Over the course of last year, we asked our celebrity interviewees about mistakes that they've made in the garden. Common themes were not accounting for the size that trees would eventually reach, sowing too much, ordering seeds and bulbs late, wasting precious space in a small garden and failing to grow particular plants.
Of course, gardeners learn from their mistakes. As Monty Don told us: "I'm not somebody who ever has regrets - I'm a great believer in doing things with the best of intentions, and then you learn rather than regret. There are lots of things I've learned by doing the wrong thing, but I don't regret them." Charles Dowding told us: "I still make mistakes and still learn. But I never try new things on too big a scale."
Here are some experts' gardening mistakes we can all learn from.
Monty Don, TV presenter and author
The garden I have now was made from a field 33 years ago and I planted far too many trees and hedges close together. This was a very open, windblown site, but now that the trees and hedges have grown, the ventilation is very poor and there are all kinds of fungal problems. An experienced garden designer plants 10,15, 20 or 30 years ahead, but I tackled the bare field with huge enthusiasm and couldn't wait for the trees to grow.
When we moved here, our children were very little and I made a play area about 50 yards from the back door. I thought it was brilliant, and it had all kinds of things in it. And of course, they never touched it. They wanted to play within five yards of the back door. If you're going to make an area for children to play, they want to run in and out of the house, they want to see you and hear you and they want you to hear and see them. I modified it later, but it was a classic mistake.
Also, every single year I am late ordering seed or plants or bulbs. Invariably there are some varieties I can't get because they’ve all sold out.
Read the full interview with Monty
Carol Klein, TV presenter and author
Read the full interview with Carol Klein
My biggest failure is not keeping up with the trees. We’ve been here for 46 years and my major thing at the moment is trying to accommodate the mature trees. My Mum gave me a Cercis more than 40 years ago, which she grew from (and here’s a nice bit of alliteration for you) a pod that she picked up from the pavement in Portugal. And, of course, it’s grown bigger and bigger. While it’s still flowering well, it looks a little drawn.
I'm also guilty of not pricking out seedlings promptly. This year I was out of action for a few weeks, but it’s something I always struggle with. The answer is to limit the number of things you grow from seed and then limit the number of seeds that you sow. Sow more sparsely!
Rachel de Thame, TV presenter and author
I’ve still not cracked the common pitfall of sowing too much in one go and producing more than we can eat. I love growing courgettes and aim to pick them small. But work commitments invariably take me away for several days at the wrong moment and I return to find they’ve swelled to the size of a mammoth marrow. I’m always chasing my tail. Seed and bulb orders go in late and so sowing and planting is often delayed. My record for tardy tulip planting is February. I had to discard a few, but most flowered surprisingly well.
Read our full interview with Rachel de Thame
Jamaica Kincaid, writer, author and teacher
To date, I am unable to grow Papaver bracteatum, or the great scarlet poppy.
Read the full interview with Jamaica Kincaid
Frances Tophill, TV presenter, gardener and author
My friend Rupert built my greenhouse out of old windows. He came with two magnificent pub windows that were 2.4m and 1.8m across. I put it in a sunny spot so it warmed up but as it was wider than I’d anticipated, it created a tiny little corridor at the far end of the garden, in the sunniest corner, that’s almost unusable. I’m trying to turn it into a little nook of a suntrap. I’ve slowly put some tiles on the floor, and a deckchair, and maybe a hammock. But it is classic mistake – you should never create a wasted space in any garden. Especially in a small garden, and especially in the sunniest part.
Read the full article with Frances Tophill
Manoj Malde, garden designer and TV presenter
Leaving two mature Aloe polyphylla outside knowing that we were going to have heavy snow – I lost them both. A lesson learned – even plants accustomed to snow and cold in their native environments may not fare well in the same conditions in a different location.
Read our full interview with Manoj Malde
Charles Dowding, no-dig expert
Getting too ambitious back in the 1980s. I had seven-and-a-half acres of no-dig raised beds and was asked by a wholesaler in London to grow an extra acre of carrots. I borrowed a rotavator and paid a contractor to drill the carrots. All I got coming up was chickweed – I didn’t harvest a single carrot. That was a sharp lesson in not overextending. It was also a real reinforcement of no dig, as it’s such a brilliant way of controlling weeds. I still make mistakes and still learn. But I never try new things on too big a scale.
Read our full interview with Charles Dowding
Caroline Quentin, actress
I didn’t look after the fruit trees when I first planted them. I had young children and I was super busy. I should have cleared the grass from around them and mulched more. And I didn’t prune them soon enough. Next time I’ll get it right, the kids can look after themselves and pruning will be the priority.
Read our interview with Caroline Quentin
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