My problem in the garden is not the lack of a green thumb. It seems more to be the fact of a green hand and arm. Believe me, if I plant it, it will outdo all estimated growth and production estimates. This can become quite embarrassing.
One of the biggest mistakes I made was planting members of the mint family directly into the ground. I didn’t know, at the time, that it needed root barriers. Nor did I know it would send mint runners three houses down and into our back yard. I’m hoping none of the neighbors ever figure out where those darn mint plants are coming from…
As I grew up on a farm, I wanted to have access to fresh produce. Unfortunately, I live on what is basically a postage stamp in comparison. So, I bought dwarf trees. At least, they *claimed* to be dwarf trees. My “dwarf” avocado tree is about thirty feet tall and produces enough avocados to make the whole neighborhood tired of them at harvest time. Well, at least the ones the squirrels don’t get before we get a chance at them.
This next “mistake” is a matter of opinion. In my husband’s opinion, it was a big mistake. In mine, it was the right place to put the plants. I put a lot of my sun loving herbs in the front of the house. He called them weeds while I called them useful. It did make for an interesting garden.
One very amusing thing came out of this planting. I had a plant called lion’s ear next to the front door. It’s a gorgeous plant with orange tubular flowers coming out around the stem at intervals. One evening, I got a knock on the front door. This strange teenager wanted to know if that plant was “what he thought it was.” He also wanted to know if he could have some.
I said, “Sure, if you want to give it to your girlfriend. You won’t like the results if you smoke it.” How silly did that kid think I was? Or perhaps he thought the police were stupid. All I know is that it wasn’t an illegal crop. That’s one plant I have no intentions of growing.
If you are considering adding grapevines to your yard, let me give you a word of warning. If yours are like mine, they will take over. We have to go out on a weekly basis and trim it away from our barbecue, the patio table and the chairs. We also have to hack our way through to that portion of the patio, as it forms a solid curtain. Plant them somewhere you don’t mind massive amounts of spreading vines curling around everything available.
This last one even I should have known better. I wanted something from the mallow species and found a small bush. It said, “mallow tree” on it, but it looks so innocent and small in that bucket. Um…it’s a tree. And, we may have to take it down as it could threaten the retaining wall it’s planted behind. Oops…
Gardening is a lot of fun, even when you make mistakes. Hopefully my mistakes will help you avoid some of the pitfalls an avid gardener can find.