Jeffrey Dinslage, president of
Nature Hills Nursery in Omaha, Nebraska, points out
that bare-root roses come without soil. So they
weigh less to transport. The University of Illinois
Extension advises getting bare-root roses as close
to planting time as you can. If they arrive before
you are ready to plant them, make sure the packing
material is moist. Keep the plants in a cool, dark
place. You plant the roses while they are dormant.
The resting plants have no leaves but still need
water. When growing roses, the soil should feel
moist deep down. Watering should be done in the
morning. That can prevent problems called black spot
and mildew. But do not water too much. Jeffrey
Dinslage says people often ask him about unhealthy
discoloration on rose leaves. He says the spots are
usually caused by too much water. After heavy rains
or too much watering, he advises pulling away mulch
temporarily from around the roots. This will help
dry the soil. In normal conditions, placing mulch
around rose plants is a good idea. Mulch suppresses
weeds and holds moisture in the soil. You can use
mulch made from bark, pine needles, cottonseed or
oak leaves. If your soil is very dry, you can add
peat or compost, which returns nutrients to the
soil. If aphids, thrips or other insects invade your
rose bushes, you may be able to force them off with
just a strong spray of water. For VOA Special
English, I'm Alex Villarreal. You can find more
gardening advice and download MP3s and transcripts
of our stories at voaspecialenglish.com.
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Hi. I
personally reviewed this video and found it appropriate for
the news section of English Global Group. This
is a Voice of America video which covers an interesting
topic in Special English. I would appreciate some feedback from both
students and teachers about this video. You can comment in
the window below using any of a number of different services
including Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail.
