The sixteen rookie errors almost every gardener makes, and how to correct them, by the Mail's gardening experts
Many of us have been inspired to take up gardening this summer and, for most newbies, it's a case of trial and error, careful planning, and watching how our efforts come together.
Gardening, after all, is like singing; anyone can do it, but a little know-how goes a long way.
From the spacing of plants to being too ambitious and harvesting at the wrong time, we've outlined 16 errors almost every beginner gardener makes - and a simple solution for each one.
Buying one of every plant that takes your fancy
Unless you want your borders to resemble a colour test sheet, impulse buying is best avoided
When you're new to gardening, every trip to the garden centre can turn you into a kid in a candy shop – 'I'll have one of those and one of those, and ooh that one over there please.'
If you're not careful your car boot will resemble a jumble sale on the way home and that's before you've even got your new plants in the ground. Unless you want your borders to resemble a colour test sheet, this is best avoided.
Solution: Go plant shopping with a list of what you want in mind, aiming to buy several of the same species and group them together in a naturalistic 'drift' when planting.
Planting acid-loving plants in alkaline soil (and vice versa)
If your soil is alkaline, blue hydrangea will swiftly turn pink as the blue comes from soil with a low pH value
It is tempting when you see a beautiful blue hydrangea or a hot pink azalea in the garden centre to take it home in the hope of recreating the effect in your own garden.
But if your soil is alkaline the hydrangea will swiftly turn pink as the blue comes from soil with a low pH value – while the azalea will struggle as it is an acid-loving plant. Brassicas such as cabbages and kale, on the other hand, love lime soil and won't be so happy in acidic conditions.
Solution: Buy a simple home soil-testing kit to find out the pH value of your garden beds, and choose plants to suit. If you really want a plant that doesn't like your soil, grow it in a large pot with the appropriate compost.
Throwing seeds on the ground and hoping for the best
Chances are the seeds won't germinate and will be outcompeted by weeds
Some beginners are so impatient to get started they just rip open their fresh seed packets and upend them where they want them to grow. You might be lucky, and a few will come up, but chances are they won't germinate and will be outcompeted by weeds.
Solution: Check the instructions on the seed packet. Are they best planted in modules on a windowsill or in a greenhouse? If they can be sown straight into the ground, make sure you have prepared it well by removing all weeds and forking the earth until it resembles the consistency of cake mix.
Forgetting to water
Each species has its own requirements but the need for water is universal
If you are new to gardening, you might not realise that plants are living things with needs just like us. Each species has its own requirements but the need for water is universal. Depending on where they grow in the wild, this will differ.
Plants from temperate zones need frequent watering, desert species less so. New plants need watering regularly until they have put down roots that can seek moisture in the soil.
Solution: Pot plants in particular need of regular watering. New plants in borders need to be watered well in their first year.
Overwatering
Too much water can be just as much (if not more) of a problem as too little
Too much water can be just as much (if not more) of a problem as too little for plants. This is particularly the case with houseplants as the moisture doesn't evaporate from the soil as quickly as it does outside.
If plants are left sitting in soggy soil, they will soon turn yellow or develop mould patches and will eventually die.
Solution: Test the soil with the ball of your finger. If a few crumbs stick to it, then the soil is probably moist enough. If it is dry to the touch, you are safe to water. Giving houseplants a good soak every few days is better than a small amount every day.
Being too ambitious
Being over-ambitious with the amount of time and space we have can happen to the most seasoned horticulturist
It's not just rookie gardeners who get overexcited when faced with a seed catalogue full of tempting photos and descriptions. Being over-ambitious with the amount of time and space we have can happen to the most seasoned horticulturist.
But if you are starting out you are more likely to suffer overwhelm when faced with hundreds of little seedlings to keep alive.
Solution: Limit yourself to sowing no more than 4 or 5 varieties to start off with - and spend time getting to understand the process of propagating plants. Then next year you can add a few more to your list.
Cutting shrubs back too vigorously
It is easy to get carried away when faced with a sharp pair of shears and an overgrown bush
It is easy to get carried away when faced with a sharp pair of shears or secateurs and an overgrown bush. Before you know it, you have hacked your prized evergreen to death, and are drowning in a mountain of clippings.
Solution: Check the pruning requirements for your shrub. Some flower on new wood so make sure to leave enough for next year's blooms.
Letting weeds go to seed
Don't wait until these unwanted visitors have flowered to dig them up, as once they have set seed you will have many more to contend with
The flowers of some weeds such as rosebay willowherb and chickweed can look pretty to the untrained eye; after all a weed is just a plant in the wrong place.
But unless you are happy to let your garden go wild don't wait until these unwanted visitors have flowered to dig them up, as once they have set seed you will have many more to contend with.
Solution: Hoe weeds out or remove them with a hand fork and put them on the compost heap before they set seed and multiply.
Not harvesting at the right time
Some fruit and vegetables are time sensitive. Plums need to be picked before they go over
Some fruit and vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, leeks, and parsnips can last until the first frosts, while apples can be taken from the tree as needed, but others are time sensitive.
Plums need to be picked before they go over, sweetcorn must be harvested at their plumpest point and onions should be dug up when the leaves begin to flop and brown.
Solution: Keep an eye on crops to make sure you pick them before they wither or rot. With sweetcorn, peel back a little and test a kernel with your fingernail. Carefully lift one onion to check it's of a useable size.
Harvesting everything all at once
If you try to pick all your vegetables in one go, chances are they will rot before you can use them
Sometimes it is unavoidable to have a glut of vegetables such as courgettes which need to be picked before they turn into marrows.
Other crops such as potatoes can be lifted as required. Lettuces can be cut and come again. If you try to pick them all in one go, chances are they will rot before you can use them.
Solution: Only pick fruits and vegetables as you need them. If you must harvest a crop all at once, make it last longer by freezing soft fruit, turning produce into jams and pickles, and storing apples in a cool dark place where they aren't touching.
Letting pests take over
Garden pests can wreak havoc on your precious flowers, fruits and vegetables
There are almost as many pests and diseases as there are different types of plant. From aphids to vine weevils, they can wreak havoc on your precious flowers, fruits and vegetables.
Beginners can sometimes feel like throwing their hands up in despair but remember people have been gardening alongside these unwanted beasties for millennia.
Solution: Keep a careful eye out for pests and use organic methods of control such as removing by hand, using a garlic wash, or cutting off diseased material.
Companion planting will help to attract beneficial predators, while boosting biodiversity is good for plant health.
Spacing plants too close together – or too far apart
Check what the final size of a plant will be and give it enough room to grow
When you plant seedlings or plug plants – small plants about the size of a shot glass that you buy ready-propagated – it's easy to pack them too close together.
After a couple of months if you have watered and fed them, they will grow like triffids and be jostling for space.
Solution: Check what the final size of a plant will be and give it enough room. A little planning now will save you having to remove crowded plants later.
However, if you have chosen small species such as alpine plants you don't need to leave acres of space between them.
Mistaking thugs for pretty flowers
Don't be fooled by hybrid bluebells' attractive appearance – they are set on world domination
Planting a whole patch of green alkanet for the bees might work if you are on a country estate but in my garden, if I don't pull this bruiser out, it takes over.
The same goes for hybrid bluebells and acanthus. Don't be fooled by their attractive appearance – they are set on world domination.
Solution: Find out what plants are invasive weeds in your patch and keep them to a minimum by weeding out and composting.
Removing plants by mistake
If you make this mistake as a beginner gardener don't fret; we've all been there
One minute you're merrily weeding a bed and feeling proud of your progress. The next you realise with a sinking feeling you've ripped out that new salvia you bought last year just as it was about to come into flower.
Oh, the self-recrimination. If you make this mistake as a beginner gardener don't fret; we've all been there.
Solution: If in doubt, stop and identify whether something is a garden plant or an unwanted weed before you dig it up and irreversibly destroy its root system.
Planting shade-loving plants in full sun
One of the first lessons of gardening is to find out where plants thrive in nature and then try to recreate those conditions
Ever tried planting lavender beneath the canopy of a tree, where it gets no light all summer long, and then wondered why it hasn't flowered? Or placed hostas and ferns in full sun and watched them wilt?
One of the first lessons of gardening is to find out where plants thrive in nature and then try to recreate those conditions. Flowers that flourish on the forest floor love dappled shade, while Mediterranean shrubs like to sunbathe.
Solution: Check what the sunlight requirements of a plant are and stick to them.
Planting at the wrong time of year
Check the best times of year to plant. Spring bulbs should be planted the previous autumn
If you have put spring bulbs in the ground in June and they don't come up, or attempted to put evergreen shrubs into frozen or sodden earth and watched them struggle, that's because you are planting in the wrong season.
Solution: Check the best times of year to plant.
As a rule of thumb spring and autumn are best, as the ground is often too dry in summer and too cold and wet in winter.
The exception is bare-root plants such as roses and fruit bushes, which can be planted from November to March.
Spring bulbs should be planted the previous autumn.
