7 Things People Regret Most in Their Gardens, According to a Gardener

Gardening is a lifelong learning experience, and even experienced gardeners experience failure because nature cannot be controlled. However, there are some garden mistakes that are easy to avoid.

Here are seven garden decisions people often regret, and an expert’s advice for proven alternatives that will prevent those headaches in the first place.

Not Starting Small

It’s important to know your limits, especially as a beginner.

“One of the biggest mistakes for new gardeners is trying to do too much, too soon,” says gardening pro Stacy Ling. “It’s easy to get overwhelmed wanting to grow every cool plant you see, but that can lead to frustration and wasted effort.”

This applies both to edibles and ornamentals. If you bite off more than you can chew, it can be overwhelming to try and keep everything you planted alive.

Ling recommends starting small and focusing on easy-care, low-maintenance plants that are suited to your USDA hardiness zone and climate.

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Choosing High-Maintenance Plants

It’s tempting to buy striking ornamental plants on a whim without checking how much maintenance they need. People often don’t realize that foreign plants need extra care, such as regular watering, and that they are often prone to pests and diseases. Native plants, on the other hand, require much less maintenance.

“Having evolved in your region for centuries, native species are inherently adapted to local soil, rainfall, and temperature extremes, meaning they require significantly less water, fertilizer, and pest control,” Ling explains. “[Planting native species] will yield the best results for a resilient, self-sufficient garden, preventing the regret of forcing plants where they don’t belong.”

Planting Invasive Species

Unfortunately, despite increasing awareness of invasive species, plants such as Bradford pear, butterfly bush, and burning bush are still sold everyday. Just because a plant is offered for sale does not mean that it is safe to plant where you live.

Do some research to make sure a species is not invasive in your area. Many states maintain lists of invasive species. Another good resource is your local Cooperative Extension office.

Not Protecting Plants Against Wildlife

Gardeners often learn the hard way how quickly their precious plants can be eaten by wildlife. Deer are the most notorious browsers, but groundhogs, rabbits, and chipmunks are also voracious eaters of tender young plants.

“Take immediate action when bringing new, susceptible plants home,” is Ling’s advice. “Don’t leave them unprotected, even overnight. Pull them into a garage or cover them if you don’t plant them right away.”

Ling suggests a multi-pronged approach against deer: physical barriers like netting or an 8-foot fence, if possible, plus repellent sprays consistently starting when the plants break ground or leaf out. She also suggests incorporating deer-resistant plants into your garden design.

“You can even strategically interplant deer favorites among less appealing options to help ward deer off,” she says.

Not Considering a Plant’s Mature Size

Underestimating a plant’s mature size also becomes problematic when planting below power lines or close to the property line.

“One of the biggest mistakes I see gardeners make is not accounting for a plant’s mature size when planting around the foundation of a home. It’s easy to choose shrubs that look perfectly scaled for the first few years,” says Ling.

To avoid any surprises, Ling emphasizes the importance of checking the plant tags for the mature height and width of any shrub or tree you’re planting, and to look for dwarf varieties if necessary.

Planting Onesies

Plant diversity in landscaping is great, but when it comes to weeding and other maintenance mixing too many species makes a gardener’s life more difficult. A hodgepodge of plants can also be visually unappealing.

Drifts of at least three plants of the same type or mass plantings are visually more impactful and harmonious and much easier to maintain.

Not Marking or Labeling Plants

Whether it’s fall-planted spring bulbs whose foliage disappears after the bloom or perennials that break dormancy late in the spring, almost every gardener has stood in front of a flower bed wondering what that plant was or where exactly it had been planted.

That’s why marking or labeling plants is indispensable. If you would rather not populate your garden beds with signs, you can also create a detailed map to record your plantings.