Spring 2023
According to experts: We should avoid these 5 mistakes in the garden
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Is your garden just not thriving the way you would like it to? No reason to give up, but to finally get off to a good start. We have collected helpful tips for you from a gardening expert.
The start of spring is finally official – and it will be much nicer when new favorites grow in the garden. We asked the landscape gardener Torsten Gernhold which plants also develop well with amateurs and which mistakes you should better avoid. “Nature offers so much and can give you so much”, said the 51-year-old in an interview. He has been a landscape gardener for 35 years and is particularly interested in design. He knows that every plant has specific needs.
He encounters these errors particularly often:
1. Gardening without a plan
If you start planting without a concept, you will quickly create a messy picture. Instead, before you start, you should consider the growth height, size and flowering behavior of the plants and measure the bed, according to the expert – the distances between the plants also make a difference. “Tall plants should be placed at the back of the bed, while flat plants look better at the front”, says Torsten Gernhold – similar to a group photo! After all, the smaller ones don’t want to be covered up by the larger ones.
For lay people, the garden and pool expert recommends hyacinths and clematis, among other things, but “anemones, tulips, lavender and sage are also excellent plants for beginners”.. Combining spring, summer, and fall bloomers also helps. Beginners can use these alternately to “create a blooming garden paradise all year round,” Gernhold continues. “In addition, plants that are too large should be avoided in small gardens, as they can appear overly dominant.”
2. The water requirement is unclear
People often do not know how much water a plant really needs. That’s why they dry up or drown regularly in the Lai:innengarten. “With increasingly dry summers, it’s especially important to know that plants with large leaves evaporate more water and therefore need more.”, is Torsten Gernhold’s tip. “Anyone who wants to water little or has no irrigation facilities should therefore rely on drought-resistant plants.” A garden water clock can also be a good investment, so that watering the garden is less expensive. Open plant areas can be covered with bark mulch or decorative pine bark to reduce evaporation of the water, according to the expert.
3. Overestimation of care needs
Instead of seasonal plants or annuals, beginners should bet on perennials, is Torsten Gernhold’s tip. These are more expensive to buy, but in the long run often easier to care for. However, most of them have to be trimmed annually, according to the landscape gardener. “Perennials are a low-maintenance alternative to roses, which are known to require a lot more maintenance,” he explains. Native plants are usually easier to care for, but roses and boxwood are prone to pests, which can make it difficult for beginners. Incidentally, lawns need a lot of water, which can quickly lead to brown spots in summer, which often cannot be completely eliminated even after corrected watering.
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4. Inadequate soil preparation
“Each plant has specific soil requirements”, explains Torsten Gernhold. Therefore, the garden should be suitable for the selected plant species and “be prepared before planting so that the plants can thrive optimally.” A sensible strategy is to arrange the plants according to groups. Acid-loving plants should be in their own group and alkaline-loving plants in another. This makes maintenance easier and ensures that the plants grow better.
5. The wrong location
“It’s important when choosing the location pay attention to sun and shade conditions as well as water and freezing conditionssince not every plant is suitable for every spot in the garden,” says the gardening expert. “Shallow-rooted plants need targeted watering, while deep-rooted plants such as bamboo or roses are less dependent on it.” Garden lovers should pay attention to the different requirements of non-native plants, because the German climate can be tough for them. “For example, cherry laurel or olive trees should only be planted in frost-hardy varieties or in pots, if at all,” advises Torsten Gernhold.