It’s a simple fact of life that you will eventually make a mistake. You don’t know when or how, but sooner or later everyone will make a gardening goof or gaff! Mistakes range from the minor ones like forgetting to water your peace lily during the week (why do I keep repeating this one?) To cutting power lines or waterlines in your yard. Thankfully I’ve never done the latter but everyone, no matter what your experience level in gardening is, has done something they would like to take back, change or call for a “do-over.”
In blogging I botched reading a post this week then made a mistake in writing my comment. This mistake was easily correctable with a few extra words in a subsequent comment but it started me thinking “What other mistakes have other gardeners had?” So if you are willing, share your embarrassing gardening mistakes! Let’s face it we are all still learning no matter how long you’ve been at it! Maybe by telling others about your mistake you can prevent someone else from doing the same thing. I’ll get the ball rolling by sharing two blunders I did this past year.
My first mistake came soon after we bought our house in February. My wife and I both love maple trees, especially the red maples and the sugar maples for their fall color and shade value. We decided the first tree we would plant would be a maple and we found a nice looking one at one of our local big box home improvement stores. I quickly found the spot I wanted to put the ‘Red Sunset’ Maple and proceeded to dig a hole to plant the tree. There it stood for a week or two until I began to second guess myself. After planting it I realized it was too close to our septic tank and so I moved it further away. Fortunately there were no transplant problems and it’s in a good spot now. It’s a good thing I moved it because after moving into our house (after two months of remodeling) the septic tank backed up! We had to call in a plumber to pump the tank. I’m glad I moved that tree! File this one under “I should have known better!”
The second mistake I’ll fess up to was planting a willow too close to the house. Now this tree was not close enough to really cause any problems for several years (it was about 25 feet away from the corner of our house) but I began to think of the branch dropping that is typical of weeping willow trees and its reaching root system that acts like a heat seeking missile toward water sources. I dug a new hole way, way, way in the back yard in a moisture pocket where that willow will happily and hopefully healthily grow. It’s better for the willow and for us. It should be able to grow into the stately and majestic tree and be undisturbed for many years.
I should have known better not to make either of these mistakes. Against my better judgment and because of design ideas I tried to force nature to bend to my will. Well that just doesn’t work! In my mind the willow was going to quickly become a screen from the neighbor’s house. Which would have been fine for the short term, but in twenty years our house could have been underneath that willow. I was hasty in my decision making because I wanted the plants placed where they would fit my ideas. Unfortunately they would not fit my landscape. It’s funny that most of my mistakes get made when I rush to do something rather than think it through. Common sense right? Putting some extra thought into gardening decisions before I do something will go a long way toward making my landscape and my life better!
To use the old adage “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Gardening is a long term process and it’s the journey that makes it fun (of course seeing a few destinations along the way would be nice!) I’m sure my mistakes won’t stop there, but at least the ones I made were correctable and I learned from them.
Your turn! Share your best mistake!
I haven’t made any major gardening mistakes…’cause I have really only attempted to grow one garden. And this was a good dozen years ago. Does planting more than two squash and cucumber plants count as a mistake. I had so many cucumbers and yellow squash that the neighbors were getting tired of seeing my little red wagon. I spent my summer begging my neighbors to take squash and cucumbers off my hands. These things grew so incredibly fast. At one point I felt as if I was being invaded. 🙂 I am looking forward to planting a garden this coming summer in Tennessee after our move.
Marsha,
Welcome to TN! Thanks for stopping by. I don’t consider too many squash a mistake. One of our favorite things to make is fried squash. Just chop it up and mix with chopped potatoes, onions, and some cornmeal. Then fry it up in an iron skillet with some oil. It is delicious! What kind of garden are you thinking of planting? Good luck with your move!
That is a funny mistake Marsha! Planting too many squash and cucumbers. That is what we gardeners do and it is an awesome “mistake”.
I have made tons of mistakes. Like you Dave, I second guess and wind up digging up trees, shrubs, you name it. But those ones are ok. The two I have really regretted and don’t think of as ok are planting liriope spicata when i wanted lirope muscari. Now i try to warn everyone! Some people love spicata but not when you expected the other.
The other mistake was planting vinca! I have not made the mistake of planting ivy but silly me plante vinca. Just as bad and hard to eradicate. Those are my mistakes. Anyone want some vinca and liriope?”)
Oh, where to begin? Well, one of the biggest also had to do with my septic system. After the tank was installed close to the house during the building process, I added topsoil over the whole area to make a raised bed, being very careful to not cover the access pipe.
Several years later, I got the standard reminder notice from our township that we’re required to have the tank pumped out every three years. No problem: The septic service guy came out and asked where the tank was, and I showed him the pipe. He gave me the “you’re a moron” look and proceeded to explain that that pipe is only the vent; he needed access to the actual cover of the tank.
I ended up having to dig out an area about 5 feet square and 30 inches deep to find the bloody thing. Fortunately, he took pity on me and added a large section of pipe to raise the access cover; then I was able to backfill around it. It’ll be time to have the tank cleaned out again this spring, and I’ll still have to dig up part of the garden again, but just a few inches instead of a few feet. I hope.
Tina,
I think I like the liriope muscari better also with its purple flowers. Did liriope spicata spread too much? I haven’t planted it so I ahven’t seen it in “action.” I’ve thought about the vinca before but have been hesitant. It sure looks good when it’s still in bounds!
Nan,
That sounds like it was a lot of work! After the septic guy came this year I won’t take a chance with putting anything permanent above it. It sounds like your current situation worked out OK. One neat thing about septics is the extra warmth they can provide the ground above. If you’ve ever watched a septic tank in the snow (riveting right?) it’s usually the first area to thaw. There is a bit of extra heat that gets transmitted through the soil above the tank from the processes below. When the temperatures started getting cooler here I moved most of my potted outdoor plants over the tank to absorb any extra heat for the roots. It really would make an excellent place for a raised bed if it weren’t for the inconvenience of having to pump it periodically!
One mistake I do a lot is buy bulbs that never get planted until it is too late.
Mr. Brown Thumb,
Thanks for visiting! I think that mistake is one many people do. Sometimes you just forget about the bulbs. They tell you to store them in a cool dark place until you are ready to plant. The problem is cool dark places are easily forgotten!
My spicata was supposed to stay in place like the muscari does. Unfortunately, it did not, but is not too awfully hard to eradicate (like vinca and ivy). I moved the spicata to under a silver maple. There is is so beautiful but still spreading. In the right spot it is great. Bordering a garden is not the right spot for spicata and that is why I try to warn everyone make SURE you have muscari if you are bordering a garden. Otherwise it will be a garden of only monkey grass. If you like to garden, don’t plant vinca. It will take over and smother everything else out. Extremely hard to eradicate. I like a variety so I stay away from things like vinca now, and ivy.