Winter is well and truly behind us and all over Australia people are getting into their gardens once more to work their green-fingered magic. Yet, for all of our zeal when it comes to all things botanical, sometimes we find that the results we reap are completely at odds with the amount of time, effort and cold hard cash that we throw into making our gardens perfect. If your attempts to make your garden shine this summer are not going as planned, it’s possible that all this time you’ve been making some mistakes that do more harm than good. Here are just a few of the things that, despite our good intentions, many of us are actually doing wrong…

Mowing the lawn

Let’s face it, as ornate and beautifully landscaped as our gardens may be, there are few things more beautiful than a perfectly manicured lawn. Yet, believe it or not many of us have been mowing the lawn wrong for years which is why it may be best to entrust your lawn care to a service like garden-r.com.au. Sometimes we may mow too early, creating shallow, weak roots which cannot protect themselves against the ravages of the sun. Sometimes our soil may be impacted which prevents grass from getting the nutrients it needs from the soil. In some cases the equipment we use prevents us from getting that perfect and even finish. There’s a whole lot more to the simple act of mowing the lawn than you may assume!

Using contaminated tools

If you’re a seasoned gardener you are likely very proud of your tools. You no doubt spent a great deal on making sure that you invested in the very best. However, your painstakingly chosen and reassuringly expensive tools may be doing your garden more harm than good. You see, when we dig in different areas or pots of soil with the same tool it can cause contamination as some soils may contain hidden pathogens. If you don’t clean your tools after use, you may find yourself transmitting pathogens from one plant to another.

Planting combinations

Sometimes we can all be guilty of planting some plants and flowers next to each other based on their aesthetic appeal. And while they may look great together, beneath the surface the plants may not ‘get along’ competing for water and nutrients in the soil. This is why companion planting is an important habit to get into, planting species that will share the space together effectively while still complimenting each other visually.  

Over and under fertilising

In most cases, water alone isn’t enough to help a plant grow to its full potential. There are a range of fertilisers available whether you choose to compost your own or buy it from your local gardening centre. However, there is such a thing as too much. While many of us are guilty of under fertilising our plants we can just as easily find ourselves overdoing it. By rule of thumb you should aim to fertilise your plants once a week in warmer months and once a month in the cold.

When you break these bad habits a summer spent in a gorgeous garden is within your reach!