David Domoney reveals 'the worst mistake' you can make when gardening

Now's the best time to learn something new ahead of the warmer months

Pergola over a large patio with BBQ
(Image credit: Future PLC)

David Domoney, celebrity gardener, reveals what he claims to be some of the most common mistakes you can make when gardening.

As we prepare to welcome the warmer months, there's no better time than the present to start indulging your green thumb. Whether that be learning how to grow your own fruit and vegetables, or following David's advice on the best thing to plant in April, gardening is a hobby that he encourages everyone to get stuck into.

As with any hobby, there will always be a learning curve, but David reveals that out of every mistake you could make, not even trying is the biggest of them all.

Gardening supplies and wellies in outdoor garden storage

(Image credit: Future PLC)

The worst mistakes you can make when gardening

We asked David Domoney, Britain's only Chartered Horticulturist presenter on TV, what he believes to be the most common mistake people make when it comes to gardening.

1. Lack of ambition

'In many cases, it's the lack of ambition. Everybody thinks it's too difficult and then never gets started.' This is a much different ballpark to garden design mistakes or even herb garden mistakes, but rather, about one's attitude towards gardening.

'The secret of sowing a seed and watching it germinate initiates a relationship between human and plant, and as you follow its journey and show interest through curiosity, you realise the simple pleasures of seeing something grow.'

Fruits and vegetables harvested in a basket

(Image credit: Future PLC / Amateur Gardening)

Whether it's growing peppers in pots, growing potatoes in bags, or growing geraniums, David encourages us to oversee this process in a more intentional light.

'It's not a mobile phone, it's not a tablet or a plasma screen, it's a living thing that's growing right in front of your eyes – thanks to you sowing it and watching it germinate.'

Raised bed in an allotment planted with vegetables and herbs

(Image credit: Future PLC/Derek Harris)

2. Letting houseplants sit in water

Aside from our attitude towards gardening, David also touches on the huge gardening error of leaving houseplants to sit in water. Considering how often we see the likes of living room houseplant ideas, too many people are still making the same mistake.

If you want success with your houseplants, he says this is 'the ultimate thing' to avoid.

Glass vase filled with yellow flowers on top of kitchen table and countertop

(Image credit: Future PLC / David Mereweather)

'You have success with houseplants when you know what you're buying. There are many houseplants that are sold as houseplants that don't actually last as houseplants,' he warns.

'For example, during Mother's Day, buying roses and azaleas to keep indoors – but they're actually outside plants. So it's about knowing what you buy.'

dining room with chairs, house plants, laminate flooring white walls with a skylight and gold pendant

(Image credit: Future PLC/ James French)

If you're after additional houseplant and garden advice, David Domoney's bestselling book, My House Plant Changed My Life, available to buy for £8.99 on Amazon, focuses on knowing what plants you're meant to keep for a long time and which plants are just on the windowsill for a short period of time.

Did you learn something new from the celebrity gardener today?

Jullia Joson
Junior Writer

Jullia is Ideal Home’s Junior Writer and the Ideal Home Certified Expert in Training on Vacuums, having spent over 60 hours testing different models. She’s always loved all things homes and interiors, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Studies from the University of Nottingham where her love for writing blossomed following her internship at ArchDaily. Now focused on home tech and cleaning, Jullia works on writing features and explainers to help people make the most of their home appliance investments, putting the newest launches through their paces. When she isn’t writing, she loves exploring the city, coffee shop hopping, and losing hours to a cosy game or book.