Ep. 42 Landscape Design Fails

As the 2026 growing season waves tantalizingly on the far horizon, we’d like to help you prepare for a disaster-free garden. To do that, we’re sharing a few key landscape design principles…along with a whole heap of stories about landscape design fails. No garden is truly no-maintenance, but while ordinary weeding and pruning is one thing, fighting endlessly against the effects of a bad design decision is something else entirely. We’re talking about hardscaping installed in the wrong spot, poorly selected plants, ever-spreading invasive species…The list goes on. Sean shares some zingers from his history of managing client landscapes, and Erin gets vulnerable with some stories of her own past mistakes. Tune in to find out what not to do…and to journey with our hosts through the steps you should take when designing a garden or landscape of your own. Check out our new website!  Check out our web designer’s portfolio!   Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?  Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.  Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4JaBluesky: @plantsalwayswin.comTikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcastYouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com  Credits Website Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH Timestamps 00:15 Introduction00:55 What’s Growing On? The End of Erin’s Winter Garden04:27 What’s Growing On? Sean’s Winter Observations07:56 Water Break09:05 Myth Busting: The Low-Maintenance Garden12:34 Landscape Design Step 1: Dream and Observe15:44 Landscape Pre-Design: Know Your Needs17:21 Designing for Accessibility and Maintenance19:07 Considering Microclimates20:16 Landscape Design Step 2: Hardscaping22:25 Artificial Turf Legislation Fail27:14 Decisions about Paths28:00 Myth Busting: Permanence in Landscapes29:36 Landscape Design Step 3: Plant Selection31:00 Sean’s False Sorbaria sorbifolia Stories34:36 Erin’s Invasive-Plants-in-Woodland-Garden Story40:04 Landscape Design Step 4: Plan for Changes over Seasons and Years46:32 Retaining Wall Fail50:00 Maintenance Nightmare: Nothing But Stairs54:30 Compromise and Education are Important57:09 Staghorn Sumacs Always Win58:55 Outro and Contact Us