We live in a modern, technological world that keeps getting more sophisticated and savvy about sharing information and developing creature comforts. We have the best of the best when it comes to conveniences and those just keep getting better as time goes on, which is why it’s so perplexing that so many of us believe things that aren’t true.
Everyone of us sees things on television, the internet, and social media that defies logic or puts our ability to suspend disbelief to the ultimate test. Of course, these medium are usually where we collectively go to escape from reality but that doesn’t mean the content doesn’t creep into our subconscious. While there is an immediate availability to find information, particularly on the web, it’s quite alarming at how much of it isn’t accurate, is exaggerated, or is just plain wrong.
The sad part of this common phenomenon is that it can result in harm. When it comes to landscaping, there are plenty of myths and lost lasting folklore people believe. It’s only after experimenting and experiencing the results that the truth is revealed. The problem is that it can cost you a lot of time and money to make these mistakes and what makes it worse is that it’s all completely unnecessary.
Where Landscaping Myths Come From
Just a bit over one-hundred years ago, in 1910, the total population of the country stood at nearly 92 million residents. Of those, 31 percent were farmers, or, approximately 32 million, with some 6.3 million farms, spanning over an average acreage of 138 per farm. Only ten years later, in 1920, there total country population rose to almost 106 million residents, and farmers accounted for 27 percent or 31.6 million, with 6.4 million farms averaging 148 acres each. By 1990, there were just 2.9 million farmers working over 2.1 million farms, with an average acreage of 461.
Are landscaping myths harmless? Well, that really depends on what category they fall into. That is, we can speak broadly of two different classes of misguided notions: Those of a practical nature and those of an aesthetic nature. Category 2 deals in the subjective realm, so I would not term any landscaping myths of this sort “harmful.” But when it comes to Category 1, you can, in fact, do quite a bit of harm in some cases if you allow yourself to be guided by these misguided notions. —Landscaping.About.com
The reason this is important is because it shows how much innovation and progress that has been made. Now, it takes less to produce more, and because of the very rapid change, at-large, people don’t know much about caring for land. Sure, homeowners might fertilize and water their yards, trim their trees, and mow grass, but it’s not enough to be sophisticated about landscaping. This is why so many people believe in things that just aren’t true.
What began as something that was at one time common knowledge has morphed into various versions of what is and isn’t proper landscaping care. Since so much misinformation and half-truths are available, spread so widely and so often, it’s little wonder why these are accepted.
Biggest Landscaping Myths Homeowners Believe
It’s only natural that you want to take care of your property and make it look its best. If you’ve added a deck, laid a brick patio, installed a water feature, or made other improvements, you also want the rest of your exterior living space to look great. That’s easily attainable, but don’t give into these big landscaping myths:
- Mowing the grass shorter means less mowing. While this might seem logical, it leaves out the fact that cutting grass down to as short as possible initiates quite a bit of harm. When grass is cut too short, weeds are able to take advantage of the sunlight and grow. What’s more, being cut short also means getting burned, which will yield brown patches.
- Watering the yard at night is the best time. The justification behind this is that water won’t evaporate quickly and therefore, less water is needed. However, the problem is precisely with the amount of water and the lack of evaporation. The sitting water is a breeding ground for mold, fungi, and disease. You should water just before the sun rises to take advantage of the dew.
- The best and only time to plant is in the spring. While the months of March, April, and May, are great times to put in new plants, this isn’t the only season which is ideal for plants. There are plants which thrive in cooler conditions, making fall another season to add new plants.
- Planting shrubs near the house is the best location. It use to be common to plant shrubs close to exterior walls to hide ugly block foundations. Since homes are now built more attractively, there’s no need to plant shrubs near the exterior. If you do, you are only inviting pests to nest and invade your home.
