8 gardening mistakes you are making, according to Frances Tophill

If you’re a green thumb novice unsure where to start, the idea of making mistakes can throw you off before you’ve even slipped on the gardening gloves.

While gardening isn’t about following a rulebook, it seems errors like overwatering or cramming too much in could cost you time and money.

Planning on heading outside this bank holiday weekend? We spoke to Gardeners’ World presenter and author, Frances Tophill, about the gardening mistakes to avoid for a healthier, happier plot.

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Keep reading for her tips and tricks…

Frances Tophill

1. Overwatering

Overwatering is often done out of good intentions, however, plants growing in wet soil can suffer from a lack of oxygen.

“It’s a really common mistake that can apply to both garden plants and houseplants,” Frances tells Country Living UK. “Plants can have a bit more tough love than people think. You can definitely have a more hands-off approach than you realise.”

2. Cramming too much in

“I moved house last year and now have my own small garden, which I’m working on,” says Frances. “It really drew my attention to what people do in small spaces. A common mistake is cramming far too much in.”

Having too many plants won’t leave space for them to grow and establish strong root systems, but it can also leave you feeling overwhelmed.

Frances tells us she often feels like this: “I get quite stressed out when I have loads of things going on in the garden. They all require different levels of care and it can be quite overwhelming. If you take on too much when you’re first starting, and you don’t know how everything works, it can feel like a huge task. Start simple and then build up.”

3. Not listening to the seasons

Planting calendars help to guide us in the garden, but Frances says a big mistake we can make is not listening to the seasons.

“Stop rushing around and tune into the seasons a bit more. Tap into that slower rhythm of gardening,” she tells us. “That specifically applies to things like sowing seeds. In this changing climate, we can’t just go by each month anymore. April this year was freezing cold, which completely changed the planting calendars.

“People have said it for generations, but plant your flowers when the soil is warm. Or do things when the night is cool. It’s better to do this than rush around in a panic. Really wait and observe what feels right. If you can tap into that, you will get better results. It’s about getting the feel for it, rather than going by the rules.”

4. Not making the most of herbs

“Herbs are so easy! They are incredibly low-maintenance and one of my favourites to grow. They don’t require that much watering and are brilliant for pollinators because they are generally covered in flowers,” adds Frances.

“What I love about herbs is that they have multiple uses, not just culinary. You can use them in tea, you can use them to make face bombs, body oil, pick them and put them in water, or dry them out. I love to put herbs in my water bottle at the beginning of the day to infuse the water. It’s so refreshing! They’re just a good all-rounder.”

When it comes to the best ones to grow, Frances suggests Mediterranean herbs if you live in a dry part of the UK and fennel for rainy areas. White horehound is another great herb with spikes of white flowers. “I’ve heard that bees use the flowers as a medicine. If they’re feeling unwell they eat some of the nectar from those flowers to self-medicate,” she tells us.

“Mugwort is also a great herb to grow. It grows on verges and is really tough and tolerant. It’s quite potent and a lot of people don’t like it because they find it too strong. Mugwort is known to give you strong dreams. It’s slightly trippy and lucid! If you have a cup of mugwort tea before bed it will make you have strong, vivid dreams.”

5. Putting plants straight into the soil

Another gardening mistake we make is planting things straight into the soil. “Always grow things in containers because it’s so much easier to shift things around,” Frances tells us.

“If you’re not sure what to grow in your flowerbed or are unsure of colour schemes, start by planting things in containers first. Just one or two of each plant and then you can move them around to see how they work. Rather than planting out a whole bed, you can see how the plants work together.

“The same works with cut flowers — pick some stems and put them together in a vase to see if the textures work well together. And, if they don’t, you can try something else. It’s a great way to avoid spending lots of money on plants that might not work well.”

Frances Tophill at Newby Hall in North Yorkshire

6. Not keeping it simple

Gardening shouldn’t be complicated. We all dream of low-maintenance spaces, but Frances says we often give ourselves more work by creating confusing planting schemes.

“A great garden should be a really simple thing,” she tells us. “It can look cluttered when you try to cram in tropical areas, veg gardens, or wildflower patches. What I’ve done in my garden is create flower beds and then add in ferns and perennial flowers. You can plonk some vegetables amongst them.

“Yesterday, I was planting purple sprouting broccoli in my flowerbeds. By next spring, they will be big and everything else will have died back for the winter. You can interplant things in the same space, rather than trying to cram too many areas in.”

7. Trying to get rid of slugs

Frances wasn’t best pleased to find out slugs had eaten her prized cucumbers, but reminds us we need to recognise them as an important part of our ecosystems.

“It’s a mixed operation. You’re never going to get rid of all slugs unless you use slug pellets, which is really damaging to the wider environment for the sake of us trying to grow a few more squash plants,” she says. “It doesn’t seem like a fair exchange to me.

“I tend not to do pest control. I get rid of things if they are causing a big problem or are getting out of balance. I’m currently having problems with my cucumbers. My last cucumber was eaten last night. I’ll remove slugs with my hands and put them in a different location around 200 meters away — any closer and they can come back.

“Having a more holistic approach to your whole space is good. Encouraging wildlife will create more of a balance. Having a pond, for example, is one of the best things you can do for slugs. You’ll attract frogs and hedgehogs — which eat the slugs. Just make sure to add a slope at one end in case something falls in. Create an ecosystem that’s full of as many insects as possible.

“This will create a balance so that you’ll never get too much of any one thing. If you do need to deal with anything, just manually pick them off or wash down the plants. Don’t use a poison. Tackle the individuals when they get too much.”

8. Removing all weeds

“I’m a big fan of weeds, especially things like dandelions. Their deep roots are great for carbon storage in the soil. They bring up the nutrients to the surface where other plants can access them,” continues Frances.

What about those of us with an abundance of weeds? “I would recommend weeding the pots before you plant them. Once you bring your new plants home, remove all traces of weeds (including their roots) before placing them in the soil. It’s an easy way to introduce weeds into your garden that can be avoided.”

Frances Tophill will be at Gardeners’ World Live, June 13-16

Source: countryliving.com