10 Landscaping Myths Everyone Believes (I'm Ending Them)

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]After 25 years in the green industry and a PhD in plant sciences, I can tell you one thing. Some of the most popular landscaping advice out there is dead wrong. And if you're following this advice, you're wasting your money, probably killing your plants, and making your yard look worse year after year.

[00:00:20]But today, I'm setting the record straight. 10 landscaping myths you need to stop believing right now. Welcome back, everybody. I'm Dr. Tom Warren. And whether you're a homeowner trying to keep your yard looking great or a professional in the green industry, this video is for you. Some of these myths have been passed down from generations.

[00:00:41]You've probably heard them from neighbors, seen them on television shows, or perhaps read them in books.

[00:00:47]But the science tells a completely different story. Let's get into it.

[00:00:52]Number one on our list is something that drives me absolutely crazy. I see it every single winter and I just ask myself why that you have to prune crepe myrtles in order for them to bloom.

[00:01:05]Crate murder. That's what we call it in the industry. Homeowners, even landscape crews hacking the tops of crepe myrtle trees, cutting them down to ugly thick stubs because somewhere along the way they were told that you have to prune crepe myrtles back in order to get them to bloom in summer. This is completely and entirely false. Crepe myrtles bloom on new wood. They are going to bloom regardless of whether you butcher them or leave them alone. What heavy topping actually does is force the tree to push out a mass of weak, spindly, fast growing shoots, shoots that are structurally weak, prone to disease at the entry wound sites and give the tree a predominantly disfigured shape it will never fully recover from. A properly sighted crepe myrtle, meaning you selected a variety that fits the space, needs almost no pruning at all. If you must prune, remove crossing branches, dead wood, or suckers from the base. Use sharp, clean tools. Make proper cuts, but no topping ever. If your crate myrtle is getting to the size that you feel like you need to significantly cut it back, that's a siding problem, not a crate myrtle problem. Select a variety that's smaller next time. Leave your crate myrtles alone. In return, they'll give you more flowers, have better structure, and will live a healthier life overall. Myth number two is spring is the best time to plant trees and shrubs. This is one that even experienced gardeners get wrong and it cost them plants every single year. The conventional wisdom is spring is the optimal time to plant trees and shrubs.

[00:02:38]It's warming up outside, the flowers are coming out, and you're excited to get outside. And I understand that completely, but actually fall is the best time to plant trees and shrubs. And the science backs it up. When you plant in the fall, the air temperatures are cooling, but the soil itself, it's still warm. That encourages the plant to put on new root development and have a strong root system going into the hot months of the following year. The plant can spend the entire winter quietly growing its root system without the simultaneous demands of growing new foliage and dealing with summer heat stress. When you plant in the spring, the new plant has to do everything immediately at once. It pushes new growth and establishes roots and has to deal with summer heat, oftent times in a setting that is very stressful for the plant. Fall plantings almost always establish quicker and they look much healthier going into the spring and summer months. They also have significantly higher survival rates in the first one to two years of growth.

[00:03:42]I've seen this play out time and time again over my 25 years in the landscape industry. If you're planning a major landscape installation, shift your thoughts to fall and not spring. Your plants will thank you for it. Myth number three, that more mulch is always better. This one is critically important, and it's the one I see most often in residential landscapes, the mulch volcano. You know what I'm talking about. Trees with mulch piled all the way up against the trunk like a mountain. People think they're helping.

[00:04:12]They are causing serious damage.

[00:04:14]Excessive mulch against a trunk traps moisture against the bark, creates a perfect environment for rot and fungal disease, and it suffocates root flares of the tree. I have seen 20-year-old trees killed by this single mistake. The rule of thumb here is simple. Two to three in deep of mulch that is pulled away a few inches from the root flare of the tree. Myth number four, bamboo is a perfect privacy hedge. And this is a decision that can have consequences for decades. I cannot tell you how many times I've been called in to fix a bamboo problem. Homeowners plan it because it grows fast and gives you instant privacy. But running bamboo, the most common type that people plant, spreads underground through ryzomes. It will invade your neighbor's yard, crack your driveway, and work right under your foundation. There are plenty other plants that are beautiful and manageable as privacy screens. Consider magnolia or emerald green arbor vodies. Avoid bamboo unless you're prepared to install a serious riseome barrier. And even then, think twice or you may end up with something like this. Before we get into the next six myths, if you're finding this video helpful, hit the like button below. And if you haven't subscribed yet, go ahead and consider doing so. I put out videos once a week based on 25 years of real world landscape experience. Now, let's get back into it.

[00:05:41]Myth number five, trees and shrubs need to be watered every single day. This is the myth that is responsible for more plant deaths in the landscape than anything else combined. The belief that you need to water your trees and shrubs every single day. Roots need oxygen just as much as they need water. When you water every single day, you keep the soil saturated and the roots cannot get the oxygen that they need. You essentially drown the plant from the roots up. The correct approach, water deeply, but less frequently. Let the soil dry out slightly between waterings.

[00:06:20]Check the moisture level two or three inches deep in the soil layer. If it's still damp, do not apply water. This goes for your lawn as well. Deep infrequent watering encourages your roots to grow deeper into the soil layer and makes your plants more drought tolerant. Myth number six, invasive plants are just another garden choice.

[00:06:40]This myth doesn't just hurt your yard, it causes real longlasting damage to the environment around you as well. And I feel strongly about this one. When I use the word invasive, I want to be very specific about what it means. An invasive plant is not just something that spreads aggressively in your yard.

[00:06:58]A true invasive plant is a plant that is not native to an area and has escaped captivity from landscapes and is now being found and established in wild places. It has left your property, entered the natural ecosystem, and is out competing native plants that wildlife, insects, and entire food chains depend upon. Think about that for a moment. Bradford pear, Chinese privet.

[00:07:23]These are plants that are found in garden centers right now and also in landscape cataloges and they are actively invading forest, stream banks, natural areas all across the country.

[00:07:35]Once they are established in the wild, they are extraordinarily difficult and expensive to eradicate. When you plant a non-invasive plant, you're not just making a choice for your yard. you're potentially contributing to an ecological problem that affects the entire region. There are beautiful, high-erforming native alternatives for virtually every invasive plant that's popular in the landscape trade. Ask for them and choose them. Our native ecosystems are depending on choices we make in our own landscapes. Myth number seven, fast growing trees are always the best choice. When homeowners need shade or privacy, what do they reach for? the fastest growing trees possible, Bradford pears, very large crepe myrtle varieties, weeping willows, and the list goes on. And I completely understand the impulse, but fast growing trees almost always come with serious tradeoffs, weak wood structure that fails in storms, aggressive root systems that damage plumbing and foundations, and significantly shorter lifespans.

[00:08:39]Instead, consider investing in quality trees with moderate growth rates.

[00:08:43]Japanese maples, American elms, dog woods, or dwarf magnolia varieties.

[00:08:49]Those trees will still be standing long after the fast growers have been ground down to the stump. Patience and tree selections pays dividends for decades to come. Myth number eight, all fertilizers are essentially the same. I hear this question all the time. Can I just use the same fertilizer on everything? The answer is no. Absolutely not. Plants have very different nutritional needs, and applying the wrong fertilizer can cause more harm than applying no fertilizer at all. High nitrogen fertilizers on flowering shrubs will push excessive vegetative growth and suppress the blooms. Acidifying fertilizers on plants that prefer alkaline soils will lock out nutrients entirely. and applying fertilizers at the wrong time, like early fall, can stimulate tender new growth just before the first frost. Always read the label, understand your plant's nutritional requirements, and get a soil test before applying fertilizers. Know what you're working with. Myth number nine, all fallen leaves must be removed from the flower bed. This might be the most unnecessary work that homeowners put theirelves through every single fall.

[00:09:59]the idea that every single leaf needs to be rad, bagged, hauled away out of the flower bed. I want to challenge that narrative completely. Think about what a leaf actually is. It's organic matter.

[00:10:11]It's nutrients. It's free soil amendment that nature is literally dropping into your landscape at no cost. I use fallen leaves in my own flower beds intentionally. I allow them to break down over the winter right into the bed.

[00:10:23]They moderate soil temperature, protect roots from freeze thaw cycles, and they decompose. They are actively improving the biology and structure of the soil beneath them. In the spring, and this is the part I love, I put a layer of pine straw right on top of them. The leaves are already breaking down underneath, building up the organic matter and improving the soil. The pine straw goes over the top, gives the bed a clean, finished look for the season, and continues to add organic material as it breaks down in turn. Year after year, you're building richer, more biologically active soil in those beds, and it's free. Now, if you have diseased leaves, fungal issues, pest issues, definitely get rid of those leaves. But if you have healthy leaves, definitely leave them. They're nature's fertilizer.

[00:11:12]Work with nature and your plants will thank you for it. Myth number 10, purchasing bigger trees is always the better investment. I'll close a myth that cost homeowners a significant amount of money. When people are investing in landscape trees, they assume the bigger the caliper, the better the value. But research consistently shows that slightly smaller transplanted trees, those with the two to three inch caliper, typically do better, establish faster, and acclimate to their new environment more effectively and often catch up and surpass larger transplants in size within just 3 to 5 years. Why? The big tree sits in transplant shock, struggling to reestablish its root system. The properly sized smaller tree is already actively growing. Unless you have a very specific reason to need immediate visual impact, save your money. Choose the right size tree for the right stage. The landscape and your wallet will thank you for it. There you have it. 10 landscaping myths that I have personally watched cost homeowners thousands of dollars over my 25 years in the green industry. The bottom line is having a great landscape mainly revolves around working with nature and not against it. Choose the right plants for the right place. Water appropriately and don't fall for advice that hasn't been backed up by science. And your landscape will reward you for it for decades to come. If you found this video helpful, please give it a like. It genuinely helps the channel reach more people who need this information. Guys, as always, thank you for watching the Plant Doctor.

[00:12:48]And until next time, happy gardening.