“Can You Fix It?”
The Hidden Cost of Cheap Advice and the Quiet Strength of Horticulture
Recently, I saw a post from Tim’s Garden Centre, and it stopped me in my tracks because… well, I feel it. Every single word of it.
“I spend my time fixing gardeners’ problems. They send me photos. They want my advice. ‘How can I fix this?’ One bought a rapid weed killer off the shelf and sprayed the lawn — didn’t just kill the weeds, killed everything.
Another went to the big shed, asked for a weed killer, forgot to mention the words ‘for my lawn’. They sold him a non-selective herbicide. Lovely guy. He even sprayed the neighbour’s lawn to help out.
A week later, he calls in a panic. ‘I’m in trouble with the neighbour — what do I do?’
He didn’t buy the product from me, but he wants me to fix it. That’s horticulture.”
And that’s what it’s like running a garden centre. That seems to be horticulture now.
We’re the ones who get called from the plant aisle at the big box store, mid-shop (or in some cases, after the damage is done!) because someone’s overwhelmed and unsure.
We’re the ones people swing past on their way home from the markets because they bought something “pretty” and now need to know what it is, how to plant it, or why Google gave them three different answers.
We’re the backup plan. The plant rescue hotline. The quiet fixer behind the scenes.
And honestly? I love helping people build their green dreams.
There’s nothing better than seeing someone light up when their garden finally starts to thrive.
But here’s what gets hard.
Not the helping, but the constant undervaluing of the profession behind it.
Every week, I find myself gently untangling planting plans that went wrong.
Sometimes a hard landscaper or landscape architect designed the layout, but without any real understanding of the plants, soil, climate, or the client’s capacity to maintain it. Sometimes the sign said one thing. Sometimes the label gave poor advice. Sometimes Google offered a home remedy with no real measurements, and the rest was guesswork.
People sometimes aren’t given real advice.
No one asked about their soil, their aspect, their climate, or their ability to maintain what they were planting.
No one asked the deeper question: “What are you actually trying to achieve?” (In some cases, like killing weeds, the goal wasn’t even to kill the lawn at all.)
I wrote about this same issue years ago (and in several articles since), a shocking example where composted fertiliser was recommended as potting mix to new gardeners. It was a costly mistake that could’ve been avoided with the right guidance (The Value of Expert Advice)
And the truth is, they didn’t buy it from us or get advice from us. Not because they didn’t care, but maybe because it was convenient. The price was right. It was the right place at the right time.
We’ve all done it. We’ve walked into a big box store for one thing and walked out with twenty. We’ve deep-dived on Google and walked away feeling like honorary doctors.
And that’s when they come to us.
Not for judgment but for help.
And we do help because creating a thriving garden is what we love to do.
It’s Not About Where You Buy
What saddens me isn’t that people buy plants from different places.
I think people should buy more plants, full stop.
What concerns me is the lack of understanding that horticulture is a trained profession. That your local garden centre is filled with people who’ve studied soil, plant health, design, and care. That we’re not just selling plants. We are trying to set your plants and you up for success.
Horticulture Is a Trade. A Profession. A Craft.
In parts of Europe, the UK, and Japan, horticulturists are treated with the same respect as builders, electricians, or chefs.
In Germany, becoming a horticulturist involves formal apprenticeships, exams, and specialist certifications.
In Japan, the art of garden-making is passed down like a sacred trust.
In the UK, head gardeners at Botanical Gardens and historic estates are highly qualified experts with decades of experience.
And here in Australia, especially in Queensland, horticulturists, who would be seen as trained tradespeople or even masters in some countries, are often just seen as “gardeners.” Hobbyists. Someone who liked plants and decided to open a shop.
What’s worse is that many of the people in leadership positions, within industry bodies, councils, and government, seem to lack even a basic understanding of the trade they’re meant to represent.
How can one advocate for an industry they don’t fully understand?
Horticulture Is a Skilled Profession
Granted, there will always be someone who knows more, but trained horticulturists understand root systems, pest cycles, fertiliser chemistry, pruning schedules, pH balances, plant pairings, and climate shifts.
And if we don’t know something, we are always willing to learn. We are always the first ones on new innovations and information.
Local garden centres don’t just stock what looks good.
We stock what works, in your region, in your soil, in your home.
The Root of the Problem
There are many problems, but one of the biggest is how the industry has shifted.
We’ve been trained to believe that if a plant dies, you just get your money back. But what does that teach us?
That garden plants are disposable?
That success in the garden is based on luck rather than applied science, technique, and professional knowledge?
Because the truth is, thriving gardens aren’t an accident. They’re the result of thoughtful planting, good soil, the right location, and of course, the right advice.
Industry bodies keep pushing for better labels, QR codes, website links, and social media presence.
But where is the push for education and training? Where is the pressure for apprenticeships? For investing in the future of horticulture Where is the call to support your local garden centre’s senior horticulturists? To listen to experts, to consult professionals? Where is the drive to promote horticulture as a trade, not a mowing job?
No One Talks About Soil Anymore
When a plant fails, it’s almost always blamed on the plant. But it’s rarely the plant.
No one asks:
What soil was it planted in?
Was it hydrophobic?
What aspect was it under?
Was it watered properly?
Was it even the right plant for that space?
And that’s not the customer’s fault. It’s a systems issue. A cultural shift. An erosion of education and professional trust.
The Way Forward: Trust, Respect, and Education
I don’t think you need to buy every plant or get every bit of gardening knowledge from an independent garden centre.
But I am asking you to remember this:
When you need advice… When you want your garden to thrive long-term… When you’re tired of throwing money at plants that don’t live…
Come to your local garden centre. Come to the professionals. Ask the questions. Get the context. Learn from people who actually know. We don’t always have every answer but we’ve made a life out of finding them. Because plants are our passion.
Helping you grow confidently? That’s the real reward.
And if we lose professionals, if you stop using them… the industry will die. And worse than that, there’ll be no one left on the end of the phone. No one to answer your questions.
No one to say: “I’ve got you. Let’s fix this.”