Winter is a good time to assess your garden and determine what changes you need to make for the new growing season. It’s also a good time to look at the bones of your garden. This can give you insight into any mistakes you’ve made in your garden.

You can undo some garden mistakes, while others just have to be worked around. I want to share five of the top garden mistakes we’ve made over the years. These are problem areas that will take some work to undo. I’m sharing our mistakes so you won’t make the same errors as you create your restful garden.

5 Mistakes We Made In Our Garden

When we built our home, we had to create our garden areas from scratch. We started with a bare patch of dirt and built the garden from the ground up. We didn’t inherit any of these problems. Here are the top five mistakes we made, along with the lessons we learned and how we’re trying to overcome these problems.

Mistake #1… Planting The Wrong Trees

This is hands down the biggest mistake we made when we put in our garden. We live in a high desert climate that has hot, dry summers and cold winters. The wind is a constant in all seasons. We desired a perimeter of trees to provide shade from the scorching summer sun and relief from the winds. Also, our home is a ranch style that is surrounded by two-story houses. So the trees could provide privacy as well.

When we went looking for trees to plant, our local nursery suggested incense cedar. We ringed our backyard with these beautiful evergreens. While not fast growing, they grew consistently. Overtime, our yard turned into a beautiful park-like setting with both the shade and privacy we needed.

Unfortunately, the trees continued to grow, as trees often do. Currently, the trees are over 50 feet tall. They completely shade the backyard, which has eliminated most of the sunlight we need for our gardens. A few hours of mid-day sun is not enough time to grow the sun-loving flowers and produce we want.

It turns out that incense cedars have shallow root systems. This is not good when you live in a windy, dry climate. Over the past six years, we’ve lost two trees to the wind, causing significant damage to fences, garden beds, and our roof. We currently have five massive incense cedars left in our yard. Every time the wind blows, we fear another one will come crashing down.

You can read about the two incense cedar trees that fell down on these posts: How To Create A New Kitchen Garden You Will Love, and 6 Steps to Clean Up a Messy Garden Area.

Lesson #1…

The lesson I want to share is to be very careful about choosing your trees. Consider the full height and width of your trees when deciding what to plant. We planted these trees over 30 years ago and at the time there was no internet or resources for our area. We trusted the advice we got from our local nursery.

Do your own research about the trees you are considering. Talk to other gardeners who have planted those trees in your area. And consider how the trees could enhance or detract from your garden as they mature. What looks good when they’re young can become a massive problem later on.

What we’re doing…

We’ve decided that it’s time to remove some, or possibly all, of the incense cedars. However, with the cost of tree removal, we can only afford to take out a tree or two at a time. So we hope to start this year with the two trees that are closest to the house. The other trees will have to wait.

Mistake #2… Mulching With River Rock

When we put in our gardens, we had a growing family. Babies, toddlers and work left little time for gardening. To cut down on the time needed to maintain the garden beds, we planted shrubs and a few ornamental trees and then mulched the beds with river rock. Thousands of pounds of river rock in both the front and back garden areas.

The river rock helped to minimize the weeding initially. However, over the years, dirt has blown into the beds, which has allowed for weeds to grow. The river rock also makes it difficult to add new plantings into the beds. In order to add a new plant, the rocks must be moved and a hole cut through the ground cloth. Eventually, the rocks roll back into the planting area, sometimes damaging the new plants.

Lesson #2…

The lesson here is to plan carefully about the choices you make for your garden. Some choices can be more difficult to undo than others. Think through your goals for the garden and consider how those goals might change over time.

What we’re doing…

While I can’t remove all the river rock, I’m slowly removing it from garden beds as I’m reworking the plantings in the beds.

Mistake #3… Growing Invasive Plants

Although we had heard all the warnings about planting ivy in the garden, my husband loves it. And so, one year he planted ivy in some of my terracotta pots (just for the season). Well, those few plants grew out of the pots and took hold in the garden beds. They don’t mind the river rock, the shade, the dogs or anything else. The ivy just keeps growing.

I must admit that the ivy growing up the trees and spreading itself around is beautiful. But it has been difficult to remove from areas where we don’t want it. We have to stay on top of removal or it quickly can spread throughout the garden beds.

Lesson #3…

The lesson you can learn from this mistake is to listen to what others say about plants. As you plan your garden beds, do your research on the plants you want to grow. You might still decide to plant something that is problematic, but at least you’ll be aware of the potential problems.

Invasive plants can sometimes spread out of your garden to your neighborhood and beyond. So before you choose any plants for your garden beds be sure you know what you’re planting. Here are some common invasive plants to be aware of.

What we’re doing…

We’ve drawn the line and continually work to prevent the ivy from spreading even more. Last summer, my husband removed a few large swaths from the garden beds. Now we just have to stay on top of removing the fresh growth in those areas.

Mistake #4… Placing Plants In The Wrong Areas

Some of my favorite shrubs are big leaf hydrangeas. They’re covered with flowers from June through September. And the dried flower heads provide beautiful winter interest as well. They grow best in partial shade. Unfortunately, I planted them in the only place that receives full sun in my backyard garden.

Once the baking heat of summer hits, the hydrangeas go through constant afternoon wilt. This damages the flowers, leaving them with browned tops and edges. These plants would have fared better if I had planted them in a spot that gets afternoon shade.

Lesson #4…

Pay attention to the planting recommendations for the plants you’re growing. And know your environment. Take the time to learn the microclimates in your garden so you can place perennials and shrubs in optimal spots. Learn where you get the most sun, the least sun, what are the coldest areas, the hottest spots, areas susceptible to wind, and areas prone to standing water.

Keep in mind that it’s okay to move your plants around. While moving a large shrub can be a difficult, it’s possible to move most plants to other areas. They might struggle for a growing season or two, but most plants can be moved.

What we’re doing…

My plan is to move the hydrangeas to an area of the garden that will get afternoon shade. However, I’m waiting until we remove some of the incense cedars to decide where to place them.

Mistake #5… Getting Upset At Things That Are Out Of Your Control

There are going to be times when things occur in your garden that you have no control over. For us, it’s our neighbor’s two massive sycamore trees. These trees cause us more work in the garden than anything else. From November through April they drop leaves. Not all at once. Every time the wind blows, we get another deluge of dried leaves. In the spring, the trees drop sycamore balls. And in summer, the trees drop their bark. And they drop dead branches all year long.

Why is this a problem for us? The trees are planted at the fence line. So when the wind blows, all of these things blow into our yard. It’s a constant battle to keep removing these items from our yard.

Lesson #5…

There are going to be things in your garden you can’t control. It could be the neighbors’ trees, cats digging up your flower beds, wildlife eating your plants, or dogs barking when you want some peace and quiet. Don’t let these problems overwhelm your joy in the garden. You might need to get creative in finding solutions or learn to live with the problem.

What we’re doing…

Until our neighbor removes the trees, we look at this as an opportunity to stay healthy. Raking and bending are wonderful exercises for the body. In the future, we might need to hire someone to do the raking for us. But for now, we just keep raking. We’re using the leaves to mulch our garden beds in the winter and to create leaf mold. I often use the sycamore balls in my autumn decor. And I’ve used broken branches in porch displays.

How about you? What mistakes have you made in your garden? What starts out as a good idea initially can eventually become a problem. Can you rework or undo these garden mistakes? Correct the problems you can and find ways to live with the ones you can’t. But it’s best to prevent problems whenever possible as you’re creating your wonderful garden. The garden is a work in progress. Enjoy the journey!