Common Gardening Mistakes

April 20, 2009

Many want to be gardeners are easily frustrated by what they feel is a lack of gardening skill. In fact, when someone has nice indoor plants or outdoor gardens, they’re said to have a “green thumb”. Those people who don’t have that green thumb though, sometimes give up the idea of trying to grow plants or flowers, because they just can’t seem to figure out what they’re doing wrong.

Usually there are some very common mistakes everyone makes though, and they’re fairly easy to correct too. Let’s look at several:

Watering too much - Some people who have a problem growing plants and flowers don’t realize they’re actually watering their gardens too much at once, or too frequently. Not all plants and flowers need the same amounts and frequency of water, and you can actually kill a plant if you wanter it too much. A cactus for instance, often needs just one inch of water or less each month.

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Garden Tip...

The Roses best adapted for in-door culture belong to the class known as Tea Roses; these are tender, of a bushy growth, and if properly treated, will bloom the year round; the flowers have a strong tea-scent.

Tea Roses can be cultivated out-of-doors with success, but they must be taken up in the fall and removed in-doors. We know it is the custom of some gardeners to lay the bushes down in the fall, and cover them with earth and leaves; while in some cases this may preserve them, it cannot be depended on as a rule. To keep up a steady bloom, pinch off all flowers as soon as they begin to fade. It is best to not let the buds open fully while on the bush, but they should be cut in the bud, and placed in a vase of water, where they will expand and keep for a long while. All dead leaves and flower stems should be carefully removed, and the surface of the soil in the pots should be stirred up occasionally with a stick, this will keep the plants in a growing condition, and if they can be kept growing, they will bloom continuously.
~ James Sheehan
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Not watering enough - In contrast, sometimes the most common mistake made with a garden is to not water it enough. Again, there are some plants which require more frequent watering, and they’ll start to wilt and die if they’re not getting enough. In most cases you can tell by looking at the leaves of a plant. If the leaves appear as if they’re shriveling up, you’re not likely giving the plant enough water. With some plants you can actually just rub the leaves between your thumb and finger. When the plant has enough water the leaves often feel supple and strong.

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Garden Tip...

Always water your plants in winter time with lukewarm water, if you would have a profusion of flowers, and thrifty-growing plants. The water should be of the same temperature as the room or place where the plants are. There is no theory about it, it is a practical fact.
~ James Sheehan
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Planting the wrong kinds of plants - One of the biggest joys of gardening is finding new plants and flowers. Sometimes we’re out shopping and we come across something we just can’t resist… even if we’re not familiar with the plant we’ve found. So we bring it home and plant it in a prime spot of the garden, only to find it dying off within just a week or two. This often happens when you plant something that won’t grow in your garden zone.

Thankfully our local garden centers usually carry only those plants which should grow well in our local environment, but if you buy plants online, or from a store which stocks a large variety of plants from all over the world, you may find yourself having this problem. The solution is fairly simple though: Research. If possible, try to prevent yourself from buying the new plant you’ve just fallen in love with. Write down the name of it instead, then go home and look it up on the Internet.

If you can’t resist buying it though, then do your research before choosing where you’ll plant it. Often if the plant is not suitable for your yard, you may still be able to grow it indoors.

(Continued in part two…)