Dan Marsula, Post-Gazette Click illustration for larger image.

Since New Year's Eve is a time for reflection, we posed this question to some local gardening professionals: What was the biggest mistake you've made in your own garden?

Granny used to say that the only person who doesn't make a mistake is the person who doesn't do anything. And she's right. But making errors and fessing up to them are two different things. While it takes guts to admit failures, many of our talented professionals were more than happy to share missteps.

Making mistakes is part of the learning process, as several of our participants told us, so they are happy if they can prevent someone else from making the ones they did. And, as we all know, there are more than enough mistakes to go around, so avoiding a few can be a good thing.

Penn State Extension educator and Post-Gazette columnist Sandy Feather: "One fall, when I first started to garden and I put in my first perennial bed, I put the spring-blooming bulbs in first. That made it sheer hell to go back and try to put plants on top because you have no idea where the bulbs were, and you sure didn't want to cut up all those expensive plants with your shovel. The remedy: waiting until spring to finish the planting, after the bulbs had emerged."

Randy Soergel, owner of Soergel Garden Center in Wexford: "The worst mistake I've made is not trying new things. How many times do you try a different type of radish, for instance? There is so much out there, but we automatically grab the things we are most familiar with. How do we know things are hard to grow if we've never grown them? If you've never tried it, throw one in!"

Jan Lopes, owner of Stonebridge Nursery in Economy: "I put in a huge perennial garden, 50 feet by 10 feet wide, and then I mulched it. It was my first experience with mulch. I didn't realize how hot the mulch would be and, with the tannic acid, it literally cooked all the perennials I put in. Lesson learned: If it has that smell to it, don't mulch up against tender plants. Ever since then, I warn my customers."

Bill McWilliams vice president and manager of LMS Nursery, Hampton, says, while it's not a really a mistake, he finds he's constantly changing his landscape. "I'm always moving the plants and trying different things. My neighbors think, what in the heck is he doing now? (As a plant professional) you are always looking for a different look."

Karen Tribou, co-owner of Plumline Nursery in Murrysville:
"Mistake 1: As plant collectors we planted many specialty items in a small area, which required more maintenance than we expected. We got so busy installing everyone else's landscape, it left less time to maintain our own! For example, we planted all kinds of ground covers and perennials -- had to have one of each -- and the result, extra maintenance.

"Mistake 2: We mulched over our septic tank lids, figuring we'd remember exactly where they were. But when we needed to locate them, it took some digging around to find them. Now, the lids are marked by some large rocks in the planting.

"Mistake 3: When we first built our log home, money was tight. We were able to cheaply buy some very old used brick for our patio and walkways, and spent many, many hours scraping the mortar from the bricks with a screwdriver. In hindsight, you get what you pay for, and our labor cost was pretty high. The bricks crumbled in a relatively short time, but we did enjoy the sidewalk!"

Karen Atkins, proprietor of Proper Gardens in Beaver County:
"I have made many mistakes that involve putting the wrong plants in the wrong places, but those kinds of things are easily remedied. I think the worst mistakes involve hardscape or structure, and are, therefore, so costly to fix that you can't bring yourself to do it.

Here is my biggest error: One of the principal axes of my garden is centered on the kitchen door. I designed it so that the three key areas are clearly visible from that vantage point. From there, you overlook the parterre garden, which is perfectly centered on the door. Behind that, it is possible to see the gate to the sheep pasture.

"I always intended to center the gate on the door, to lead your eye through all of the other gardens to the pasture. To me, the vintage sheep are like walking lawn ornaments, and a backdrop to the other gardens. Hazel, Pearl, Fern and Eva make a nice picture! That is except for one thing! The gate is OFF CENTER. It's isn't off-center enough to look intentional, and it isn't close enough to fool the eye. It is glaring!

"Here is what I did wrong, I directed the excavator to start the fencing at the end of the horse pasture, but when it came around to the part of the fencing where we could install the gate, there was no way to perfectly center it without shortening the distance between posts before or after the gate, which would have been really ugly.

"I should have started the entire fencing job with the posts for the gate, gotten them set, and then continued installing the fence from both sides out. If I can save one person from making a mistake like that I will be happy because that is something that bothers me every day! I refer to it as my "axis of evil!"

Richard A. Liberto, a garden designer from the North Side, says he never has trouble practicing restraint when designing a garden for a client. However, on his own plot, it's another story:
"I have a habit, in my own garden, of putting too many plants in a small space. If I read about a new plant, or see a really cool plant, I think there is room for one more, and generally" he says with laugh, "there isn't. Plants are forgiving. When I make a mistake and recognize it, down the road I end up moving it."

And finally, Gregg Friday, co-owner of Friday's Horticultural Landscaping in Harmer: "I've decided my biggest mistake was trying to have a garden while I was in the business! I never have enough time to work on my garden. From April to June, it's almost dark when I get home. When the weather is good, I am working on everybody else's garden. I haven't done enough stuff on my own garden to make mistakes!"