Avoid These Gardening Mistakes & Achieve the Landscape of Your Dreams
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
-Audrey Hepburn
Everyone loves a beautiful garden. Being immersed in beautiful green landscapes is proven to be beneficial for the mind, body and soul. However, many new gardening enthusiasts quit after some of their beloved plants have died thinking that they are “bad plant parents”. If this is the case with you as well, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are bad at gardening; you might be making some common beginners’ mistakes. Find out what they are and how to garden like a pro.
Source: Flickr
Biting Off More Than You Can Chew
The number one mistake many aspiring gardeners make is biting off more than they can chew and this can be a recipe for disaster. Taking care for a large variety of plants may be challenging if you are still a beginner since every plant has its own needs. Take things slow and gradually increase the number of flowers as you learn how to keep them nice and healthy. A lush garden is not something that happens overnight. It takes time, patience, careful planning and layout design.
It is easy to fall in love with a delicate plant, but it doesn’t mean that you should get it if you are not up for the challenge. Take orchids, for example, they are extremely hard to grow from seeds, have very fragile roots, and need nutrient-rich soil that is well-drained, but moist. It is not to say that orchids are not worth the trouble, in fact, it is quite the opposite, but you will need to equip yourself with knowledge and skill and stay committed if you want a beautiful and healthy orchid in your garden. Azaleas are a better choice for beginners. They bloom heavily, come in a variety of colours to choose from and require very little attention.
Buying too many plants all at once without a specific idea for landscape design can be overwhelming even for experienced gardeners. In order to achieve an aesthetically pleasing look, everything has to be in its right place. You may be thinking that more is better, but even plants can make your garden look cluttered if they are disorganized and come in many different forms that lack cohesion. If you need help to utilize the space you are working with, consider consulting a landscape designer. A professional will help you mix forms, sizes, textures and colours to create a beautiful landscape composition.
Source: Blog Directenergy
Dull Blades Torture
A gardener is as good as his tools. That being said, you need to make sure you have all the tools needed for maintaining your garden. Investing in high-quality outdoor garden equipment can make gardening less demanding and more enjoyable. Your garden equipment should include a lawnmower, grass trimmer, leaf blower, chainsaw, spade, trowel, garden knife and secateurs. Of course, the list goes on and the items can differ according to your needs. Do a little research and read about garden supplies online to find tools which will ease the gardening process.
Besides investing in quality, you also need to keep your outdoor garden equipment in proper condition and maintain it regularly. Dull blades on your mower can cause brown lines on your lawn. Dull knives and secateurs can leave open wounds on your plants and allow bacteria and disease to enter the plant. That being said, you need to keep all your tools sharp. It is also important to clean your garden equipment before and after using it. The blades need to be disinfected and sterilized to prevent spreading diseases among plants.
Source: Pinterest
Killing Them with Kindness
Many gardening enthusiasts are so devoted to being good plant parents that they eventually end up killing their plants with kindness. Did you know that too much water can cause even more damage than drought? It is important to provide each plant with the proper amount of water it needs using the appropriate watering technique. It is the best to water the plants when the soil is dry 5 cm below the surface.
Mowing the lawn regularly is important for a neat and healthy look. However, scalping it can create an open environment for diseases which attack the grass and leave ugly brown spots. Mow your lawn when it is dry to avoid clumps, do it in the early evening to protect it from heat and always wait for your grass to grow at least 7 cm before the next mow.
Weeding is also important for the health of your plants, but be careful not to tug out any sprouts from a freshly planted seed.
Preventing pests is a must if you want your plants to strive. However aggressive pesticides may be harmful to some delicate plants. Be careful not to expose your healthy plants to heavy pesticides because it can damage them.
Source: Bamboodownunder
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Time and placement are extremely important factors for the thriving of your plants. You may provide the perfect soil, watering system and brightness, but if you plant, replace or prune your plant in the wrong season, you may cause irreversible damage.
Placement is important for aesthetical reasons, but the location you choose should also provide the right conditions for the plant to grow and enough space for its development.
Let’s say you chose a bamboo plant to add a little privacy and shadow in your garden. What you may not know is that some varieties of bamboo plants are very invasive and have complex root systems which are hard to control. The bamboo can outgrow the perfect place you chose very quickly and cause further problems. They can invade your neighbour’s garden or damage the PVC pipes.
Choosing the perfect location for your plant requires knowledge and skill. Make sure you choose a spot with the right conditions, but also plan ahead and consider the growing pace of the plant.
