What was your BIGGEST gardening mistake?
I was weeding my BIGGEST gardening mistake, one of them anyway; I wondered what the mistakes were of my friends. Thank you, Facebook. I reached out to my friends, all great gardeners!!
Here are some of the gardening mistakes of my friends. Mine is last but not least.
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST GARDENING MISTAKE?
Thanks to all who participated!
Zone 5b—Bringing in plants that I didn’t know were invasive, such as Himalayan Impatiens. Star of Bethlehem and Lily of the Valley. And I grew Grandpa Ott’s morning glory one year and pulled for a few years.
Zone 5—Planting Grandpa Ott’s morning glory along the trellis beside my vegetable garden. It was beautiful the first year! The 2nd year my entire 30 x 30 garden sprouted morning glories in early May (just before warm crop planting here), and they still pop up every year. That was 22 years ago!!
(NOTE: I’d never heard of Granda Oatt before; when Cheryl wrote about it, I assumed, it was her grandma! When Stephanie wrote about it, I wised up! What would have been the chances they each had a relative named Ott? And after reading these two accounts, I’m glad I never gave it a try!)
Tom Eastman’s pond garden!
Zone 8b—Planting a single Colocasia at the edge of our Koi pond.
...moving to South Florida. Ha, ha!
Not managing the critters - vole damage found by lopsided newly planted azaleas
Wait?!? I didn’t know they were manageable :)
Zone 7—trusting squirrels not to eff over my garden.
(NOTE; I know Derek; he is a scientist! It just shows we can’t always get what we wish for!)
Zone 7a—Rockingham Co— Spreading myself too thin. Having too many garden projects going at one time. Finally learning (at 62 yo) to complete one area of my yard before moving to the next phase.
Zone 3b—south/central MT—Thinking deer wouldn't venture onto the front deck to get my plants.
Zone xx—Planting several pieces of Wisteria… supposedly white…one died…never a bloom, but still trying to remove it 20 years later!
Zone 7b—Trying to do too much and then getting discouraged when it doesn’t go as well as planned. Now, I try to focus on a few things and do them well.
Zone 6. St..Thomas, Ontario, Canada—My biggest mistake for the last twenty years was believing all the people who told me it's too hard to grow roses, forget about them, they don't winter over, they get blackspot, it's hard to prune them, they just won't grow here. a) I should have listened to my British ancestors sooner, and b) a couple of garden mentors twice my age; they know more than Google ever will.
Zone 7b—Planted two Star Magnolias too close to the house, and they shade the foundation planting of gardenia radicans. I wish I had staggered them forward. I'm watching Martha Stewart. I have never raised chickens. She is planting gourds to grow up their coup to shade her ladies from the summer sun.
Marte Hult
Zone 4. (but maybe 5, by. now)—My Biggest mistake was using landscape rock for mulch on my path to the gazebo. Weeding rock is not fun! Zone four (but maybe five by now)
Kathryn Hall
Zone —Not anticipating how big a plant was going to get!
Zone 7a or 6. Depending on the year….—Planting a number of thugs, invasive species, and then the joy of digging and sifting out the roots over and over again. Sigh.
Zone 5a—Not being careful enough about moving plants from an area inundated with reverted Bishop’s Gout Weed (there before us) to other areas of the garden, thereby spreading the devil’s spawn to other areas.
Zone 8—I planted a passionflower vine in a shade garden area & have been pulling up passionflower vines all over the area ever since. The blooms are unusual & beautiful & the plant is a host plant for gulf fritillaries, but they do like to spread & pop up everywhere.
Zone 7b—Planting Tetrapanax, pinellia, and Clerodendrum bungei..
Zone 7b. —My biggest mistake was planting and encouraging vines. My former neighbor’s biggest mistake was planting ivy for erosion control right up to the property line, which the ivy ignored. Even though I started getting rid of wisteria, greenbriar, and ivy when I first moved here, I let Virginia creeper, vinca, and sweet autumn clematis spread. I stopped using Roundup, so keeping these creepers from taking over the garden takes lot of time and effort. Here’s my blog:
I am leaving quite a bit of the native and beautiful Virginia Creeper. My biggest garden realization was the joy and contribution of supporting wildlife by growing native plants and providing water. I’ve been gardening here since 1989, but in a way started over about five years ago. It wasn’t a mistake exactly to put in so many unusual, nonnative plants, but I don’t have the settled, mature garden of my dreams now as I’d hoped. More adventure lies ahead!
Looking forward to more insights!
Zone xx—Planting ornamental knotweed and Bishop’s Hat in my garden.
Gojiberry, Lycium barbarum,
As for me, I planted a Gojiberry, Lycium barbarum, in my food forest. I’m in Zone 7b. Plants have very vigorous roots that spread aggressively into nearby soil. Native to China, Goji berry is invasive in my area, and from no lack of trying, I can’t seem to get rid of it. It would appear the roots are trying to return to their Motherland! I’ll get my antioxidants elsewhere; thank you very much!