Dr. William Johnson
Galveston County Daily News

Other than the obligatory one or two oaks trees in the front yard at time of signing off on the financial package leading to homeownership, most homeowners are on their own when it comes to completing the home landscape.

Many landscapes ravaged by Hurricane Ike are undergoing renovation — where shade was a primary factor in plant selection, full sun is now a major consideration.

It can be a daunting challenge, and we all can be expected to make some mistakes along the way.

Whether you prefer to call them mistakes or disappointments, they will occur but many can be avoided with a little forethought.

Here are a few common mistakes you should avoid as you make plans to complete or even renovate your home landscape.

The ‘WOS’ Landscaping Philosophy

Avoid practicing the WOS or “What’s On Sale” approach to landscaping.

It is quite acceptable and appropriate to purchase high quality plants that are on sale. However, do not fall hostage to just purchasing a plant on impulse simply because it’s on sale and then deciding later where you might place the plant or how it might fit in the overall landscape scheme.

Wrong Location For Plant Health

Selecting the wrong plant for a specific location or growing environment in the landscape is a common landscaping mistake.

Proper plant selection should include only plants that are well-adapted to our Gulf Coast growing conditions and to the specific location in the landscape (e.g., shade vs. sun, well-drained vs. wet soil).

The focus of using well-adapted plants applies to your “foundation” landscape plants which can be expected to survive our hot summers and the occasional cold snap that presents itself during our normally mild winters.

However, it is quite satisfactory to include tropical and subtropical plants such as papayas, citrus, hibiscus, etc. as part of the landscape. If cold weather zaps them, they can be replaced without replacing the entire landscape.

Wrong Location For Foot Traffic Or Window View

Many times, homeowners will place a plant in the wrong location in the landscape. Examples of this are shrubs that get so large that they extend into a sidewalk or block a picturesque view from a window.

The scenarios are endless; however, a little bit of planning will go a long way in preventing these disasters. Be sure to note a plant’s mature height and width before you place the plant in your landscape. Plants are like puppies — they start off cute and small, but they’re going to grow quickly!

Bigger Is Not Necessarily Better — Even In Texas

Purchasing the biggest trees is not always a wise investment when landscaping your home. These big trees are especially vulnerable to stress from the digging and transplanting process, and may take five or more years to recover from transplanting shock.

Many times, a smaller tree will re-establish itself more rapidly, producing a nicer tree in a shorter time period. With the money you save buying smaller trees, you can get a good start on the rest of your landscape.

High-quality trees are a good investment. Although there is a time and place for “fast growers,” do not overlook the dependable varieties such as many oaks and certain elms and cedars. They have a longer life span, and you will have fewer insect, disease and pruning headaches in the meantime.

Scatter-gun Planting

Even when homeowners select plants that are suited to their environment, they often make the mistake of planting one of everything they can find at the nursery. Too much diversity in your landscape can turn it into a mishmash.

A mass planting of one kind of plant will have more visual impact than the same space filled with a scattering of different plants. Repeat some of the same colors and plants throughout your landscape to create a unifying effect.

Burying Vs. Planting Plants

Many landscape trees and shrubs start out on negative footing by being planted — or buried — too deeply. Remember to always place the topside of the soil ball of landscape trees and shrubs even with, or slightly above, the existing soil line.

This overview is not intended to instill paranoia in making improvements in your landscape endeavors. Don’t worry about making a major mistake in your landscape as most mistakes can be easily fixed.

The wonderful thing about a landscape is that the decisions don’t have to be permanent. Landscapes should be refreshed and updated to fix problems or to change with your taste and your gardening discoveries. Enjoy the blessings of gardening.