What is the best way to repair an overgrown garden? 

修复杂草丛生的花园的最佳方法是什么？ 

Garden expert for the Associated Press Jessica Damiano believes she knows the answer. 

美联社花园专家杰西卡·达米亚诺相信她知道答案。 

Here are some of her suggestions for making big improvements. Planning in the autumn and winter months can help you see something much more beautiful next winter: 

以下是她提出的一些重大改进的建议。秋季和冬季的计划可以帮助您在明年冬天看到更美丽的景色：

First, take a notebook with you and walk around the garden. Look carefully at each part. Try to decide which plants can be saved, which to throw away, and which ones require attention. Make a list as soon as you can. 

首先，带上笔记本，在花园里走走。仔细看每个部分。尝试决定哪些植物可以保留，哪些可以扔掉，哪些需要注意。尽快列一个清单。 

Dead plants, weeds and invasive plants should be first to go. If the weather permits, dig them out, removing as much of their root systems as possible. Otherwise, wait until spring to do this before planting. 

死去的植物、杂草和入侵植物应该首先被清除。如果天气允许，将它们挖出来，尽可能多地去除根系。否则，请等到春天再进行种植。 

Next, remove and give away healthy plants that you do not want. Online groups and neighborhood web pages are places to find people to receive the plants. Many people will even be willing to do the digging if it means getting a free plant. 

接下来，移除并放弃您不想要的健康植物。在线群组和社区网页是寻找接收植物的人的地方。如果这意味着获得免费的植物，许多人甚至愿意进行挖掘。 

If the garden is full of plants, shrubs, trees and vines that have grown wild, you might need to use a chainsaw or heavy machine. 

如果花园里长满了野生植物、灌木、树木和藤蔓，您可能需要使用链锯或重型机器。

If there are a lot of weeds or if you want to create new garden beds, you can cover the existing vegetation rather than dig it up. Decide the size and shape of the area you want to make into a new bed. 

如果杂草很多或者您想创建新的花园床，您可以覆盖现有的植被而不是将其挖掉。确定您想要制作新床的区域的大小和形状。 

Cover that area with cardboard or lots of newspaper. Put about seven centimeters of compost and five centimeters of mulch on top of it. You can start in the autumn and leave it there over the winter until planting time in the spring. 

用纸板或大量报纸覆盖该区域。在上面放大约七厘米的堆肥和五厘米的覆盖物。您可以从秋季开始，将其留在那里过冬，直到春季播种。 

When it is time to plant, cut holes in the cardboard or paper big enough for the roots of your plants. The covering over the ground will keep most weeds from growing. Some weeds may break through and require pulling or more cardboard, Damiano said. 

种植时，在纸板或纸张上切出足够大的孔，以容纳植物的根部。地面上的覆盖物可以防止大多数杂草生长。达米亚诺说，一些杂草可能会突破并需要拔除或更多纸板。

Healthy but overgrown or unproductive deciduous shrubs can be brought back to life by pruning. “Deciduous” means that the plants lose their leaves during the winter season. The best time to prune many plants is when their branches are bare in late winter. 

健康但杂草丛生或生产力低下的落叶灌木可以通过修剪恢复生机。“落叶”是指植物在冬季落叶。修剪许多植物的最佳时间是在冬末树枝光秃秃的时候。 

Choosing a pruning method will require weighing appearance against the time it will take to recover. The fastest and most severe method would be to cut the whole plant down just above ground level. Although extreme, many shrubs can deal with this form of pruning and will bounce back stronger. 

选择修剪方法需要权衡外观与恢复所需的时间。最快、最严厉的方法是将整个植物砍倒在地面以上。尽管极端，但许多灌木可以应对这种形式的修剪，并且会反弹得更强。