More Garden Mistakes

Today on southern Gardening I’ve compiled four more mistakes not to make in your garden this year.

Nobody likes a crowd and plants are no exception. Always consider a plants mature size to make sure you’ve allowed enough space for them to grow. Growing too close together limits air circulation and provides opportunity for pests and diseases to set up shop. This can be a costly mistake, especially with trees planted too close to the house, underneath power lines and other utilities. Many times these will need to be removed at some point. Always remember the advice, the right plant in the right place. All plants have light requirements to reach their full growth. Observe during the day how much sun a location in you landscape receives. Partial shade means three to six hours of sun, full sun means at least six hours. Remember that the amount of sun changes with the seasons. Each spring gardeners rush out to the garden center and buy every new plant. Once home, they wonder where are those plants going to grow. Impulse buying is caused by cabin fever. Just like your weekly grocery shopping always have a shopping list before going to the garden center. And lastly, your garden plants are expensive so don’t forget to take proper care. It’s always much easier to fix garden problems early instead of waiting until the problem is out of control. Take a few minutes a couple of days each week walking around the landscape looking for trouble spots. Adding mulch can reduce weeds, save water, cool the soil and reduce splashing diseases on to the plants foliage.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with garden chores. But taking a few minutes to head off garden troubles will go a long way to keep the garden fun. I’m horticulturist Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.