Planting Boston ivy on a brick wall can be a beautiful gardening idea. Not only does an ivy-covered wall look cozy and beautiful, it protects the rooms inside from the sun as well. Many people who try this without planning for it are only happy with the results for a couple of years. That’s how long it takes for ivy to become overgrown. Not only does ivy look messy then, it tends to act as a bridge for all the rats, pests and insects that are interested in getting in.
There are plenty of gardening mistakes that rookie gardeners make just like this one. Gratefully, you can learn about them before you make them. The ivy problem isn’t easy to tackle. One way to get it under control could be to simply trim all the ivy. While this works, it can be a lot of effort covering a tall wall and cutting evenly – and doing this often.
The other way is to get rid of the ivy. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Ivy doesn’t simply spread over walls – it puts roots into them. You need to use shears to cut away as much ivy as possible and then use herbicide on the roots (being careful, of course, to not get any on the rest of the garden).
Picking the wrong plant for the wrong place
Sometimes, you just don’t think far ahead when you map out your garden. For instance, when you pick zebra grass with soft golden stripes or another colorful ornamental plant for a spot in your garden, you know that you need to pick an area that gets a lot of sunshine. Once that’s done, though, you forget all about the needs of the grass and get a tall, leafy bush to go next to the grass. The bushes could grow vigorously enough to shade the zebra grass pretty soon. How do you get out of such a situation?
The best way to save this situation would be to dig one plant or the other up and start over again. You could either replace the zebra grass with a grass variety that doesn’t mind being in the shade or remove the bushes. Grasses grow back quickly, after all.
Getting a bigger pot than you can handle
Many gardeners have made this mistake at some point. They find a huge gardening pot somewhere and think about how great it will look when it’s set on the patio, all bright and blooming. The pot is light enough at the store. They pick it up with one hand, set it down on the patio, fill it with lots of expensive potting soil and plant it. In summer, though, the patio needs repairs. Unfortunately, the pot, with all the soil and the watering, weighs a ton and won’t budge.
It doesn’t even have to be a mega-sized pot to be immovable. Anything taller than 2 feet can be a bother. You need to think ahead.
If you’re already in this situation, you will have to relocate the plant to a spot in your garden and then empty the pot to move it.
There is another decorative pot mistake that many first-time gardeners make – to buy pots with no drainage holes. This one’s a non-starter, too. You have no choice but to drill holes in it or replace it.
