12 Landscaping Mistakes to Avoid in Your Yard

Even the most beautiful yards can be sabotaged by a few well-meaning but costly landscaping mistakes. From scalping your grass and planting the wrong plant in the wrong space to impulse plant purchases, these are some of the most common landscaping pitfalls.

As a landscape designer with decades of experience, I’ll walk you through these 12 landscaping mistakes and show you how to easily avoid them.

Another way to avoid these common mistakes? Hire a LawnStarter local pro for all your landscaping and lawn care needs.

1. Steer Clear of Lawn Care Slip-Ups

Your lawn is the foundation of your landscape — it ties everything together. When it’s healthy and green, the rest of your yard feels complete. When your grass is stressed, your whole yard feels off balance.

It’s easy to steer clear of these lawn care slip-ups:

• Scalping the Grass: Cutting your lawn too short might seem like a time-saver, but it weakens the grass and leaves it vulnerable to weeds, heat, and drought. Scalped lawns dry out faster, lose color, and let bare spots creep in.
  Skipping Fertilizer: Neglecting to feed your lawn is like skipping breakfast — your grass might survive, but it won’t thrive. A balanced fertilizer schedule keeps grass strong, green, and resilient through the seasons.
  Ignoring the Basics: Dull mower blades, uneven watering, and midday mowing can all sabotage a healthy lawn. Keep blades sharp, water early in the morning, and aim for steady moisture — not constant soaking.

Pro Tip: Treat your lawn like a living carpet — feed it, water it, and trim it with care. When your grass thrives, everything around it looks instantly more intentional and beautiful.

See Related:
— 13 Common Lawn Mowing Mistakes to Avoid

2. Wrong Plant, Wrong Place

Plants can be cranky just like us when they aren’t comfortable. For instance, planting a shade-loving plant in full sun is like sending a redhead to the beach without an umbrella — crispy chaos. 

Plants get stressed, “sick,” or simply fail when conditions don’t suit them. Study your yard— where the sun hits, how water drains, and what the soil is like — before planting.

Observation now saves you wilted regret later. Here are just three of the many examples:

• Planting Trees to Close to Your House: Even the smallest tree (a sapling) will grow up and can take over your house. As trees mature, their roots and branches can damage the siding, foundation, and your roof.
• Shade Trees and Your Pool: Don’t plant shade trees near your pool, hoping the branches and leaves will eventually provide automatic shade. It’s better if you opt for an umbrella instead, because you’ll be spending more time skimming the leaves out of your pool, and yellow-green tree pollen covers everything with a fine film.
  Tree Roots vs. Driveways and Sidewalks: Roots are slow-motion wrecking balls. Shallow-rooted trees like Norway maples crack sidewalks and lift driveways. Choose deep-rooted trees and give them space — to keep concrete from cracking and buckling.

See Related:
— Why You Shouldn’t Plant Trees Too Close to Your House

3. Outdoor Sitting Areas Gone Wrong

Outdoor spaces are meant for relaxing — not sticky sap, prickly needles, or constant cleanup duty. Take it from me: Don’t plant evergreens (for privacy) that drip sap or shed short needles near patios, decks, or seating areas. You’ll spend more time cleaning than enjoying your space.

Another common mistake? Forgetting about the sun. Many homeowners place seating areas in spots that get full afternoon exposure with no shade relief. It seems great in spring, but by July it’s a backyard broil. 

My Tip: Before deciding where to put your outdoor seating, spend a weekend observing the sun and wind patterns in your yard. Choose a location that stays dry after rain, catches a breeze, and has some shade during the hottest hours.

See Related:
— 11 Best Privacy Hedges

4. Impulse Plant Purchasing Without a Landscape Plan

It’s a sunny day, so you head to your favorite home improvement store’s garden section. Every cart around you looks like a mini botanical garden — so yours soon does too.

The problem? Once you get home, those impulse buys often have no real place to go. 

My Tip: Before you buy, take photos of your yard and make note of the sun patterns, soil type, and space available. Create a simple sketch or list of what you actually need — height, color, texture, bloom time — and shop with intention. You’ll save money, frustration, and a few wilted regrets later.

See Related:
— What is Landscape Design?

5. Crowding Plants for an “Instant” Garden

Placing plants too close together might make a flower bed look full right away, but those “baby” plants will quickly outgrow their space, crowding each other and forcing a redo.

Think of it this way: Four little kids can share a sandbox, but at 21, not so much. Plants grow up, too — and when you give them space, they reward you with healthy roots, better airflow, and less competition. 

Pro Tip: When planting, always go by mature size, not the size you bought in the pot. Lay out your plants in their spots before you dig, and if the spacing looks too open, fill gaps temporarily with annuals or decorative mulch. It gives you that full, finished look while your perennials and shrubs take their time growing up.

6. Paved with Good Intentions

Hardscaping projects always start with the best of intentions — a cozy patio, a charming walkway, or a weekend DIY upgrade to make your yard feel more “finished.” But sometimes the ground has other ideas, and those well-meaning projects can turn into lessons in patience, drainage, and gravity.

For example, that perfect sunny, flat spot in your yard might look ideal for a patio — until it rains. In my yard, there’s a wide open area that gets full sun and stays dry most of the time. But after a few days of steady rain, it transforms into a 2-inch-deep pond that wouldn’t be ideal for a patio: 

Pro Tip: Flat doesn’t always mean functional. Before you lay a single paver, pay attention to how water moves through your yard.

Another common DIY hardscaping pitfall? Skipping the prep work. I’ve seen plenty of homeowners dive into a weekend walkway project, laying pavers straight on dirt or sand. It looks great for a month — then the rain comes, the soil shifts, and suddenly your walkway feels like a carnival funhouse floor.

A sturdy base for your walkway is everything. Take time to compact the soil, add a proper gravel foundation, and ensure the surface slopes gently away from the house for drainage.

Pro Tip: Watch your yard after a good rainstorm before deciding where to build. Those little puddles and soft spots tell you exactly where water likes to collect — and where you shouldn’t put your walkway or build anything.

See Related:
— 10 Walkway Ideas to Upgrade Your Yard and Garden

7. When Water Misbehaves

Water has a mind of its own — and it always finds the path of least resistance. Unfortunately, that path sometimes leads straight toward your foundation, your neighbor’s yard, or a brand-new patio you just installed. 

Poor drainage can cause soggy lawns, shifting soil, and long-term damage if ignored — but it’s one of the easiest issues to fix.

• Draining Toward the Foundation: Whether it’s from downspouts, uneven grading, or a poorly placed patio, water that drains toward your home can cause leaks, cracks, and mold. Make sure the ground slopes away from your foundation.
  Small Riverstones on Slopes: Small riverstones might look pretty, but they roll downhill faster than you can rake them back up. On even gentle slopes, they don’t stop erosion — they join it. Use larger stones (3–4 inches or more) for stability and structure.
  Runoff and Neighborly Boundaries: Don’t be that neighbor who drains water next door. Redirecting runoff onto someone else’s property can lead to flooding, erosion, and neighborhood tension. Keep your drainage contained with rain gardens, French drains, or dry creek beds — they look great and keep the peace.
  Standing Water Attracts Mosquitoes: Still water is mosquito heaven. Even a bottle cap or forgotten flowerpot saucer can become a breeding spot. After every rain, do a quick sweep of your yard and dump anything holding water — it’s the easiest pest control there is.

Pro Tip: After a good rain walk your yard and watch where the water flows, pools, and drains. Those puddles tell you everything you need to know about your landscape’s trouble spots. Fix the flow now, and future-you won’t need mosquito spray — or a sump pump.

See Related:
— 12 Ways to Get Rid of Standing Water 

8. Heavy Vines, Weak Support

If you love the romantic look of trailing vines — wisteria, clematis, or trumpet vine— make sure your structure can handle the weight. Some, like wisteria, develop woody trunks as thick as small trees. 

Those dainty pre-made arbors from the home improvement store won’t cut it for long. Start strong with solid 2x4s or metal supports so your “storybook garden” doesn’t collapse under its own charm.

See Related:
— 20 Beautiful Flowering Vines for Your Yard

9. So Much Landscaping to Maintain, So Little Time 

That formal, perfectly manicured garden might look amazing in your head — all neat boxwoods and symmetry — but perfection and nature rarely mix. Unless you love spending weekends with hedge clippers, skip the high-maintenance fantasy. 

I tell clients all the time: Plants aren’t suits off a rack. They come from different growers, grow at different rates, and no two are ever identical. Embrace a little imperfection, it’s what makes a garden feel alive.

Pro Tip: Choose low-maintenance plants that look great with minimal effort. You have better things to do on your weekends than bending over pulling weeds or wielding a hedge clipper.

See Related:
— 11 Low-Maintenance Landscaping Ideas

10. Mulch: Too Much of a Good Thing

Mulch really is a landscape superstar — it locks in moisture, suppresses weeds, and makes everything look fresh and finished. But like most good things, more isn’t better. Those towering “mulch volcanoes” piled around tree trunks might look tidy, but they’re slowly suffocating your trees.

Too much mulch traps moisture against the bark, invites pests and fungus, and even causes roots to grow into the mulch instead of the soil. Many people pile it high thinking it protects the trunk from lawn mower damage, but mulch isn’t armor — it’s insulation. Instead of shielding bark, it softens it and makes it more vulnerable.

Pro Tip: Keep mulch 2–3 inches deep and a few inches away from the trunk so the root flare is visible. Think “mulch donut,” not “mulch volcano.” Your trees will breathe easier and live longer.

See Related:
— How to Mulch Your Yard: a Step-by-Step Guide

11. Fencing Fumbles

Fences can elevate your landscape by providing privacy, hiding sitelines and creating an intimate space OR create costly frustrations if not done right. A little planning goes a long way in keeping both functional and beautiful.

Here are three examples of fencing fumbles:

• Skipping permits
• Guessing at property lines
• Rushing the install due to time constraints (poor planning)

Pro Tip: I’ve seen DIY homeowners build gorgeous fences — only to find they’re a few inches over the boundary. Another common miss? Tiny gate openings. One client had a single-panel gate so narrow the landscaper’s lawn mower couldn’t fit through. Always plan for access and measure everything twice before setting a single post.

12. Outdoor Lighting: Ambiance not Interrogation

Outdoor lighting should enhance your space, not overpower it. Harsh spotlights, mismatched fixtures, and bright-white bulbs can turn a relaxing patio into something that looks like a landing strip. 

The goal is to create ambiance. From a design standpoint, the best lighting highlights the subject, not the source. The eye should naturally be drawn to the illuminated tree trunk, the garden feature, or the soft wash of light — not the beam blasting from the ground.

Choose warm, layered lighting — soft path lights, gentle uplighting on trees, and subtle glows on focal points. The right mix of warmth and placement transforms your yard from harsh to heavenly.

Pro Tip: Go green and smart. Solar or Wi-Fi-enabled lighting cuts energy costs and makes adjustments easy. Aim for ambiance, not interrogation — your guests (and neighbors) will appreciate it.

See Related:
— Landscape Lighting: 5 Bright and Creative Ideas

Landscape Lessons Learned

Landscaping isn’t about perfection — it’s about creating a space that works with nature, not against it. When the right plant finds the right place, the hardscaping sits on a solid base, and the lawn gets the care it needs, everything in your yard feels intentional, not accidental.

Even the most seasoned DIYers (and pros like me) learn something new with every project. Nature isn’t static — it shifts, grows, and teaches as you go. The secret is to start small, observe, and design with purpose. Do that, and you’ll create a landscape that not only looks beautiful but also lives and breathes in harmony with you.

LawnStarter’s local landscaping pros can help you create the perfect yard – a front yard with curb appeal and a backyard oasis. Your yard will welcome you home and help you to relax.

Main Image: A tree’s roots crack asphalt because it was planted too close to a sidewalk. Photo Credit: Michal / Adobe Stock