As a child, Tony Madeiros loved getting his hands dirty.

In those days, his parents ran a small farm attached to the back of their Euclid Avenue, Pembroke home, where they grew everything from potatoes and tomatoes to pumpkin and watermelon.

He never lost his love for the outdoors and now devotes his time to transforming the gardens at Coco Reef Bermuda. As the sole gardener, Mr Madeiros is tasked with taking care of all the plants that grow on the multiacre property. He also takes pride in the fact that each sprawling, healthy plant started as a sapling in his personal nursery.

“I like the outdoors and the fresh air and the greenery,” he said.

“When I was young I was taught about plants and how to propagate them and tell if there is a disease of the plants. I also learned how to spray it, prune it and then let nature take its course.”

When he came to the resort, the grounds were in good shape, but needed maintenance, he said.

“I had to replant some of the trees and flowers and keep them trimmed,” he explained. “When I came here, [hotel owner John Jefferies] planted a lot of coconut trees and the hibiscus, but now there are a lot more plants. We grow them ourselves.”

Mr Madeiros always knew he would grow up to work with his hands. After high school he went into landscaping where he learned the tricks of the trade from the elder employees. Then eight years ago the chance came for him to work at the hotel, planting everything from Alexander Palms, African Tulips, Double Hibiscus and Spider Lillies on the grounds.

According to Vince Angelo, Coco Reef’s general manager, the hotel was inspired to develop its gardens and landscape as a way to educate visitors about the beautiful plants, trees and flowers that are indigenous to the Island.

“Our gardens and landscape have become an important part of the overall experience at Coco Reef, to our guests,” said Mr Angelo.

“It provides a calming and relaxing environment when you wander through these gardens and trails and our guests have commented repeatedly how beautiful it is to the eye and soothing to the soul as you enjoy the beauty of our Island horticulture.”

Mr Madeiros said he appreciated all the different types of flora on the property and couldn’t pick a favourite one.

“I like all of them. The greenery and the flowers, just all of them. There are no flowers that aren’t special to me,” he said.

“Some are harder to work with though, like the ones that get the thorns because you have to be careful with how you clean and handle them.

“Sometimes, if it’s too hot you have to water them more, but that’s normal. You just have to find a balance. If it’s too much or too little water you can kill it, so you have to find a happy medium.”

The best part of the job is seeing other people’s reactions to his hard work.

Mr Madeiros said: “We always get compliments. They say everything looks beautiful and they love the flowers. That’s the main thing, I try to keep everybody happy.”

His advice to anyone looking to start a garden of their own is to make sure they’re really committed before even buying the seeds.

“You have got to really like it to carry on,” he said. “You have to be patient with some plants, especially when you propagate because not all of them catch on.

“Then slowly you have to treat it, nurture it and then it grows.

“But, it’s fun because you took care of it and in the end you can see the product that you planted.”