Why 'some plants just die' is the most important lesson you need to learn as a beginner gardener

Whether you're an indoor plant enthusiast or gardening outdoors, there is one thing you will quickly realise: plants die.

That might sound a bit blunt, and in some ways morbid, but it's the sad truth of any sort of gardening.

You shouldn't feel any shame or embarrassment when it happens, because even the most experienced gardeners still have plants that die. And the worst that will happen is the shrivelled up stems end up in the green bin or compost.

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It doesn't mean you aren't naturally gifted with plants; in fact, plants dying has no impact on your ability to develop a green thumb.

There are a few reasons accepting this fact will help you persevere with this rewarding hobby despite losing a few shrubs.

Firstly, as a beginner, mistakes are par for the course and the best way to learn. 

There's only so much you can read up on plants before you actually get stuck in and grow things.

Take houseplants for example – you might start with one or two in the home and realise they aren't getting enough light or that their watering needs aren't being met, even though you followed the advice on the tag. So you try popping them in a different spot and adjust how you water them, then the results of this will help you learn where in your home different houseplants are suited to.

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The same goes for outside where it takes time to learn what areas are full sun, part-sun, part shade and shady, because this changes with the seasons. So you'll need to just give it a go and adjust accordingly.

You'll also find some plants aren't to your taste, or require more effort than you can give them. The only way to know this is to try growing different things.

In the process of learning where to put plants, what their needs are and what you like to grow, you will find that some end up dying, or they might be alive, but not grow much or if they're supposed to flower, not produce any blooms.

Secondly, you can do everything right and the plant can still die.

I've had times where I've bought two or three of the same plant from the same store and one just perishes for no obvious reason while the others thrive.

Sometimes it's the plant itself that isn't the best specimen; there's a reason people put two or three seeds in a pot instead of just one, because not all of them will end up sprouting.

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Thirdly, there are so many things out of your control when it comes to gardening.

The main thing we are at the mercy of with gardening is the weather, which I learnt when Australia's east coast went through three La Ninas in a row last year.

Frequent heavy rain for days on end and high humidity was not helpful for my garden, especially the spring bulbs I tried to grow. Some were mouldy before I could even put them in a pot and those that were in a pot ended up in soggy soil because it never had a chance to dry out with the constant deluge.

So I lost some potential tulips and wasted a bit of money, but this year, with less rain and humidity my bulbs are already sprouting green shoots, so that's a nice change.

Even inside it's hard to control the conditions for plants, especially now it's winter where we've got the heater on and less light coming through the windows. It's also a time when houseplant owners forget they need to water less often, and that can lead to plant carnage.

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In addition to the weather, there's also plenty of pests that can destroy your plants. This is especially true outside where any number of things can literally gobble your plants up.

I've lost several geraniums and succulents to possums who seem to devour the plants to the point where they'll dig out the root ball looking for more leaves. And then there are snails, slugs and birds, which can't always be deterred.

So with all that going on it's important to accept that some of your plants will die in the process of gardening.

Sometimes you can work out why, and it'll help you learn for next time, while in other cases there's no obvious answer

But you try again, with the same plant in a different spot, or another type of plant entirely.

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It's a constant learning process and one that brings joy, especially when there are unexpected surprises like when things finally start to bloom (hello, my white hydrangea), or when you figure out what works for a plant.

The only way to keep going though is to accept the losses (though it's OK to feel let down and disappointed) and try again another time. 

Trust me, the success you do have gardening will more than make up for it.