"The Most Embarrassing Gardening Mistake I Ever Made" – Don't Repeat Our Experts' Worst Blunders

Learning from your mistakes is the fastest way to grow, both as a gardener and as a person. When it comes to gardening, there’s so much to learn – and so many ways you can go wrong. You have to know about each individual plants’ needs, soil health, growing zones, and so much more. It’s no wonder we all make silly errors, especially during our first few seasons.

Some botanical blunders, however, are a bit more blush-worthy. These types of gardening mistakes often happen when we know better, but think we don’t need to follow the rules. Whether it’s planting a variety that’s not hardy to your growing zone or not giving that tropical houseplant the humidity it needs, there are as many ways to mess up as there are plant varieties in the world.

Learning from our own mistakes is valuable, but it also helps to hear how other gardeners have fallen short and how we can prevent similar problems. So I asked our team of gardening experts here at Gardening Know How about the most embarrassing gardening mistakes they’ve ever made, with the hope of helping amateur gardeners learn how to avoid the same issues. Here’s what they had to say.

1. Wrong Plant, Wrong Place

It was easy for Amy Draiss, Digital Community Manager and former garden center manager, to remember an embarrassing moment in her garden. When I queried her about her biggest blunder, she said, “Immediately, I thought back to last year’s wrong plant, wrong place fiasco.

“For someone who worked at a garden center for over 20 years, I knew better. I really did. But I wanted that brand new hibiscus so badly, with its bright magenta flowers and dark purple, almost black foliage, that I planted it near the front of my house where the soil is dry as can be. With a plant named swamp mallow, I knew better. And of course, it performed very poorly.

“The following year, I moved it and replanted it along the edge of a swale in my backyard. I have never seen a plant bounce back so happily in my life. It absolutely loves the constant flow of water now.”

When we make mistakes in our gardens – we all do it! – it’s best to take that knowledge and use it to grow a better garden in the future. That’s exactly what Draiss has done. “I have definitely learned from my mistake.”

2. Planting Aggressive Growers

Content Editor Kayleigh Dray recounted an embarrassing moment when she planted a species she knew would take over her landscape. “I foolishly decided the lemon verbena was too big for its pot and planted it in the border. I forgot, ok? I forgot that most herbs are thuggish brutes.

“It quickly took over, smothering all of our pretty bedding plants, and my husband would probably have never let me forget it…if he hadn't done the exact same thing with some hops. They clambered right over the fence and into our neighbor's garden.

She said the only saving grace was that her neighbors didn't mind the garden invasion. “We are EXTREMELY lucky we live next door to family, is all I can say.”

Her words of wisdom for other gardeners, “Hops and herbs, people. Don't trust them for a minute.”

3. Ignoring Soil pH

Even our highly-experienced Editor in Chief Melanie Griffiths committed a common gardening mistake. For her, it was ignoring the pH and sunlight needs of her azalea.

“When we first bought our own home many years ago, we planted an azalea in alkaline soil in a full sun spot. My husband had always loved them, and it had been so exciting to add our first plant to the new garden.

“Needless to say, it didn't last long. I suppose I should have realized and moved it before it died, but I kept hoping for the best.” Most plants can tolerate neutral soil or soil that skews a little basic or a little acidic. But for acid-loving plants like azaleas, you have to give them the pH they need, otherwise they’ll never thrive.

You can make your soil more acidic with a soil amendment, like this one from Espoma, to help azaleas flourish.

4. Not Deadheading

For Susan Albert, a master gardener with decades of gardening experience, a simple garden cleanup mistake led to her most embarrassing error. “My biggest regret is not deadheading the rambunctious sweet autumn clematis vine when it went to seed.” This is a must for a potentially invasive vine like sweet autumn clematis.

“I overlooked the chore a couple of years in a row and, boy, was I sorry. Suddenly I had clematis vines coming up in the lawn, climbing up every shrub and tree, and with such speed, the shrubs were covered before I realized what was happening.

“And it was no picnic digging them out. They didn't just pull out easily, I had to dig them out. I had a similar experience with trumpet vine. Those are two vines I will never plant again.”

5. Ignoring Pests

It’s just as easy to make indoor gardening mistakes as it is outside in the garden. Indoor plant expert Tyler Schuster said, “One of the worst things is when you see an indoor garden fall apart because of pests.”

Even plants that spend their lives inside your home can still develop pest problems, so it’s crucial to be vigilant and do routine pest checks. Schuster said, “The moment I skip a weekly pest check, it seems they start to get to work! The only real natural predator they have is YOU, and they will get out of hand fast. Spider mites and scale always seem to hit hard if I miss them.”

Wipe off plant leaves with insecticidal soap or give them a spritz of neem oil, both of which you can get on Amazon, to keep pests under control.

6. Growing in Low Light

Content Editor Janey Goulding has tried many times to grow her favorite herb indoors with no success. Despite her years of gardening experience and strong desire to grow fresh thyme in her urban apartment, she just can’t make it work.

“My not-so-secret shame involves thyme, one of my favorite plants. I’m a bit obsessed with it, and always have several varieties on the go. However, I used to have a tiny attic flat in London with no garden.

“My obsession with thyme prompted me to try growing it indoors – as a houseplant. And I don’t just mean once! So determined was I that I tried growing it in several rooms of the flat. Unfortunately, wherever I tried to grow it indoors, I had the same problems: severe humidity and poor light.

“No amount of lovingly brushing my hands against those fragrant domes indoors could make up for what they really needed. Time and thyme again, I had the same sorry outcome, as the leaves shriveled, the fragrance eked away, and the plants turned up their toes.

“I knew in my bones that they didn’t want to hang out with ‘aloe vera and the gang’ inside, but it took me several tries to accept my flat’s limitations.” Finally, she realized that growing thyme outside is the way to go. “Now I stick to the great outdoors for my many aromatic thyme exploits.”