Even the most seasoned gardeners encounter all sorts of problems. Don't be fooled by the pretty photos I've shared over the years on this subreddit. Sometimes the truth is what we don't show. And what's worse: just when you think you've finally solved a problem, a new one emerges. I love gardening.
by Mom_is_watching
35 Comments
Had a good chuckle at how true this post is.
I am currently engaged in mortal combat with the local squirrels. So far they have murdered 7 of 12 runner bean plants, but my latest defence setup appears to be holding, so the last few plants might yet survive.
In every life a little rain must fall. It’s white fly for me this year and I’m just off to deal to some Sycamore seedlings I missed at the back of the wild patch down the bottom of the garden, plus one that’s been hiding under the Forsythia, they are such a pain!!
Ahh this really made me laugh, thank you
Loved this. Thank you!
I have 2 nothing will grow here areas….. But why 😅 I’ve a corner even strawberry runners won’t house them selves in, plugs don’t survive and seeds have no chance, it’s a lil triangle so I call it Bermuda 🤷♂️
Never ending battle. In our case 1/3 of the beens failed, leeks failed, one dahlia failed, peppers trying to survive, black spots on the sunflower leaves out of the 3 cucumber rows only one showing something so far 🙂
Can someone tell my dahlias to hurry up
Mine is getting delphiniums or lupins to withstand slug onslaught, despite the drought
So true!
What are you doing about the box wood caterpillar? I’ve got a large one which has just got an infestation for the first time and I’m considering just taking it out.
Did anyone watch Gardeners world this morning (UK Saturday 9am). They had a guy on as part of mental health week. Anyway, I was in awe of his garden and thought right this morning I am going to sort my front garden out and then next week plant the 72 plugs I got from Thompson and Morgan. So my point, this current post and thread has now filled me with dread but also hope with a mix of it’s just not me then that all this happens too. I love this sub. Thank you. Have a great weekend all.
Cleaver tea is really nice tbh
My garden is just the 2nd half of your post 😂
Seeing this post really made me feel better – thanks so much for your honesty! Beautiful garden by the way, despite the parts that annoy you! 🙏😍🤗❤️
I resemble this remark as well! I’m in my 4th year of weed battles.
When we moved in red valerian spreading like wildfire. Two years later it was finally down to 3/4 shoots a year to pull up. I celebrated success.
Then in moved willow herb. 2yrs later I’m celebrating that success as well. I’m just wondering what the next thing is…
If you want to swap gardens OP, I am will to offer myself up for sacrifice 🙏
Seriously though, great post. The reality of gardening is partly why we love it though, and the jobs never stop. Your garden is truly beautiful OP, so much character yet so natural, you’ve done a fantastic job.
MOLE – that made me chuckle. I also feed you about the aphids, can’t wait for the ladybirds to get here!
I have a bare strip at the moment as I’m creating a bee haven, and every morning there have been holes dug, poops pooped, and plants flung about during the night. It’s really annoying.
Slugs for me. Oh and squirrels and chipmunks digging up my seedlings. Always something.
My fingers are currently stained with the blood of my aphid enemies lol
Have you been following me?
That’s my life.
🤯
I have a peony who has stayed the same size for about 2 months ha (about half a handspan?)
On the upside, if you wash and then leave a handful (or a couple) of cleavers overnight in a jug of water in the fridge, when you filter it you get a really refreshing drink that’s meant to be really good for your lymphatic system. It kids tastes like grassy cucumber and it makes you pee like nothing else, it’s great
Great, realistic take! I feel that pain – 4 of my DA roses, that I stupidly bought in Dobbies (they seduced me with a discount!) didn’t survive winter, 15 of my 29 dahlias didn’t wake up, some of my tulips have tulip fire, with signs of spread to the 200 I planted last autumn, so all need to be binned, 5 of the annual lupins I grew from seed for a specific project died due to a sort of fungal disease and my most anticipated, new peony had its sole flower snapped off by a sodding crow (bloom in water, praying to the flower gods that it was developed enough to open)!
How did you deal with the ground elder please we nuked it with glyphosate week killer and sone has still come back. But we cant do that again because we’re trying to regrow grass in those barren patches now. Do I just have to dig up the roots or will it eventually die if I pluck the leaves on surface?
I let some nettles and (attractive !)
Wildflowers grow . But I hear you , this is ALL part of it
Well i just found out I have ground elder.
The bigger the garden, the bigger the headaches. There’s probably a basic formula for this, like “m2 x NoP x 0.001 = AP”. NoP is number of plants. The resulting AP is the number of annual problems you’ll have to deal with. 10% of those will be major issues.
Not that any of that would stop us from wanting the biggest garden possible.
Thanks for posting this. It really made me feel better about my small garden. I had complete garden envy after your first few photos and then the rest just reminded me how much work it all is to keep it looking good.
Excellent post. Perfectly captures the highs and lows of gardening
Thank you. This is reassuring. I just bought a house with a grand garden, that clearly had a lot of love put into it, and I feel like I’ve inherited something grand and fabulous, but it’s kicking my arse how much work there is to be done ALL THE TIME. And! I’m discovering that sometimes, no matter how much work there is being done, things can just go wrong 🤷🏻♀️
Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m still new to gardening, and have an illness which has stopped me in my tracks so my garden is now making even slower progress. It’s reassuring to know that we all have difficulties with gardening, even those with incredibly beautiful and mature gardens!
I’ve struggled with getting a clematis to establish for years.
On my third go, last year it snaked everywhere and produced some lovely flowers.
Then this spring it produced hundreds of buds. Everything perfect. Then it just … died. I think it exhausted itself.
So back to square one I go.
At first looking at the pics I was thinking you were trolling us, but then it was like “ohhh I see”. Can totally sympathize (still beautiful regardless).
I love the spirit of this post. Good on you for sharing.
My greatest failure at the moment is my “CORNER OF SHAME”.
Last spring, I replaced a hedge with 17 plants arranged in a fan shape. I devoted excessive time, money and care to research, plan and plant a “low maintenance” area with ornamental and wildlife value.
The 17 plants included: Hebes, Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’, dwarf Berberis, dwarf conifers, heuchera, and a ‘Twister’ hazel.
Foxes killed the hazel within weeks by digging it up repeatedly. 1/17 dead.
2 Berberis died in the summer heatwave, the other 2 didn’t wake up this spring. 5/17 dead.
I underestimated how much 2 Hebe varieties would grow. They’ve suffocated 2 siblings. 7/17 dead.
2 Erysimums are also bigger than expected. They’ve smothered 2 heuchera which are still alive but struggling.
Lastly and worst of all, the wood chippings haven’t helped with weeds at all, now they’re taking over. My carefully designed corner looks a fucking wreck and I want to cry.
The great thing I find with gardening is that the failures just end up on the compost heap and help something grow the next year.
Also the kids don’t care if the strawberry bed has a bunch of other weeds growing in it, all they remember is picking and eating the strawberry’s. Take the small victories.
Digging a hole in heavy clay soil just to plant a bare root tree is also something people skip over
I have lots of sycamore seedlings I’ve had to get rid of this year