Stupid-proof Your New Garden: 5 Huge No-nos
Don’t let your enthusiasm, lack of experience, or anything else derail your new garden’s beauty, happiness, and well-being. Don’t make the mistakes I’ve made. Stupid-proof your new garden and avoid these 5 huge no-nos.
Greetings, readers and subscribers. Before I get into the topic at hand, which is neophytic gardening mistakes, I’d like to talk really quickly about the scope and direction of The Renaissance Garden Guy site. If you’ve been following me here for awhile, you’ll know that I write about lots of things besides gardening. I’ve planned for a diverse range of topics right from the beginning. The very name of the site alludes to this fact. I do happen to have a number of diverse interests, and each of them ultimately will be discussed here in varying degrees, from various standpoints, and within different formats (e.g. my own stories and how-to articles, product reviews and recommendations, book reviews and recommendations, art reviews, original creative works, guest writers, interviews, etc.). Gardening is sort of the anchoring premise and unifying factor (which is somewhat ironic, as it’s the newest of my interests and the one in which I’m the least experienced) behind what I write about here. It’s my garden, and the plants growing there, which are connected, in one way or another, to everything you’ll read here. The graceful beauty of foliage and blooms inspires and informs fine and decorative art, literature, and the performing arts. I tend to my garden as I tend to my family and my friendships. The design and construction of garden spaces and garden features is executed and implemented always with the well-being and optimal display of the plants as the objective. You get the picture. All of the written features here are in some way connected to, and unified by, gardening. And The Renaissance Garden Guy’s sixteen different feature categories continue to gain content. You’re getting more and more stuff to read here all the time. And you now know, if you didn’t before, that all of it is connected (admittedly sometimes in the most tenuous of ways) to the lovely little beings growing in my garden.
Ok, back to “Stupid-proof Your New Garden: 5 Huge No-nos”… Hmmm…
So, yeah, as far as subject matter goes, I’m veering directly back into gardening territory with this little anecdotal “NOT-to-Do” list. I’m going to give you some examples of things that you definitely shouldn’t do when you’re starting a new ornamental perennial garden. I’m also going to make a few product recommendations. As I’ve mentioned all along, my gardening expertise (remedial level) comes as a result of my mistake-making (highly advanced level). I learn from doing things the wrong way. And now, entering my third year of doing things the wrong way, I believe I’m a bona fide expert. You know, at doing things the wrong way.
Of all the mistakes I made during my first two years as a gardener here in hardiness zone 5B/6A, five really stand out as the most egregious. These are the ones to avoid if you really want to stupid-proof your new garden. So without further ado, here are The Renaissance Garden Guy Official Top Five of New Gardener No-nos.
1. Don’t Buy Plants (and Plant Them) Before You Design and Build Your Garden
If you’re looking to take up gardening in the first place, it means that you love flowers. And when you love flowers, it means that you’ve seen lots of pretty ones. In your neighbor’s garden, at nurseries, in magazines. Wherever. It also means that you’re probably going to want to acquire some. To start the garden. Get the plant population going. That kind of thing.
But you don’t have a garden yet. You don’t even have a plan for a garden yet. So listen real good now. DON’T BUY ANY PLANTS YET.
I did, and it ended up biting me in the ass. Real hard.
I started buying plants before I had any idea of what I was going to do with them. (Read My Garden: An Essay, or click here to learn about my early stage plant buying addiction.) I was fortunate in one respect: I bought so many plants that, before I knew what was happening, I had hundreds of them stewing in pots in my yard, with no garden to plant them in – this fact lit a massive fire under my ass and made me start designing/digging/building/planting all at the same time. So buying a bunch of plants before I ever even had a garden was good because it motivated me. But that’s about the only good that came of it. The downside to doing it was huge.
- Potted plant deaths. Some of my purchases did not live to make it into the ground. If you buy a bunch of plants before you’ve got your garden planned and built, you’re going to lose some of them. You can count on it.
- Bad design judgement. Buying plants before you have a garden, or even a plan for one, is going to result in you scrambling to get them into the ground before they roast to death in the sun. This was my experience. And this, in turn, resulted in some definite lapses in judgement for me. Plants ended up in the wrong places, a bunch of them had to be dug up and moved, etc, etc, etc. Attempting to design and build a garden after you’ve already planted all the plants is like painting a boat while it’s in the water.
- Trying to build stuff around existing plants is no fun. I built an arbor and corresponding trellis this last year in my garden. And of course, I built it right in the midst of a whole bunch of existing plants. (Click here to read about my arbor, and how I built it while trying to work around existing plants.) I literally had to build scaffolding (stages) in order to work from a position above the planter so the plants there wouldn’t be damaged. This added hours and hours of extra time to the job.
The takeaway here is this: Begin planning at the point in time that the idea of starting a garden begins to form in your head. Research the plants you’d like to plant. Design your garden. Pull it out of your skull and put it down on paper. And build it. Then, and only then, do I recommend buying the stars of your show and getting them into the ground.
2. Don’t Overcrowd Your Perennials
When I first considered the appearance of my future garden, I envisioned verdant planting features replete with densely situated, colorful plants. I loved the idea of not being able to see the surface of the ground in my planting features. So when I planted many of my perennials – whether potted, bare root, seedlings, or bulbs – I did not provide enough space among them to accommodate their projected spreads. This, for me, was problematic for three reasons.
- Phototropism. A phototropism is an individual plant’s physical reorientation with respect, and in response, to sunlight. In situations where I had planted too densely, certain plants, which were not getting the proper sunlight due to the proximity of taller plants, actually grew in bizarre shapes, and in strange directions, in their efforts to get sunlight. Some of them grew outward (almost parallel to the ground) and then upward towards sunlight once their stems and leaves escaped the shadows of neighboring plants. It was an unhealthy situation for each of those plants, and it created a real appearance problem within each corresponding planting feature.
- Lack of air and moisture circulation. Plants need ample air circulation around and among their foliage. The gaseous and liquid exchanges between a plant’s foliage and the atmosphere during its respiration and transpiration processes cannot effectively occur if there’s not enough space around the plant. When they’re packed to tightly against one another, individual plants can essentially suffocate.
- Appearance. You’d be amazed at how nasty a planting bed looks when its crammed full of not-ready-to-bloom foliage. Last year, all of my New York Asters, which I’d planted the year before, exceeded their growth projections by 100%. Yep, they got twice as big as they were supposed to get. Because of this, they violated the space of every nearby plant in their planting feature. And because these plants don’t bloom until fall, I spent nearly the whole summer dealing with an overgrown green mess in that planting feature. It looked like a drainage ditch filled with swamp grass and waterweeds.
So give your plants room. Follow the grower’s spacing directions and don’t overcrowd them. Your plants will be happier and healthier for it, and your garden will be a lot more beautiful.
3. Don’t Over-mulch
Wood chip mulch, if used judiciously, can be an excellent choice as a decorative and insulating application for the surface of any planting bed. It adds texture, color, and overall richness to the surface of the bed, and offers a pleasing visual contrast to the green foliage and colorful blooms of the plants growing there. More importantly, it’s an effective insulator, keeping the underlying soil warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. And it helps retain moisture, so its presence is beneficial to plants dealing with hot, dry weather.
The single biggest issue I’ve faced while using wood chip mulch has arisen from the application of an overly thick layer up to, and surrounding, the stems of certain plants. Because mulch retains water, the constant presence of moisture-laden wood chip mulch pressing up against the stems and root crowns of these plants can result in stem or crown rot. When this happens, it’s almost always a death sentence for the plant. I killed a whole bunch of plants very early in my gardening career (the time I wiped out a couple dozen delphinium grandiflorum plants at one time comes to mind) by piling too much mulch around their delicate stems and root crowns.
There’s one more thing I want to mention about mulch, which isn’t necessarily good or bad. Over the years, there seems to have existed, among members of the gardening community at large, a widely-held belief that the presence of decomposing wood chip mulch depletes the underlying soil of nitrogen, a vital nutrient for most perennial plants. Although what I’m writing here isn’t a scientific treatise, I can offer you my perspective on this issue as a result of two types of findings – the results of my internet surfing of contemporary research, and the results of my own soil analysis.
In terms of my online findings, the modern upshot is this: decaying wood chips on the surface of the soil do not actually deplete the underlying soil of nitrogen, but rather they temporarily “tie it up.” The bacteria responsible for the decomposition of the wood use nitrogen from the immediately underlying soil (to an extremely shallow depth and for a relatively short period of time) to fuel their gastronomic predilections. As long as the mulch is applied only on the surface of the soil and not entirely buried, its decomposition will not deplete nitrogen from soil at the depth of any plant’s roots.
My own soil analysis results seem to back this up. (“My own soil analysis?” God, I actually sound like I know what the hell I’m doing.) I did use my Rapitest Soil Test kit from Luster Leaf to see if the presence of mulch affected nitrogen levels in the soil at the root level of various plants. The amount of nitrogen that my testing kit detected was identical in unmulched and mulched soils. The relevant depth of the soil I tested was at least a few inches below the level of the mulch/soil interface at the soil’s surface (where the bacteria utilize the nitrogen). So what I found with my soil tester kit was consistent with my web surfing findings.
As far as wood chip mulch goes, what you need to know is that it can be really bad if you heap a whole bunch of it right up against the stems of your perennials. It can literally rot the stems and root crowns of certain susceptible plants, and essentially “cut ’em off at the knees.” Don’t do it.
My Luster Leaf Rapitest Soil Test kit helped me determine that the wood chip mulch I was using in my planting beds wasn’t robbing the soil of essential nitrogen. It’s fast, accurate, and tests soil pH, nitrogen levels, phosphorous levels, and potassium levels. And it’s simple to use. I highly recommend getting one of these incredibly handy kits. Order one right here, directly from Amazon, by clicking the #advertisement link.
4. Don’t Over-fertilize
Can you kill your new plants with kindness? You betcha. I’ve got experience doing it. I killed four miniature rose bushes and a rhododendron by over-fertilizing them. And I did it not long after I planted them. My deadly fertilizing activities actually involved the violation of two time-honored gardening axioms: 1) Don’t over-fertilize, and 2) Go easy on newly-bedded plants.
Most ornamental perennials growing in your garden are probably, from time to time, going to need feeding. All plant fertilizers contain three critical nutrients – nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K) – plus a variety of other nutrients, beneficial microbes, etc. in varying ratios to one another, and in varying degrees. And all plants need these nutrients, in varying amounts. Each and every fertilizer manufacturer provides a list of ingredients and clear feeding instructions/recommendations with each fertilizing product it markets. As a new gardener (all gardeners, really), it’s critical that you use the right fertilizer for the right plant, and that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions and suggestions. An overload of the nutrients in these products can easily kill an ornamental perennial. With respect to how much fertilizing ornamental perennials actually need, the reality I’ve discovered in my own garden is that most plants need less rather than more. Much less. Overdo it with the fertilizer and you can watch your plants fry right before your eyes. I have, and I have. Resist the temptation to overfeed your plants.
All of this especially applies to new plantings. When a plant is transplanted from one location, such as a pot, to the earth in your garden, it enters something akin to a “state of shock.” Roots, stems, foliage, and blooms briefly shut down their normal absorption and channeling of moisture and nutrients while the plant acclimates to the new soil composition, moisture level, light exposure, etc. Most plants resume normal function within 24 hours of being transplanted, but many take longer to adjust. If you bombard a fresh transplant with too much fertilizer as soon as it’s in the ground, you’re gonna fry it. Guaranteed. You can fertilize a new transplant immediately, but it’s got to be done according to the fertilizer manufacturer’s exact instructions for new plant feeding.
So, if you really want to stupid-proof your new garden, don’t kill your plants with kindness. Be gentle and patient with your new residents, and, for the love of God, don’t over-fertilize!
Espoma Organic Holly-tone is a terrific organic 4-3-4 (N-P-K) fertilizer which is perfectly formulated for the nutrient requirements of azaleas, rhododendrons, and other evergreen shrubs. Espoma is an excellent and reputable manufacturer who includes clear and concise information with every product. I love this product and highly recommend it. Order it here, directly from Amazon, by clicking the #advertisement link.
Another excellent Espoma offering. Plant-tone is a fabulous organic all-purpose plant food with an N-P-K ratio of 5-3-3. You can feed this to any plant in your garden with excellent results. I use it for everything except my roses and evergreen shrubs (although I could use it on them, as well). Click the #advertisement link and order it here, directly from Amazon.
Espoma Rose-tone is a wonderful organic fertilizer with an N-P-K of ratio of 4-3-2 especially formulated for roses. It’s a fantastic product which has helped my full-sized floribundas and knockout attain great size and display profuse and magnificent blooms. Click the #advertisement link to conveniently order it here, directly from Amazon.
Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Rose Plant Food is my go-to plant food for my miniature rose bushes. It’s got an N-P-K ratio of 18-24-16 and it’s water soluble. My minis are definitely benefitting from the faster uptake of the liquid nutrients. It’s not an organic product, but it works wonders on my little guys. Click the #advertisement link to learn more, or to buy it here, directly from Amazon.
5. Don’t Discriminate Against Predators
A few months back, I wrote about my experiences with small, carnivorous mammals in my garden, and on my property at large. In that article, I made mention of the fact that I had taken steps to repel various small predators from my property. By using highly effective repellent products, I was able to keep small predators off of my property and out of my garden. I successfully transformed my garden into a predator-free zone. And in the process, I enabled the establishment of a particularly pernicious vole population. By upsetting the natural balance of existence between predator and prey, I unwittingly created an unnatural problem in my garden. But I was lucky in a couple of ways. I was applying a combination of effective vole repellents which was helping to herd my population out of the garden. And I forgot to apply the predator repellents for a few weeks (which, to this point, I had been applying consistently). This lapse allowed a highly specialized predator to return to my garden – a mink. This ferocious little hunter ripped through my garden’s remaining vole population in exactly the way nature intended. My advice to you here is, unless the predator which haunts your garden is digging holes in your planting beds big enough for you to crawl into, let your little carnivore do its thing. Trust me, having its prey around is a million times worse.
I Must Garden Mole & Vole Repellent is one of my all-time favorite burrowing pest repellents. It’s right near the very top of my Top 10 List. Let this stuff finish the job that your garden predator started. Order it here, from Amazon, by clicking the #advertisement link.
Regardless of the kind of work you’re doing in your garden, from fertilizing your roses to repelling rodents, you’ve gotta take care of your hands. These Gloveworks HD Orange Nitrile disposable gloves are absolutely the best and toughest disposable gloves I’ve ever used. I’ve rarely ruined a pair. Click the #advertisement link to order them here, from Amazon.
Ok. That’s all I’ve got. I hope you found this simple little cautionary tale helpful. It’s super important that you avoid all five of these rookie gardener no-nos. You now know the consequences if you don’t. I learned the hard way, and now, you don’t have to.
So, stupid-proof your new garden! Let the error of my ways be your guiding light, my gardening sisters and brothers. Let my stupidity be your compass, and my ignorance your path. And remember, no matter where that compass points and that path leads, turn around and run, don’t walk, in the opposite direction.
Cheers, and Happy Gardening!
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What are all those green things in your photos?! 😂 It feels like years since I’ve seen them… looking forward to spring and more green soon! Great tips, John!
Thanks, Jackie – glad you liked the info. And that’s a really good question! It sure will be great to see green things out there again!
Useful information indeed! I have a bit of an opposite problem though. My property is a blank canvas with so much open space I am a loss to even start designing.
I especially appreciate the reminder about spacing perennials!
I’m so glad you gave it a read – thank you! Yours, although a good problem to have in my opinion (I personally can never get enough space), presents an entirely different set of challenges. And it presents a great deal more work, as well! Your gardening expertise is evident, however, and I’m sure you’re going to come up with a fabulous scheme. Please share progress pictures here, and on social media – we’d all love to see what you come up with! Thanks again!
Another helpful article John. Timely, too, as I’m gearing up for the planting season and needed the reminders–especially to be mindful of spacing my plants. Many thanks!
Thank you, Jill – I appreciate your kind words! I’m glad the information is coming in handy for you. I’m actually pretty glad I wrote this one, too. It’s easy to forget to pay attention to the obvious, sometimes. Writing this little article is forcing me to remember to not screw up again this spring!
John, great practical advice for every gardener from novice to expert. All of us have over bought, over planted, over mulched, over fertilized and tried to over protect our gardens. Alas we all do it because of our love of gardening !
Thank you, Kevin. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one!
Great information in a enjoyable reading format
Thank you, Rick. I’m glad the info was helpful. I definitely learned a lot from those mistakes!
Great stuff to know!
Thank you! I’m glad you found the info useful. These were pretty big mistakes I made early on. I definitely won’t repeat them!