VOA · Health & Lifestyle
Intermediate · B1–B2learner speed7:532025-02-24public domain
Health & Lifestyle covers medicine, fitness, food, and daily living. Health topics appear constantly in IELTS and TOEFL listening sections, so the vocabulary you pick up here transfers directly to exam day.
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01If you are a gardener, you probably have some favorite plants that you grow year after year.
02But you might also like to try new plants sometimes.
03Gardening expert Jessica Damiano recently reported for the Associated Press about one way to find new plants that might appeal to growers.
04Each year, the independent nonprofit organization All America Selections, or AAS, enlists more than 80 horticultural professionals from around the United States and Canada to serve as plant trial judges.
05Today, we share newly developed flowering plants meant to improve the appearance of your garden.
06Celosia flammapink is an upright flowering plant.
07This pink variety is the latest introduction in the Flammacelosia series.
08It is a small, easy-to-grow Celosia, noted for strong blooming and vibrant, long-lasting flowers.
09Judges praised its good performance even in hot and humid weather.
10It also lasts a long time in a container after it is cut.
11The plant is bred by Clover Seed Company.
12Vinca Sphere Polkadot is a flat, wide-petaled flower.
13Judges call this vinca variety-resilient and beautiful.
14With a naturally, tightly grouped, rounded appearance, the plant blooms throughout the summer.
15It grows well in hot, dry conditions and has good disease resistance and durability against heavy rain and storms.
16It is bred by Miyoshi and Company.
17Zinnia Crestar Mix combines the best crested zinnias in one seed pack.
18The pink, orange, red, white, peach, and yellow flower blends well for mass plantings and succession sowing.
19Succession sowing means growing several plants that bloom in different seasons in your garden.
20Zinnia Crestar Mix can also provide a continuous supply of cut flowers during summer.
21The sun-loving plants also tolerated heat and humidity well in the trials.
22It is bred by Takai Europe.
23Dahlia Black Forest Ruby has ruby-red flowers that show up nicely against dark-colored leaves.
24The disease-resistant plant impressed judges with its overall durability.
25It was bred by Takai Europe BV.
26Dianthus Interspecific Capitan Magnifica is a new dianthus plant.
27It thrived through the test garden's summer heat.
28Its pink flowers that grow on long stems can be used as cut flowers.
29Cutting the plants back after their first bloom can result in strong new growth and better flower production.
30This dianthus was bred by Selecta One.
31Marigold Mango Tango is a marigold that has two colored blooms, yellow and red.
32The small strong plants provide non-stop color over an extended season.
33The variety was honored by European judges.
34It can be used for plantings in garden borders and in containers.
35Ernst Beneri of America bred this variety.
36Nasturtium Baby Gold, Nasturtium Baby Red, and Nasturtium Baby Yellow were also praised by European judges.
37These new, small, nasturtiums produce golden yellow, rich red, and soft yellow flowers that look pleasing next to their dark green leaves.
38The judges praised their uniformly small appearance.
39Takai Europe BV bred these flowers.
40Petunia Deco Max Pink is easy to grow and grows quickly.
41These spreading flat blooms excited the judges during summer trials.
42Flowers covered the plants throughout the season and held up well against heavy rain and bad weather.
43It was bred by Syngenta Flowers.
44Petunia Shake Raspberry F1 has been compared to a blended raspberry milkshake swirled with lemon-lime green sorbet on a superior-performing petunia.
45This flower resisted heat and provided colorful blooms all season.
46It was bred by Hem Genetics BV.
47Snapdragon Double Shot Yellow Red Heart F1 smells like sweet candy.
48It bloomed earlier than similar varieties in the trials.
49Trial judges noted its healthy, strong growth, long-lasting flowers, and good heat tolerance.
50Hem Genetics also bred this variety.
51And finally, Zinnia Zydeco Fire is a disease-resistant Zinnia variety that is fiery orange-colored with strong stems.
52Judges found its flowers to be larger and more resilient than those of similar plants.
53Syngenta Flowers bred this variety as well.
54We hope this list provides you with ideas for your garden planting wherever you are.
55I'm Katie Weaver.
56I'm Katie Weaver.
57I'm Katie Weaver.
58I'm Katie Weaver.
59I'm Katie Weaver.
60I'm Katie Weaver.
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