Mistakes

The very first mistake is to believe your friends that gardening is easy and relaxing. It is hard work. When you visit gardens you will see many benches or seats to sit on. These are not for the gardener but the visitors!!.

Here are some mistakes to be aware of:

• Clueless watering - many new gardeners kill their plants by either drowning or letting them dry out too much too often. Know your plants moisture requirements.
  
• Over feeding - plants need to be fed especially pot grown plants but too much fertiliser is as dangerous to a plant as an overdose is to us.
  
• Forgetting about sun, shade and soil requirements - we are all guilty of buying plants we like and planting them where we want them and  wonder why they do not thrive. Read the labels.
  
• Planting too early - we have an unusual spell of early warm weather and get very excited. Supermarkets and garden centres entice us with bedding plants. We rush out  and plant them, then the weather changes to frost and even snow, which means the plants do not survive.
  
• Planting too close together - each plant needs its own space depending on its final size. They also need space to take nutrients and water from the soil without competing with their neighbours.
  

I am sure like me you will make many more mistakes but hopefully learn from them and have many years enjoying your garden and telling new gardeners how easy and relaxing a hobby it is.

Hazel Wyatt