[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ailure is part of the life of being a gardener. But each time we uproot a fern that’s been fried in the sun, or an olive tree that’s looking sad in partial shade… we learn something. Below is a list of gardening mistakes based on many years of my experiences, and my observations of others around me.

(Full confession: as a plant collector with little sun, I tend to repeat numbers 2, 3 and 9 at my own house more than I would like to admit!)

1. Unfamiliarity ...