📙 Part 2: Describe a person you know who loves to grow plants

This episode's vocabulary

Dab hand (noun) – someone who is very skilled at something. → My flatmate is a dab hand with houseplants.

Based on (phrase) – according to; using something as a reason or explanation. → You’d think he was a botanist, based on how much greenery we’ve got.

Pop up (phrasal verb) – to appear suddenly or unexpectedly. → One even popped up in my office the other day.

Shrivel up (phrasal verb) – to become dry and smaller, often due to lack of water. → They would probably shrivel up and die in my bedroom.

To be honest (phrase) – used to express sincerity or truthfulness. → I honestly have no idea what they are called, to be honest with you.

Escape someone (verb) – when you can't remember or recall something. → The exact name escapes me.

Not that great with (phrase) – not very good at something. → I'm not that great with growing or knowing much about plants.

A lot of extra work (phrase) – something that takes a lot of effort. → It seems like a lot of extra work to keep them all fed and watered.

At a guess (phrase) – used when giving an approximate or uncertain opinion. → At a guess, I’d say it’s because it makes the place look nice.

Feel a bit less sterile (phrase) – to feel more lively or natural. → It makes it feel a bit less sterile

Botanist (noun) – a scientist who studies plants. → You’d think he was some sort of botanist.

Greenery (noun) – green plants or vegetation. → We've got greenery all over the place.

Climbing plant (noun) – a plant that grows upward by attaching itself to something. → I think they're climbing plants.

Sunlight (noun) – natural light from the sun. → My bedroom has the least amount of sunlight.

Repotting (noun) – the act of putting a plant into a new pot. → There’s all the potting and repotting that needs to be done

Questions and Answers

Maria: You should say who this person is, what he or she grows, where he or she grows these plants, and explain why this person enjoys growing plants.

Rory: Well, my flatmate seems to be a dab hand with houseplants, just based on the sheer number of them we currently have in the apartment. Pete's a PhD candidate specialising in neglected tropical parasites, though you’d probably think he was some sort of botanist, just based on how much greenery we've got all over the place. Honestly, there must be plants in just about every room of the house.

When it comes to the specific plants, I honestly have no idea what they are called, to be honest with you. My best guess is they're mostly something like Monstera, just based on the large green leaves and the long, thick stems they have. We have a few smaller ones, like, I think they're climbing plants, but again, the exact name escapes me, since I'm not that great with growing or knowing much about plants myself. I think I've killed all the plants I ever had, to be honest. In terms of where they are, like I said, we have them in just about every room of the house. One even popped up in my office the other day. I think the only place that doesn't have them is my bedroom. Not only because it's my room, so it's my responsibility, but it's also on the side of the house with the least amount of sunlight, so they would probably shrivel up and die there, whether or not they were in my care.

To tell you a bit about the reasons behind the need for all this in the house, I have no idea, really. It seems like a lot of extra work to keep them all fed and watered, not to mention all the potting and repotting that needs to be done. At a guess, I'd say it's because it makes the place look nice and makes it feel a bit less sterile, though that's just a guess, I've never really asked, to be honest with you. I probably should. If Pete didn't have all these various plants in the house, well, I think it would be a lot less green, for sure.