Ep. 42: Landscape Design Fails

Helping you plan a disaster-free garden for 2026

Author

Plants Always Win
January 20, 2026

Let’s Talk Dos and PLEASE DON’Ts in Garden Design

The thumbnail image for Plants Always Win podcast episode 42, Landscape Design Fails, shows a woman slapping her own forehead with an expression of dismay in front of a garden. The word fail is stamped

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.

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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 Introduction
00:55 What's Growing On? The End of Erin's Winter Garden
04:27 What's Growing On? Sean's Winter Observations
07:56 Water Break
09:05 Myth Busting: The Low-Maintenance Garden
12:34 Landscape Design Step 1: Dream and Observe
15:44 Landscape Pre-Design: Know Your Needs
17:21 Designing for Accessibility and Maintenance
19:07 Considering Microclimates
20:16 Landscape Design Step 2: Hardscaping
22:25 Artificial Turf Legislation Fail
27:14 Decisions about Paths
28:00 Myth Busting: Permanence in Landscapes
29:36 Landscape Design Step 3: Plant Selection
31:00 Sean's False Sorbaria sorbifolia Stories
34:36 Erin's Invasive-Plants-in-Woodland-Garden Story
40:04 Landscape Design Step 4: Plan for Changes over Seasons and Years
46:32 Retaining Wall Fail
50:00 Maintenance Nightmare: Nothing But Stairs
54:30 Compromise and Education are Important
57:09 Staghorn Sumacs Always Win
58:55 Outro and Contact Us