6 mistakes I made in the garden as a beginner

For the novice, gardening can be intimidating. Not only do you have to learn how to keep a plant alive (does it require sun? shade? what time of the year does it need planted? how much water?), but it's difficult to know how to make your landscaping visually appealing at the same time. Today i'm sharing 5 mistakes I made in when I first started gardening and some tips I've learned the past couple of years so hopefully you can start your garden out on the right foot.

Mistake #1: Not living with the current landscape at your property for at least a year.

We closed on our first house during the month of January, so by the time spring rolled around, I was anxious to begin planting and creating an environment I loved. Our house had a ton of rhododendron shrubs planted along the side that I was determined that I hated, only to find that as soon as we ripped them out, they sprouted the most gorgeous pink/purple flowers. They were established shrubs, so I wish that we would have kept them and relocated them to a different area of the yard.

I know that it is tempting to start ripping out ugly shrubs and planting your favorite flowers ASAP, but try to live in your house for an entire year and experience all of the seasons before you begin to plant. You will be able to see everything that was planted before and how those plants look at different times of the year before you make a final decision to change it up.

Mistake #2: Not doing research on plants and landscaping before beginning.

As a kid, I grew up in the dirt of my parents' garden. I loved helping them plant vegetables and watching them grow. Once I acquired my own house, I was anxious to begin planting right away without doing much research. I had no idea what I was doing. I just drove to my local greenhouse one day and picked out a million plants that had the words "perennial" slapped on them, and ones that I thought looked pretty. As a result, I had bought a ton of random plants that weren't cohesive and didn't look right beside one another, or with the style of my house. I should have spent more time doing some research on what plants make a cohesive garden style, what plants love sun, what plants love shade, etc, before going to the greenhouse.

Mistake #3: Planting a million small plants and avoiding shrubs/trees.
The first year of gardening, I bought a bunch of hostas, small flowers, and random other plants, but didn't buy any shrubs. As a result, all of these tiny plants gave our house a "messy" look, instead of the beautiful garden I was striving to achieve.

I've since learned that a home needs shrubs and trees as "foundation plants" from the very start. Those trees and shrubs serve as a focal point, and give the eye something to focus on when you first look at your house. Multiple shrubs of the same type should be planted close to the house and then you should layer your landscaping from tallest to shortest, planting flowers in front of the shrubs that won't be taller than them. After that, you can begin to fill in your flowerbeds with pretty annuals for the very front. Which comes to my next point...

Mistake #4: Not buying any annuals.

Sure, perennials are great. It is so much fun to watch your plants sprout out of the ground in the spring after a long winter. In fact, most of your flowerbeds should consist of perennials. However, annuals shouldn't be avoided simply for the fact that they won't come back next year.

Annuals can provide that extra "wow factor" that perennials cannot because most of them will bloom all summer long. Plant your annuals in the front of your flowerbeds and enjoy the pretty blooms that they will provide for months.

Mistake #5: Buying a bunch of different plants and not repeating any of the plants.

When I went to the greenhouse for the first time, my sister, cousin, and I walked through each isle of plants and we picked out only one plant of each that we thought was pretty. I've since learned that repeating the same plants in a pattern is the most visually appealing approach for your landscaping. Having a million different plants and not repeating anything just made my flowerbeds look messy and haphazard.

Mistake #6: Not mulching.

Again when I first started gardening, I had no idea what I was doing. I couldn't for the life of me, figure out what the big deal with mulch was. I asked several people what the purpose of mulch was, and no one could give me a definite answer, so I didn't mulch that first year.

I now know that mulch is used to not only make your flowerbeds look better, but it also holds water which provides your new shrubs and plants with the moisture they need. Mulch also keeps the weeds at bay, which makes your job easier as well. Plus, mulch is cheap!


I'm still learning a lot of gardening tips and tricks as I go, and I truly feel happiest when I'm out in my flowerbeds digging in the dirt. The best way to learn is to get out there and start!