4 Common Garden Problems (With Solutions)

Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a beginner gardener, there are certain problems that always crop up. These problems are highly common and can be a real nuisance in your garden.

As such, it makes sense to figure out how to solve all of these common garden issues. Why? Because you can get rid of things that are causing harm to your garden, and ensure yours is kept in the best shape possible.

Naturally, you’re probably wondering what these problems are. Well, all is about to be revealed…

Overgrown Bushes/Hedges

A lot of people have gardens that are surrounded by bushes/hedges. While these can be great for housing plants and flowers, they can also get out of hand very quickly.

It’s a common problem for a lot of gardeners to have overgrown bushes/hedges that start intruding into the main part of their garden. It can restrict the lawn space you have, and just generally make your garden look ugly and unkempt.

What’s the solution? Trim your hedges and bushes as often as you can. I would go as far as to say you should do it as often as you mow your lawn. There’s really no downside to regular trimming, all you do is keep things neat and ensure nothing gets out of your control.

If things have already got out of control, don’t worry! You can rectify the situation yourself, or you can get a landscaper to do it for you. Be aware, if you try and do it yourself, it could take a lot of time and effort; overgrown hedges are hard to put back to normal.

Weeds

Weeds are probably the most common garden problem out of all common garden problems. No matter how long you’ve been gardening for, you’ll always end up with weeds causing you issues.

The main problem with them is that they just look horrible and can ruin parts of your garden. They also grow everywhere; in your lawn, through your decking, in your patio – the list goes on and on. If you leave a weed problem unattended, it can quickly get out of hand. So, you need to try and deal with it as best as you can.

I’ll say right now, it’s almost impossible to prevent weeds from growing. The best you can do is contain the problem and deal with it before it gets out of hand.

What you should do is rip up any weeds as soon as you notice them. Don’t wait until loads grow, if you spot one, rip it up or use a weed trimmer to trim it down. Do this whenever you can, preferably as soon as you notice the weeds.

You can then try using weed killer to slow down the regrowth of weeds, but they rarely work forever. It’s going to be a constant battle between you and weeds, but you can win if you’re vigilant!

Dead Plants

There’s nothing as demoralising to a gardener as seeing dead plants. All the hard work you put into growing beautiful plants is wasted when they start looking dead and dishevelled.

Often, the worst culprits are leaves on plants that crust over and start looking brown. Or, the soil looks cracked and very unhealthy. This can be an issue as it makes your garden look like a graveyard rather than a place of beauty where plants can grow freely.

You will be glad to know that dealing with dead plants is fairly simple. All you have to do is ensure they’re getting everything they need to stay full and healthy. For many people, this simply means watering your plants more often. Too many gardeners neglect to water their plants, and then wonder why they have lots of dead leaves and plants all over the place.

Water as regularly as you need to, and ensure your plants are getting the right nutrients too. If you already have dead plants, then you can’t revive them. Instead, you should get rid of them, plant new ones, and take better care of the new ones.

Follow the advice I just mentioned, water the new plants as often as they need water, give them nutrients, and ensure you always tend to them so they can grow healthily.

Pests

A big problem for a lot of gardeners is the presence of pests. This can refer to basically any animal that finds its way into your garden and decides they’ve stumbled upon a free buffet.

Animals such as rabbits and hedgehogs can wander in and start taking bites out of your plants which leave your garden looking less than satisfactory.

Of course, it’s not their fault at all. These animals are just doing what they think is natural. There’s nothing stopping them from entering your garden, and it’s not like they can read signs saying ‘don’t eat this.’ So, what else are they supposed to do other than eat your plants? More to the point, what can you do to stop this?

The only thing you can really do is prevent animals from entering your garden. Set up fences to stop rabbits and other animals from getting into your lovely garden and eating everything.

Under no circumstances should you ever, ever, set up animal traps. You don’t do that. Handle the problem ethically and without causing any harm to the animals.

Alternatively, you could be bold and set up little feeding stations for animals. Have a little bowl or bucket full of rabbit food or food for other animal wildlife. This will mean they come and eat that instead of eating your plants. Granted, it’s risky, but it can be a good idea for anyone that actually likes having wildlife in their garden.

If you’re a gardener, then there’s every chance you’ve been affected by any or indeed all of these problems. The problem is, they can be very persistent, which means you need to constantly keep on top of everything. Persevere, you will enjoy the benefits of your hard work.