Are you unknowingly sabotaging your flower garden? Discover 17 common mistakes that can hinder your plants’ growth and prevent beautiful blooms.
As a home gardener with over 25 years of experience, I’ve made plenty of mistakes. While some of these mistakes were minor and easy to fix, others were more regrettable and left me wishing I had done things differently.
From making decisions without thinking them through to cutting corners and sheer neglect, there are better, more efficient ways of accomplishing garden tasks without the drama.
So today, I want to share with you 17 flower gardening mistakes you may regret, in hopes that you can avoid these same mistakes in your own garden. Here’s what you need to know.
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1. Planting a Tree or Shrub Too Close to the House That is Larger Than the Space Allotted
One of the biggest mistakes you can make in flower gardening is planting a tree or shrub too close to your house. This can lead to all sorts of problems, from the roots growing into your foundation to the branches rubbing against your siding.
But worst of all? It can create a lot more work for you in the long run because you may need to continually prune it to keep it in check.
When choosing trees or shrubs for your yard, make sure you take into account their mature size and give them enough space to grow without causing any damage to your home.
In short, measure your garden space, read the plant tags, and plant accordingly.
2. Huge Flower Gardening Mistake: Planting Invasives
Invasive plants can quickly take over your garden and push out native species, making it difficult to maintain a healthy and diverse ecosystem. Before planting any new species in your garden, make sure to research them to ensure they aren’t on the naughty list and won’t become a problem down the line.
Reach out to your local cooperative extension to make sure plants are not invasive in your locality. And keep in mind that just because you can find it at the local nursery, doesn’t mean it isn’t invasive.
Examples of some invasive plants include:
- wisteria
- lonicera
- trumpet vine
- morning glory
- bamboo
You can find non-invasive varieties of certain plants, so check plant labels and speak with your local cooperative extension as they’d have the best information for your area.
3. Planting in the Wrong Location Can Be a Fatal Flower Gardening Mistake
Choosing the right location for your plants is crucial to their survival and success. Some plants need full sun, while others prefer shade, so it’s important to take into account the specific needs of each plant before adding them in your garden.
But it’s not only light conditions you should be concerned about. You should also understand your soil quality before planting. Take a soil test to determine how healthy your soil is and what it needs to make it optimal for growing the flower garden of your dreams.
4. Flower Gardening With High-Maintenance Plants
While high-maintenance plants can be beautiful, they can also be a lot of work. If you’re short on time or prefer low-maintenance flower gardening, it’s best to stick with plants that don’t require a lot of attention.
I love dahlias, but they need a lot of your time to grow well. From planting them at the right time, to pinching them back, supporting the flowers, and digging up the tubers, it can be very time-consuming.
If you don’t want to do that much work, choose different flowers to grow that will require less time and energy from you.
5. Setting Irrigation Timers For Your Garden Too Often and Late in the Evening
Watering your garden is essential, but setting your irrigation timers too often and late in the evening can lead to problems like mold and disease. Instead, try to water early in the morning when it’s cooler and the water has time to soak into the soil before the sun gets too hot.
We have an irrigation service here and every year, I argue with guys who open up the lines about the best time to water the lawn. They ALWAYS want to set the timers up around midnight. And I make them schedule it for 5AM.
It’s also important to water less often and more deeply when you water to develop deeper root systems on your plants.
6. Starting a New Garden That Is Far Away From a Water Source
If you’re starting a new garden, it’s important to choose a location that is close to a water source. Otherwise, you’ll spend a lot of time hauling water back and forth, which can be both time-consuming and exhausting.
If you’ve never dragged a 100-foot house around in a hot and humid summer, I don’t recommend it. So make sure you site your garden close to a water source. You’ll thank me later!
7. Flower Gardening in Smaller Planters
When I first started gardening, I was obsessed with those cute little terra cotta pots. But I quickly learned a hard lesson: small pots can be a death sentence for plants, especially in the summer heat! Terra cotta wicks moisture away from the soil, and I couldn’t keep up with watering those thirsty plants.
Since then, I’ve switched to larger containers and had much more success. Bigger pots mean more space for roots to grow and more soil to hold moisture. Plus, you can pack them with more flowers! I love squeezing 8-10 annuals into a 20-inch pot for a full, lush look right from the start.
Of course, larger pots can be heavy. To make them easier to move, choose lightweight materials or use a plant dolly. You can even lighten the load by filling the bottom third of the pot with crushed nursery pots (just make sure there’s still plenty of room for roots!).
8. Not Watering More Often During Extreme Heat in Summer
When the temperatures rise in the summer, your plants will need more water to stay hydrated. If you’re not watering them enough, they can quickly become stressed and start to wilt.
To avoid this, make sure to water your plants more frequently during the hottest months of the year. And keep in mind, that even though the forecast calls for rain…it might not rain.
If unsure whether or not to water, check the soil by sticking your finger down about an inch. If the soil is wet, skip watering that day to avoid waterlogging your plants. Or you can purchase a moisture meter like this one.
9. Not Pulling Those Weeds
Weeds can quickly take over your garden and steal nutrients from your plants. To keep them under control, make sure to pull them out as soon as you see them.
One year, I was so busy with my kids, I noticed a threading week going through my garden. Well, I kept telling myself I’d take care of it later. That weed turned out to be dodder and I had to rip out a large section of my garden to eradicate it.
And even then, it still came back for a few years after. It was terrible and I have never made that mistake again. So pull the weeds as you see them!
10. Not Protecting Susceptible Plants from Deer Damage
Deer can cause a lot of damage to your garden, especially if you’re growing plants that they find particularly tasty. To protect your plants from deer, consider using deer netting or other physical barriers like an 8-foot fence.
Since that isn’t always an option, you can also use deer repellent sprays like this and this. But you can also opt for plants that deer prefer not to eat. Or you can plant more susceptible plants among less susceptible plants.
I recommend doing multiple things to protect garden plants from deer damage. But the short of it is, protect your plants the moment you bring them home from the garden nursery.
I’ve had many friends bring a susceptible plant home, leave it out unprotected, and find it decimated by morning.
11. Overfertilizing Plants
Fertilizing your plants is essential to provide them with the necessary nutrients to grow, but overfertilizing can harm your plants. Not to mention, some plants don’t need fertilizer. Too much fertilizer can burn the roots and leaves, causing them to turn yellow and wilt.
To avoid overfertilizing, follow the instructions on the fertilizer package, and don’t apply more than the recommended amount.
For my flowering annuals, I love this and this slow-release fertilizer. And to give blooms a boost every few waterings, I feed them with this water-soluble fertilizer.
As an aside, I do not fertilize my perennials or shrubs, unless they are maintained in containers. Instead, I focus on good soil quality by amending the soil with compost, leaf mold, and a yearly mulch application.
12. Not Using Native Plants When Flower Gardening
Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions, making them easy to grow and maintain. They also provide food and shelter for local wildlife and pollinators like butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees, which contribute to the ecosystem’s overall health.
For an easy-care, low-maintenance flower garden, consider using native plants in your garden. Research what plants are native to your region and choose the ones that suit your garden’s conditions.
Here is a great resource to help you learn what’s native in your locality.
13. Not Digging Up Those Dahlias and Other Tender Perennials
Some plants like dahlias, cannas, colocasia, caladiums, and gladiolus are tender perennials, which means they cannot survive the winter in colder regions. To avoid that twinge of regret, it’s crucial to dig up these plants in the fall, store them in a cool, dry place, and replant them in the spring. This will help ensure that your favorite plants come back next year without having to re-buy them.
Do you have to do this? No. But think it through before that first frost approaches because once it arrives, you’ll be two steps behind.
14. Putting Off What You Can Do Now and Forgetting To Do It Later
Procrastination is a common problem for many gardeners, and it can lead to regret. If you see a task that needs to be done, like weeding, watering, or dealing with a pest, it’s best to do it right away.
If you put it off, you may forget about it, and the problem will become worse. Set a schedule or reminders for yourself to keep on top of your garden tasks. I can’t tell you how many times I see japanese beetles on my plants. Then think to myself, I should get out there with a bucket of soapy water.
And then I don’t do it for a few days only to find lots of holes in the foliage that I’ll never get back this season.
15. Not Staking Plants Early Enough
Some plants like tomatoes, peppers, dahlias, snapdragons, peonies, and sunflowers require staking to keep them upright and prevent them from breaking in the wind.
Stake your plants early on in the season before they get too big and start to flop over. You can use green garden stakes, bamboo stakes, cages, grow-through hoops, or trellises to support your plants.
To learn more about staking your tall flowers, read this informative article that I wrote.
16. Making Your Flower Garden Too Big
While it’s tempting to create a large garden, it can also be overwhelming and challenging to maintain. Don’t bite off more you can chew. Instead, start small and gradually expand your garden as you gain more experience.
Choose the plants that you love and that fit your garden’s conditions, and plant them in a manageable space.
If you are just starting out, container gardening or planting annuals are a great way to get your feet wet.
17. Using Weed Fabric in a Flower Garden
Weed fabric may seem like a convenient solution to prevent weeds or to help start a new garden, but it can actually do more harm than good. It can prevent water and nutrients from reaching your plants, leading to stunted growth and root rot.
Not to mention, it’s really hard to plant in because you’ll need to cut through it to dig in new flowers.
Instead of using weed fabric, consider mulching your garden with organic materials like leaves, newspaper, grass clippings, or compost. This will help suppress weeds and provide nutrients to your plants.
And if you are looking to start a new garden or suppress weeds, I recommend using a few layers of newspaper then adding mulch on top to kill grass or weeds. The newspaper eventually breaks down and enriches the soil so it’s a great method for doing either of those tasks instead of using weed fabric.
More Flower Gardening Mistakes to Avoid
Flower gardening is a journey of learning, and even experienced gardeners make mistakes from time to time. But by being aware of these common pitfalls, you can avoid setbacks and create a truly thriving garden.
Remember to choose the right plants for your space, provide proper care, and be mindful of design and maintenance. With a little planning and attention to detail, you’ll be well on your way to enjoying a beautiful and rewarding flower garden for years to come!
Have you made a mistake in the garden that you learned from and would like to share? Tell me about it in the comments below.
Thank you so much for following along.
Enjoy a beautiful day! xo
Looking for More Flower Garden Ideas?
If you love flowers and want to grow more in your garden, here are some posts that will get you on your way.
From tucking in flowering plants that are deer-resistant or ones that attract more butterflies and hummingbirds, to shade-loving flowers like the lenten rose, these posts will get you on your way to growing a garden that will bring joy for years to come.
Here are more cut flower and cottage garden growing tips, tricks, and design inspiration.
- 5 Quick Ways to Grow a Cottage Garden
- Easy-Care Cottage Garden Ideas
- Flower Garden Ideas for the Front Porch
- Why and How to Divide Perennials
- Perennials vs Annuals
- Flowers that Bloom in Midsummer
- How My Cottage Garden Grew in 2021
- Cut Flower Gardening for Beginners
- The Complete Guide to Roses Care
- The Basics of Hydrangea Care
- Everblooming Cottage Garden Design Ideas
- The Secret to Growing an Everblooming Cottage Garden
