- Author: Karen Metz
I have been thinking about all the gardening mistakes I have made over the years. They are many and varied. The ones earliest in my gardening career were some of the most outrageous. But I continue to make mistakes as I try out new plant varieties or work under different environmental conditions in my yard as my landscaping ages.
As I was thinking about these things, a song started running through my mind: Paul Simon's 2006 release 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. Then it hit me -There must be 50 Ways to Kill Your Flowers. Now in the name of full disclosure and clarity, the term flower is being used to signify any plant. Also, I have not committed every single crime on this list, though I have committed most of them. Some were committed by helpers, relatives, or colleagues.
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1. Abandon them |
Forget about them in the backseat of your car for days |
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2. Beat them |
Allow them to be pummeled with hail |
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3. Blind them |
Shut them away in the dark where they can't photosynthesize |
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4-6. Bury them |
Transplant them too deeply. Or bury with mulch or bark |
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7. Dehydrate them |
Forget to water |
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8-10. Devour them |
Bugs, birds, and mammals will all help themselves |
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11, 12. Drown them |
Overwater them or plant without enough drainage |
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13, 14. Encircle them |
Let them become totally rootbound or let the ties attached to planting stakes remain forever, encircling the trunk |
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15. Freeze them |
Forget to cover them in a predicted cold snap |
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16-18. Infect them |
Carry pathogens on dirty tools and infect with bacterial, fungal, or viral diseases |
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19-21. Poison them |
Weed killer, excessive fertilizer or even a mixed (alcoholic) drink will do the trick |
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22. Scald them |
Fail to protect sensitive plants with shade cloth so they develop sunscald |
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23. Scorch them |
Wildfires can consume |
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24. Smother them |
Let weeds overgrow and outcompete your plants |
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25. Starve them |
Don't give them their needed Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium |
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26. Step on them |
Can't believe how often this happens |
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27. Strangle them |
Just watch how quickly bindweed will attack |
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28. Trash them |
Mistake a dormant perennial for a dead plant and toss it |
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29, 30. Uproot them |
Think seedlings are weeds and pull or forget where you put those bulbs |
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31. Whip them |
Allow the wind to whip and batter your plants |
After generating this list, I am amazed that I have any greenery left in my landscape at all. Actually, some of these mistakes didn't kill the plant but did cause serious harm. Many plants are quite resistant, others, not so much. My list didn't quite make it to 50 ways, though. If you can think of other ways that you have harmed plants, you can add them to the list via the Comments section. Maybe we can make it to 50 together!
