Five Common Gardening Mistakes

August is here – probably the worst month for gardeners in the South! I will admit I spend little time in the garden in the heat of August…but that does not mean I am not planning ahead for the cooler months of autumn! The fall may be the best time of year to add new plants to your yard, giving roots the time to grow strong before spring. Before you get the fall gardening fever, take a deep breath and take a moment to learn how to avoid some of the most common gardening mistakes. Understanding some basic principles will save you money and wasted effort and will result in the beautiful garden you are imagining.

Gardening Mistake #1: Not knowing our plant hardiness zone.

Plants have varying degrees of tolerance for winter cold and summer heat. Plants that thrive in another part of the country may not like our southern climate. To make it easier for people to select the right plants for their area, The U.S. Department of Agriculture mapped and divided the country into hardiness zones based on annual minimum temperatures. Most of metro Atlanta (and Fayette County) is in Zone 8a which means that our average lowest temperatures are between 5 and 10 degrees. Plants that can take these minimum temperatures will do well in our area.

Since heat is also a big factor in determining plant hardiness, the American Horticultural Society divided the U.S. into twelve heat hardiness zones based on the average number of days each year that an area experiences temperatures above 86 degrees. We are in Heat Zone 8, with 90-120 days above 86 degrees. We need to select plants that can take long periods of hot and humid weather. Just remember when selecting plants that Fayette County is in Zone 8 for heat and cold hardiness. You’ll fine zone information on plant tags. You can also experiment with plants in Zone 6-9 to see if they will work in your garden.

Gardening Mistake #2: Not understanding where to put the plants you have selected.

You may have selected the right hardy plants but they need to be put in the right place. Do some research on the plants and note requirements for sunlight and size. Plant those with similar requirements together. Sun-loving plants will be happy in an area with at least six hours of full sun. Group your shade plants together. Make sure shrubs that will grow large and wide have plenty of room to expand or you will be pruning them back constantly or moving them when they become overcrowded or are too close to the house. 

Gardening Mistake #3: Not taking the time to prepare your planting beds for your plants. 

For a small fee you can have soil samples analyzed by your county extension office. You will receive a printout that specifies exactly what nutrients you need to add to your planting beds to ensure your plants thrive. If you are creating a new planting bed, Walter Reeves, the beloved Georgia Gardener, shared a recipe for amending the soil:

Till up the existing soil for several inches and mix together the following:
1 part clay or existing soil
1 part coarse sand (such as the gritty paver leveling sand) 

2 parts soil conditioner OR 1 part composted cow or mushroom compost and 1 part soil conditioner
Mix it all 10″ – 12″ deep for great garden soil

Gardening Mistake #4: Not understanding when and how to prune. 

When I first moved to the south, I decided to cut back overgrown azaleas and mophead hydrangeas during the fall. I did not understand that most of these early bloomers set their flowers on old wood (last year’s branches). When I pruned the branches in the fall, I cut off the producing stems of flower buds and had very few flowers the next year. Most shrubs that bloom in the spring and early summer should only be pruned right after they flower so you avoid removing next year’s blooms. 

One of our favorite blooming trees, the crape myrtle, is treated savagely each year by over-zealous pruning or topping. “Crape murder” is done when you shear off the top of the tree to reduce its size or take off last year’s dried blooms. Crape myrtles really don’t need to be pruned at all and if left alone will grow into a pleasing canopy that produces abundant blossoms. Once you start pruning, you can create a distorted tree with knobs and “water sprout” branches. You’ll need to learn some corrective pruning to try to fix the problem. 

Gardening Mistake #5: Over-doing! Doing too much of a good thing.

More plants die from over-watering than from drought conditions. We think that if a little fertilizer is a good thing, more is even better.  We see a few bugs in the garden and then blast the whole area with insecticide. Take the time to learn the moisture and nutritional needs of your plants and do no more than necessary. Understand as well that all healthy gardens contain a variety of insects, some bad but most beneficial. Learn to live with a certain degree of imperfection – a few chewed leaves are no big deal unless you are growing show roses. When you over-spray your garden with insecticide you kill many beneficial insects along with the bad.

Another way we overdo is to see every new plant and think, “I just have to have this!” I am guilty of this. I go to the nursery, see a new plant and purchase it with no idea where I will put it in the garden. If you give into plant lust, your garden can become a mishmash instead of well designed. Moderation is the key.  Don’t overdo.

Now stay out of the hot sun and relax with a nice cool sweet tea until cooler temperatures prevail!