10 Common Gardening Mistakes To Avoid (Pt 2)
The prospect of starting a new garden and having to keep plants alive can be daunting for beginners. That’s why we’ve put together this list of 10 common gardening mistakes to avoid to ensure that your garden flourishes all year round.
Click here to read 10 Common Gardening Mistakes For Beginners (Part 1)
6) Choosing Plants With Different Growing Conditions
When choosing plants for your garden it’s important to remember that different plants have different needs in terms of soil, moisture, and sunlight. This means that you can’t just pick a random group of plants you like, plant them in the same garden bed, and expect them all to grow well. To find out which plants will grow best in your backyard take a look at what kind of plants are growing in your neighbours’ gardens or ask at your local garden centre.
You can also check the tags on the plants for how much sunlight they need in order to decide if they will survive the conditions of your backyard, as well as where they should be planted. This is important as plants that need a lot of sun will wither in the shade and vice versa.
7) Choosing Invasive Plants
Another common mistake many rookie gardeners make is choosing invasive plants that could inhibit the growth of the rest of your garden. It’s important to research the plants you intend to buy first, as some plants such as horseradish and English ivy can prevent surrounding plants from receiving the nutrients they need.
Additionally, many invasive-type plants can spread very quickly, and are particularly difficult to get rid of. So, save yourself the time, effort, and potential loss of plants, and do your plant research before buying.
Top Tip: When buying plants look out for terms like ‘prolific re-seeder’, and ‘vigorous growth’ as these are often used to indicate that the plant is invasive.
8) Planting For One Season
If you’ve recently decided to try your hand at gardening it can be tempting to fill your garden with plants that will bloom in the season you have decided to start your garden in for instant gratification. However, this may leave you with a sparse looking garden throughout the other three seasons of the year. So it’s important to choose a variety of plants that may bloom in different seasons to ensure that your garden remains colourful all year round.
9) Ignoring Weeds
One mistake you definitely don’t want to make in your garden is ignoring weeds. Not only can weeds starve your plants by stealing much needed food and water, some weeds can also cause damage to pathways and pavers by growing through the cracks.
Weed control starts with prevention. Aerating the soil in your garden beds before planting anything will help to uproot any weeds that may already be in the soil. Additionally, adding mulch to your garden can help to prevent weed seeds from reaching the soil below, as well as preventing any weeds that are already in the garden bed from receiving the sunlight they need to grow.
However, even if you thoroughly aerate and mulch your garden, you are likely to come across a few weeds in your garden beds at some point. When this happens it is important to remove them as soon as possible, ideally before they flower in order to prevent weeds from spreading throughout your entire garden.
10) Forgetting About Unwanted Garden Visitors
One final mistake to avoid when growing a garden is forgetting about unwanted garden visitors, such as possums, who will leave your plants flowerless and your trees fruitless. There are plenty of natural deterrents that can be found online to repel possums such as garlic sprays and Tabasco sauce. Whatever you decide to use, it’s important to reapply the deterrent after heavy rain.
Avoid these 10 common gardening mistakes and you’ll be well on your way to cultivating a flourishing garden that will bring life and colour to your backyard all year round. Looking for quality garden supplies? Wellers Hill Hardware & Landscape Supplies is your local Brisbane garden centre. Visit our Tarragindi store today or give us a call on 07 3848 1682.
