Go wild! 15 easy May gardening tasks to ensure a beautiful, flowery summer (Gardening)

by Jane Perrone
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/may/07/go-wild-15-easy-may-gardening-tasks-to-ensure-a-beautiful-flowery-summer

#C2 #IELTS #Reading #Guardian #Gardening

1. Wormery /ˈwɜːməri/ (n) a container in which worms are kept, for example in order to produce compost

Try the mud pit, mud pies andn wormery.
It has a beehive and a wormery and a lovely old magnolia tree.
My compost bin has turned into a wormery.

2. Tender (adj) easily hurt or damaged

tender young plants that were killed by the harsh winter
A tender plant is delicate and needs protection from bad weather.
The newborn looked so fragile and tender.

syn: delicate, fragile, frail, weak, feeble, breakable

3. Tetris (Proper N) a puzzle video game in which falling tetrominoes must be manipulated to form complete lines, which are then cleared from the grid. A Tetris is a tile-matching puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by ...

4. Shove sth (+adv./prep.) /ʃʌv/ (v) (informal) to put sth somewhere roughly or carelessly

She shoved the book into her bag and hurride off.
He came over and shoved a piece of paper into my hand.
Shove your suitcase under the bed.
(figurative) Could he be lying? She shoved the thought to the back of her mind.

5. Salvia /ˈsælvɪə/ (n) any herbaceous plant or small shrub of the genus Salvia, such as the sage, grown for their medicinal or culinary properties or for ornament

French marigolds and salvia, quite unlike the rambling garden at Farings.
This is an annual salvia with small purple blooms, but it is not grown for the flowers, but the seeds.

6. Last gasp (n) the end of sth

the last gasp of economic activity in this depressed part of the country
a last-gasp goal
a last-gasp attempt to save the talks
There is no mention of Citizen Kane, no last-gasp confession.

7. Herbaceous /hɜːˈbeɪʃəs/ (adj) (specialist) connected with plants that have soft stems; (of plant) soft and not woody

a herbaceous plant has a soft green stem and all its parts above ground level die after it has finished growing
Hellebores tend to be more expensive than other herbaceous perennials.
It has pretty herbaceous borders and an attractive paved herb garden, where on fine mornings breakfast is served.
Limes have a splendid herbaceous, almost grassy quality.

8. Perennial /pəˈreniəl/ (adj) (of plants) living for two years or more

Roses and geraniums are perennials, flowring year after year.
In the United States apples and other perennial food crops constituted 16% of the total value of food crops in 1998.
They may take a week or so to work, but can kill most deep-rooted perennial weeds without being persistent.

9. Foliage /ˈfəʊliɪdʒ/ (n) the leaves of a tree or plant; leaves and branches together

The dense green foliage overhead almost blocked out the sun.
red flowers and dark green foliage
Here the doves soared up to a tree through whose foliage came a bright yellow gleam.
To listen to bird-songs, and identify foliage.

10. Foamflower (n) a perennial saxifragaceous plant, Tiarella cordifolia, of North America and Asia, having spring-blooming white flowers; a spring-flowering herb (Tiarella cordifolia) of eastern North America that has white flowers with long staments and no stem leaves - called also 'false miterwort'

11. Spire (n) a slender tapering shoot or stem, such a blade of grass

The elegant spring spires of delphiniums are perhaps the truest of the blues.

12. Frothy (adj) (of clothes or cloth) light and delicate

a frothy pink dress
a frothy white wedding dress

13. Atop (prep) (especially North American Eng) (old-fashioned or literary in BrE) on top of; at the top of

a flag high atop a pole
a scoop of ice cream atop a slice of apple pie
The children piled atop one another in the sand.
Fruit and vegetable prices rose 1.3 per cent atop a 2 per cent gain last month.
Coca-Cola is atop the list of best-selling soft drinks in the US.
She sat atop a two-metre wall.
Atop a sheet of paper lay an envelope.

syn: on top of, over, upon, higher than

14. Cultivar /ˈkʌltɪvɑː(r)/ (n) (specialist) a type of plant that has been deliberately developed to have particular features; an organism and especially one of an agricultural or horticultural variety or strain originating and persistent under cultivation

Oishii's founder Hiroki Koga brought this berry cultivar from the Japanese Alps over to the States, to grwo in a vertical farm in New Jersey.
Powdery mildew is a common disease on phlox-'David' is a phlox cultivar that is resistant to powdery mildew.

15. Dependable
syn: reliable, sure, faithful, staunch, trustworthy, trusty

16. Hardy (adj) (of a plant) that can live outside through the winter

a hardy annual/perennial
Parsley is hardy and can be grown outdoors from the spring.
These plants are quite hardy, and can withstand a frost.

17. Zingy /ˈzɪŋi/ (adj) (informal) that tastes or smells sharp and fresh or spicy; sharply piquant

a zingy cucumber and caper relish
a zingy salad

18. Peppercorn /ˈpepəkɔːn/ (n) a dried berry from a tropical plant, that is crushed to make pepper; a small dried fruit that looks like a seed and is curshed to produce pepper

Plain mixed peppercorns make an excellent flavouring for vension.
Remove from heat and add peppercorns and parsley.

19. Prickly (adj) covered with prickles; covered with sharp points that cut or sting

a prickly bush/branch
The hedgehog curled up in a prickly ball.
Chestnuts had burst out of their prickly green husks.
I find this sweater a bit prickly (= it makes the skin sore.)
a plant with prickly leaves

20. Ash/Ash tree (n) a forest tree with grey bark; a forest tree that has a smooth, grey bark, small greenish flowers, and seeds shaped like wings; a tree that is common in Britain and North America, or the wood from this tree

see also mountain ash

21. Spiny /ˈspaɪni/ (adj) (of animals or plants) having sharp points like needles

spiny sea urchins
spiny leaves
Butterflyfish have a spiny dorsal fin, which they are quite prepared to use in attack.
The two kinds of lobsters are the true lobster and the spiny or rock lobster.

syn: thorny
see also spine

22. Comfrey /ˈkʌmfri/ (n) a plant with large leaves covered with small hairs and small bell-shaped flowers

23. Taproot (n) the main root of a plant that grows stright downwards and produces smaller side roots

24. Phosphorus /ˈfɒsfərəs/ (n-U) (symbol P) a chemical element. Phosphorus is found in several different forms, including as poisonous, plae yellow substance that shines in the dark and starts to burn as soon as it is placed in air.

When combined with the effect on bone, the overall result is a decreased blood phosphorus.
Examples are iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium.
Black phosphorus only occurs at high pressure-this is not shown in figure 6.9.

25. Potassium /pəˈtæsiəm/ (n-U) (symbol K) a chemical element. Potassium is a soflt siver-white metal that exists mainly in compounds which are used in industry and farming; a silver-white chemcial element that, when combined with other elements, is used in the production of soap, glass, and fertilizers

The medical experts found potessium levels were particularly high in some children.
These can be bleached by applying a potessium ferricyanide solution to them.

26. Mulch (n) material, for example, decaying leaves, that you put around a plant to protect its base and its roots, to improve the quality of the soil or to stop weeds growing

Seed, mixed in water with an organic mulch, is sprayed from a slow-moving vehicle directly on to the sand.
The clipping were piled on the soil as mulch and wetted.
After watering, cover the area with a thick mulch of composted bark or moist peat.

27. Sterile /ˈsteraɪl/ (adj) (of plants or their parts) not producing or bearing seeds, fruit, spores, stamens, or pistills

28. Self-seed/Self-sow (v) to sow itself by dropping seeds or by natural actions (as of wind or water); (of plants) to grow from seed dispersed by any means other than by the agency of humans or animals

Everyone loves self-seeded plants in the cracks of paving and paths.
Many more are self-seeded sycamores and planes which should have been eliminated years ago.
Tall weeds covered the expanse, with the occasional stunted, self-sown tree rising above them.

29. Stand in for (v) to substitute for

No amount of explanation can stand in for the experience of actually seeing them.
But nothing can stand in for the process of actively looking.
A classroom assistant can, in exceptional circumstances, stand in for a teacher.
Machines were prepared to stand in for her heart and lungs.

syn: substitute, represent, take the place of, replace, deputize for

30. Chives /tʃaɪvz/ (n-pl) the long thin leaves of a plant with purple flowers. Chives taste like onions and are used to give flavour to food.

She tought of it as she worked in the garden planting onions, chives.
Method: Chop garlic, parsley & chives.
Add the remaining lemon juice, yogurt and chives.
Replace lid and shake well, than mix in the chives.

31. Tipping point (n) a time when important things start happening in a situation, especially things that you cannot change; the critical point in a situation, process, or system beyond which a significant and often unstoppable effect or change takes place

The Earth has already passed the tipping point in terms of global warming.
Our global financial system is a tipping point on tackling climate change.
reach the tipping point where ...

32. Trip (v) to catch your foot on sth and fall or almost fall; to hit your foot on sth and fall down

She tripped and fell.
~ over/on sth = Someone will trip over that cable.
~ over/up = Be careful you don't trip up on the step.
I tripped over a rock.
He tripped on the bottom step.

33. Harden off (v) to accustom (a cultivated plant) or (of such a plant) to become accustomed to outdoor conditions by repeated exposure

From the beginning of next month, harden off the plants to acclimatize them.
Stand newly purchased bedding plants in the sun to harden off.
Every gardner knows you need to harden off your plants, and we're the same.

34. Bedding (n) garden plants that will look good for one season and then can removed

35. Courgette /kʊəˈʒet/ (n) (British Eng) a long vegetable with dark green skin and white flesh (a type of small marrow)

Slice each courgette down the middle and remove the flesh.
Add the courgettes and continue to boil for a further 10 minutes.
Shred one medium carrot into ribbon strips with a potato peeler, repeat with one medium courgette.

syn: zucchini /zuˈkiːni/ (North American Eng)

36. Squash /skwɒʃ/ (n) a type of vegetable that grows on the ground. Winter squash have hard skin and orange flesh. Summer squash have soft yellow or green skin and white flesh.

Only one vine grew and now it has one squash, all of three inches in diameter, and about ten flowers.
What is the difference between pumpkings and squash?

37. Plant sth <-> out (v) to put plants in the ground so that they have enough room to grown

Plant the seedlings out at 20cm intervals.
I want to plant out these geraniums today.
He was going to plant out some dahlias for the autumn.

38. Seedling (n) a young plant that has grown from a seed

tomato seedlings
the seedlings in the greenhouse
Her best-known work concerned the anatomy of seedlings.
Constant supervision of seedling trees was also a problem.

39. Horticultural /ˌhɔːtɪˈkʌltʃərəl/ (adj) conneced with the study or practice of growing flowers, fruit and vegetables

a horticultural show

40. Fleece /fliːs/ (n) a type of soft warm cloth that feels like sheep's wool; a jacket or sweatshirt that is made from this cloth

a fleece lining
a bright red fleece
Horticultural fleece is an absolute godsend through conditions like these.
Keep some horticultural fleece hand to cover the plant on cold nights.

41. Slug (n) a small soft creature, like a snail without a shell, that moves very slowly and often eats garden plants

42. Clematis /ˈklemətɪs/ (n) a climbing plant with large white, purple or pink flowers; a plant that grows up walls, fences, etc. and has large flat flowers

A mass of flowers covered the house, a pink climbing rose and a creamy clematis.
Oil tanks hide behind pampas grasses and dried-up clematis.

43. Passion flower (n) a tropical climbing plant with large brightly coloured flowers

44. Spurt /spɜːt/ (n) a sudden incease in speed, effort, activity or emotion for a short period of time

put on a spurt (= hurry up) = You'd better put on spurt if you want to finish that work today.
put a spurt on (= suddenly start to run or do sth much faster than before) = She put a spurt on and reached the gate before him.
Babies get very hungry during growth spurts.
a sudden spurt of anger
The tomatoes put on a spurt of growth last week.

45. Obelisk /ˈɒbəlɪsk/ (n) a tall pointed stone column with four sides, put up in memory of a person or an event

The obelisk was erected in his memory in 1812.
In the middle of the wood was an obelisk commemoration the Emperor.

syn: column, shaft, monument, pillar, monolith, needle

46. Trellis /ˈtrelɪs/ (n) a light frame made of long narrow pieces of wood that cross each other, used to support climbing plants; an upright frame for plants to grow on, made of narrow pieces of wood that cross over each other

A robin came to perch on the trellis, only an arm's distance away.
Never put a trellis behind it to support its growth.
They walked together through the trellis arch into the back garden.

syn: framework, mesh, lattice

47. Pergola /ˈpɜːɡələ/ (n) an arch in a garden/yard with a frame for plants to grow over and through; a wooden frame for growing plants on outside a house and for sitting or walking under

I've been thinking about building a pergola.
Imagine the effect of a pergola, ablaze with laburnum.
A good plant for shade, it makes an attractive edging to the border under our pergola.

48. Twine (n-U) strong string that has two or more strands (= single thin pieces of thread or string) twisted together

a ball of twine
garden twine
a bundle of papers tied up with twine
Stones and shells, slung on twine, rattled.

49. Chop (n) an act of cutting sth with a quick downward movement using an axe or a kine

Give the mushrooms a quick chop before adding them to the pan.
With one last chop he split the log in two.

50. Stagger sth /ˈstæɡə(r)/ (v) to arrange for events that would normally happen at the same time to start or happen at different times

There were so many runners that they had to stagger the start.
staggered working hours
Some countries have staggered school holidays so that holiday resorts do not become overcrowded.
Jim and his wife stagger thier work hours so one of them can be at home with the kids.

51. Burst /bɜːst/ (n) a short period of particular activity or strong emotion that often starts suddenly

a sudden burst of activity/energy/anger/enthusiasm
Her breath was coming in short bursts.
I tend to work in bursts.
spontaneous bursts of applause
bursts of laughter
The van gave a sudden burst of speed.

52. Rudbeckia /rʌdˈbɛkɪə/ (n) any of a genus (Rudbeckia) of North America chiefly perennial composit herbs having showy flower heads with mostly yellow ray flowers and a usually conical scaly receptacle

At the top of the colourful displays were the genonias, rudbeckia, impatiens and coleus.
Mums, asters, toad lily and rudbeckias will soon be taking center stage, so attention to watering will help with their performance.

53. Catmint (n-U) /ˈkætmɪnt/ (also Catnip BrE /ˈkætnɪp/) a plant that has white flowers with purple spots, leaves covered with small hairs and a smell that is attractive to cats

54. Echinacea /ˌekɪˈneɪsiə/ (n) a plant similar to daisy, that is thought to help the body heal itself and fight infection; a plant used in alternative medicine to help your immune system fight illness

syn: coneflower

55. Helenium /həˈliːnɪəm/ (n) (A) a genus of American herbs (family Compositae) with heads of yellow-rayed flowers and truncate-style branches

(B) any plant of the genus Helenium

56. Clump (n) a small group of things or people very close together, especially trees or plants; a bunch of sth such as grass or hair

a clump of trees/bushes
a clump of hair/earth

57. Deadhead sth (v) to remove dead flowers from a plant

58. Amphibian /æmˈfɪbiən/ (n) any animal that can live both on land and in water. Amphibians have cold blood and skin without scales. Frogs, toads and newts are all amphibians.

59. Corrugate /ˈkɒrʊˌɡeɪt/ (v) to form or shape into wrinkles or folds or into alternating ridges and grooves

60. Weevil /ˈwiːvl/ (n) a small insect with a hard shell, that eats grain, nuts and other seeds and destroys crops

Make sure there are no other ways for the weevils to climb up to the pots.
The boll weevil infests cotton fields and millionaires go bankrupt.

61. Adult (n) a fully grown animal

The fish return to the river as adults in order to breed.
The adults have white bodies and grey backs.

62. Munch (v) to eat sth steadily and often noisily, especially sth crisp; to eat sth using your teeth and jaws in a noisy way

~ on/at sth = She munched on an apple.
I munched on a chocolate cookie as I waited.
~ sth = He sat in a chair munching his toast.
I muched my way through a huge bowl of cereal.

syn: chomp, chew, scrunch, masticate

63. Notch (n) a small cut on the edge or surface of sth, especially a cut shaped like the letter V

The stick has two notches, one at each end.

64. Heuchera /ˈhjuːkərə/ (n) (A) a genus of North America herbs (family Saxifragaceae) having basal cordate or orbicular leaves and small panicled flowers with petals entire or lacking

(B) any plant of the genus Heuchera

65. Primula /ˈprɪmjələ/ (n) a type of primrose that is often grown in gardens/yards; any of a group of wild plants with white, yellow, pink, o purple flowers

The problem seems to affect people sensitive to primulas.
He created a water garden at his former home in the Cotswolds and grew primulas with great skill.

66. Nematode /ˈnemətəʊd/ (n) (also nematode worm) a worm with a thin, tube-shaped body that is not divided into sections

67. Wormcast /ˈwɜːmˌkɑːst/ (n) a small pile of soil on the ground, produced by a worm digging under the surface: a coil of earth or sand that has been egested by a burrowing earthworm or lugworm

68. Run-off/runoff (n) rain, water or other liquid that runs off land into streams and rivers; a flow of water or chemicals from one place to another, especially when this damages the environment

Agricultural run-off containing pesticides is polluting the river.

69. Bespoke (adj) (usually before noun) (A) (US custom-made) (of product) made specially, according to the needs of an individual customer

bespoke software/furniture
a bespoke suit

syn: tailor-made

(B) making products specially, according to the needs of an individual customer

a bespoke tailor

70. Thin or Thin out (v) to remove plants, leaves, trees, etc. so that they do not fill an area or space completely

Thin sth (out) = Thin out the seedlings to about 10cm apart.
They went through the fields to think the sugar beets.

71. Bunch (also Bunch together/up) (v) to become tight or to form tight folds; to make sth do this

His muscles bunched under his shirt.
Her skirt had bunched up round her waist.
His forehead was bunched in a frown.
The children bunched together in small groups.
John stopped, forcing the rest of the group to bunch up behind him.
The soliders bunched the prisoners together.

72. Stunted /ˈstʌntɪd/ (adj) that has not been able to grow or develop as much as it should

Instead of grass, there was a strip of thin shrub and stunted trees.
stunted crops
the stunted lives of children deprived of education

73. Pickings /ˈpɪkɪŋz/ (n-pl) money or profit that you can get easily from a situation

There were only slim pickings to be made at the fair.
There are rich pickings to be had by investing in this sort of company.
The strike affecting the country's largest airline is producing easy pickings for smaller companies.
easy/rich pickings (= good things that you get very easily)

74. Love-in-a-mist (n) an erect S European ranunculaceous plant, Nigella damascena, cultivated as a garden plant, having finely cut leaves and white or pale blue flowers

75. Marigold /ˈmæriɡəʊld/ (n) an orange or yellow garden flower. There are several types of marigold.

His hair was marigolds or candle flames.
Flowers, especially marigolds, are also left at the grave.
He's wearing a garland of marigold and carrying a bowl of yellow rice grains.

76. Cornflower (n) a small wild plant with blue flowers

cornflower-blue eyes
A cornflower appears to be blue, and it is blue.
For dry skin try parsley or cornflower.
So one bee might specialise in red poppies, while another might focus on blue cornflowers.

77. Intact (adj) (not usually before noun) completely and not damaged

Most of the house remains intact even after two hundred years.
He emerged from the trial with his reputation intact.
This great building will be preserved intact and opened to the public.
His reputation survived intact.

syn: undamaged

78. Patch (n) a small piece of land, especially one used for growing vegetables or fruit

a vegetable/strawberry patch
the carrot patch
a patch of netties/grass/scrub
The "lawn" was just a tiny patch of grass.

79. Verge /vɜːdʒ/ (n) a piece of grass at the edge of a path, roat, etc.; a border along the side of a road, often covered with grass

a grass verge
They set up camp on the verge of the desert.

80. Dandelion /ˈdændɪlaɪən/ (n) a small wild plant with a brightly yellow flower that becomes a soft white ball of seeds called a dandelion clock

Today that team breaks up and scatters to the winds like a dandelion.
For a start, try leaves of lime, poplar, sycamore, holly, dandelion and groundsel.
The melody suggests innocence, butterflies, dandelions bobbing in the breeze.

81. Clover /ˈkləʊvə(r)/ (n-U) a small wild plant that usually has three leaves on each stem and purple, pink or white flowers that are shaped like balls

a four-leaf clover (= one with four leaves instead of three, thought to bring good luck)

He took it out to hold and to watch it munch clover.
Thoughtfully, Hera pulled a tuft of clover from the ground and offered it.