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Many gardeners do not begin to grow their plants from seeds.
许多园丁不是从种子开始种植植物的。
Instead, they buy young plants, also called seedling or "starts."
相反，他们购买幼苗。
These are plants that are grown in a nursery: a place where plants are grown and sold.
幼苗是在苗圃中生长的。苗圃是种植和出售植物的地方。
Many gardeners buy seedlings in containers for their gardens.
许多园丁为他们的花园购买装在容器里的幼苗。
Most nursery seedlings are either plants that last for one growing season or are vegetables.
大多数在苗圃里生长的幼苗要么是能持续长一个生长季的植物，要么是蔬菜。
They come in plastic containers holding four to six plants.
它们被装在塑料容器里，容器里装着四到六株植物。
Many people also buy "starts" in individual containers.
许多人也购买装在独立容器里的幼苗。
But it is important to pay attention when buying spring starts.
但在购买春季幼苗时一定要注意。
A gardener usually cannot go back and begin again in the middle of spring or summer.
园丁通常无法在春天中期或夏天重新开始。
And a good gardener wants to have plants that perform for the season.
一个好的园丁想种植适合这个季节的植物。
Here is some helpful information to help get good plants:
以下是一些有助于获得好植物的有用信息：
The first step is finding a good nursery.
第一步是找到一个好的苗圃。
A good gardener will ask themselves if it looks like the nursery grows its own plants, or buys them from larger growers.
一个好的园丁会问自己，到底是在苗圃里自己育苗好还是从更大的种植者那里购买幼苗好。
Nurseries that grow their own spring starts usually take good care of them.
园丁自己在苗圃里培育的幼苗通常会被照料得很好。
The larger growers, or wholesalers, might not be able to do so.
种植面积较大的人或批发商可能无法把幼苗照顾得很好。
Make sure the plants have been watered correctly.
确保给植物正确浇水。
If not, the seedlings will have a hard time developing.
如果没有，幼苗将会很难生长。
If there are lots of half-dead or dried-out plants, it is often a sign to buy elsewhere.
如果有很多半死不活或干枯的植物，这通常预示着你需要到其他地方购买幼苗。
Next, before buying a grouping of seedlings, feel the soil.
接下来，在购买一组幼苗之前，先摸摸土壤。
In addition to being wet but not flooded, it should not be dense.
土壤须潮湿但不能被水淹没，除此之外，土壤也不应该很密实。
That is a sign of it having been dried out.
这预示着它已经干涸。
In fact, the soil should smell fresh.
事实上，土壤应该闻起来很新鲜。
Look at the holes at the bottom of the container to see the roots.
看看容器底部的孔，就能看到根。
If the roots are too dense, that is a sign not to buy the plant.
如果根太密，那就不要买这株植物。
Look to see if there has been damage from the wind or sun.
看看是否受过风或阳光的摧残。
Damaged plants will take time to repair.
受损的植物需要时间来恢复。
Also look for signs of fungal or bacterial infection.
也要检查是否感染过真菌或细菌。
Plants should be free from insects and not have the smell of chemicals.
植物不应该受到昆虫的伤害，也不应该有化学物质的气味。
When buying spring plants in cell containers, all the plants in the group should be healthy.
在购买装在容器里的春季植物时，组里的所有植物都应该是健康的。
If one out of four plants in a grouping is not healthy, the others might not be far behind.
如果一组中的四株植物中有一株不健康，其他植物可能不久后也会变得不健康。
A gardener should also know what plants they are buying.
园丁还应该知道他们买的是什么植物。
Look for the name of the kind of plant, the color and the height.
找出该种植物的名称、颜色和高度。
That information can help gardeners buy the same plants in the future if they perform well.
这些信息可以帮助园丁在未来购买同样的植物，如果它们生长状况良好的话。
Many people ask about buying plants that are already flowering.
许多人询问有关购买已经开花的植物的问题。
Some plants will flower all season long, so that will not be a problem.
有些植物整个季节都会开花，所以这不是问题。
However, other plants will flower once and never again.
然而，其他植物只开一次花，就再也不开花了。
Avoid plants that have already flowered early in the season.
避免购买在这个季节初就已经开花的植物。
Finally, always have a plan when buying plants.
最后，买植物的时候一定要有计划。
Something that helps gardeners is a simple drawing of their garden and a list of the plants they will buy.
园丁们可以（在买植物之前）画一张花园的简图并列一张其要购买的植物的清单。
Some people even have it on their phone so it is always with them when they are at a nursery.
有些人甚至把它放在手机上，所以当他们在苗圃的时候，它一直就在身边。
I'm Gregory Stachel.
格雷戈里·施塔赫尔为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
