Many people tend to judge their garden success and experience on whether they killed the plants they were attempting to grow. Yet most of the time, plants that die or don’t do well in the landscape and garden are not necessarily the results of the grower’s actions. Factors like sunlight, temperature, water, soil nutrients and location all must be perfect for a plant to survive the first year and thrive long term. Then, the plant must avoid or escape the threats of insect and disease pests; however, if all goes well, there is always the threat of the two-legged pest – bad decisions and actions by people.

Whether interested in growing annuals, vegetables, shrubs or fruit trees, the key to successful gardening many times lies – and begins with – making the right plant selection. Doing so correctly could avoid a lot of mistakes.