My Journey to Becoming an Online Nursery Pro
As my gardening adventure began, I could only see the excitement in the new hobby. However, my experience garden wise, was limited to the basics— watering, weed pulling, and plant identification. My head was filled with enthusiasm and excitement, and I was ready to take on the new role. I also, however, had no idea what I was getting into.
After a ton of research like reading gardening blogs, looking at books, and watching videos, I finally thought that I was ready to create my dream garden, but, as I learned the hard way, gardening requires more than just a good base of knowledge.
My First Gardening Mistakes
One of the main lessons of my gardening journey was learning to plan. I made a ton of beginner mistakes like putting sun loving shrubs in the shade, I also chose plants that took a lot of maintenance and time, I was clearly out of my depth. I also didn't account for the space that the plants would need as they grew.
Here's an example. I assumed that a sapling I planted in a corner of the yard would take years to grow. But in a few seasons, it grew bigger, overshadowing and crowding out other plants. Likewise, I planted vines that multiplied and quickly took over the enclosed garden, requiring hours of labor to remove.
These experiences made me appreciate the importance of anticipating the growth pattern of a plant before committing to it.
Tips for Beginners for Better Landscape Design Results
For those who are just starting to plant for the first time, there are a few things that I wish I knew and found out early on my journey.
Believe the Labels
Believe it or not, those plant tags are there for a reason, and are not useless. When a plant tag states that it will grow to about 10 feet tall with a 15 feet wide spacing, you should probably believe it. Even the smallest trees will grow quickly and tower over nearly everything in a fib of time. Making sure that your sapling has enough distance between each plant so they will not become overcrowded will help avoid problems in the future.
Start Small
When starting my first vegetable garden, It was hard to not buy a six pack of summer squash. It turned out to be my first mistake. It is the one plant that can take over the garden and block the sun from the other plants, even ones like peppers and beans that like a lot of sun. Even worse, a single summer squash plant can produce a squash every other day and can be rather annoying, starting small and having something spread out is the best option.
Be Cautious of Pictures and Warning Labels.
A lot of plants have pictures on the front of the tag to draw people in. Even some people would see a tag that tells people to run away and the tag has a picture of something bad, and just ignore it. That was a mistake I made. Oriental Limelight was a beautiful plant, but I found out the hard way it has very invasive runner roots and seeds that spread out of control. After planting it, I had to deal with it spreading and still have to deal with it. Pick plants and flowers with simpler tags, especially if you're a beginner.
Pick a few.
When starting a garden, it's very easy to plant a lot of different species. That is usually a mistake though. Instead of that, I would recommend just picking a good number of plants or flowers that you really like and are easy to grow. Cluster planting is this idea and works very well. When planting a few shrubs or a single tree, do not even plant a lot of different ones. It can be very useful to pick some trees or shrubs and plant pieces of them in different areas a bit to repeat that plant, to keep a yard looking even and not chaotic.
Work Your Way Up
While big flower beds look fancy, they take a lot of work to take care of. Growing a lot of plants at once is not a good idea if you don't have a lot of gardening experience. As you get experience, you can fill high-maintenance plants, those that need constant care, like spraying or protection from the cold, in the garden.
Local Experts
Your community may have wonderfully knowledgeable local garden centers. Note to self---asking basic questions at garden centers is encouraged, and it can get you far in the plant world. With experience, local experts can tell you native plants that will work in your area, and the weedy ones you should leave alone.
Plants That Taught Me Valuable Lessons
Daylily
One of the most helpful plants to have seen was the daylily. They are easy to maintain, and they come in all colors. They are a wonderful addition to the more busy flowers because they can be left alone.
Hosta
Another favorite is the hosta. They are very garden friendly and can adjust to troublesome and unwelcoming plantations. However, they love to be eaten by deers, so be careful of that.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are perfect for gardeners of all levels. They are a great plant to learn with as they are very rewarding and not very complicated. Just give them enough room to grow on tall plants and plenty of sunshine.
Further Plants to Consider
If you want to expand on starting a garden, you can consider growing these other beginner-friendly plants, listed below.
- Coneflowers: These are a great option as they are perennials, are very drought tolerant and attract wildlife.
- Lavender: Lavender is another great choice as it has a pleasant scent and grows well in warm, well-drained places.
- Ferns: Ferns grow well in cool, shady spots and help add texture and depth to your garden.
- Zinnias: These are a great choice as they grow very easily and are very colorful. They also bloom throughout the summer.
Turn Your Garden into a Work of Art with TN Nursery
Let TN Nursery assist you on your first gardening adventure! TN is very novice friendly. There you will be able to get any kind of advice you need and find all the plants you want, even the more unique ones. Start growing you'd garden for tomorrow!
FAQs
What lessons does gardening teach?
Gardening teaches a variety of important skills and fosters a connection with nature. It encourages patience and resilience and teaches the importance of goals as other accomplishments come to be.
What is the 70/30 rule in gardening?
This rule states that you should dedicate 70 percent of the space in your garden to perennials and shrubs that are permanent. This way, you can leave the other 30 percent to annuals that are seasonal for easy growing and upkeep to maintain variety.
What is the most common mistake of first time gardeners?
Overcrowding and plants deep seeded from one pot can all happen as beginners lose track of how much space plants need and how many plants they can grow at once.
What is the rule of 3 in gardening?
The 3s rule consists of always planting in 3s in order to make the bunches of plants look natural and for the planting to please the ghardening eye. In gardening, we always want to avoid the look of symmetry which is very easy with odd number plantings.
What do master gardeners learn?
Master gardeners get to learn things like soil pest and landscape management of which we don't do in classrooms. The are even more schooled in the biology of the plants grown in the gardens and how to create Ecological gardens.
