To reduce the labour intensity of regular mowing, consider reducing the size of the lawn, and create a vegetable garden at the end. This will require some weeding but it will offset by the food production.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and what you see is what you get, so consider incorporating “hard-landscaped areas” of brick, gravel, wood or setts, and creating areas of various shapes and styles of containers, preferably of terracotta to give more of a softer appearance to the area in general. Terracotta containers are found in numerous shapes and sizes, thus creating their own level of interest especially when the area is designed in groupings.

Building wood planters with six-inch-square railway ties is a way to create interesting “shapes”, and it melds well with terracotta as an organic material. Along with the raised and container plantings, consider using garden furniture, tables, chairs, etc, and statuary to further the visual interest.

Instead of having grass, which requires maintenance, create irregular shapes bordered by a hard boundary of stone, brick, etc, then fill the bed in with either Lily Grass (Liriope sp) or Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon sp), which will give a similar effect to grass but without the maintenance factor. Both species can attain a height of six plus inches — contingent on the species — and, once filled in, create an attractive visual effect.

When using the six-inch-square rail ties, the shape length and height can be cut to accommodate needs and space, being all of one height or of varying heights to create more impact. Shapes can be square, oblong, round, hexagonal, etc, with the height governing the soil depth and to a degree the type of planting used. As an added interest, ties can be constructed lengthways or in an upright manner to create additional height.

The range of plant species one can use is varied and, based on the location of the property, can create an interesting design concept with the mix of wood, gravel, brick, setts as the foundation while the plantings can cover the gamut from ground covers to palms, shrubs and fruit trees.

In raised beds, low ground cover plantings work well and are easily managed; a bed of creeping rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis prostratus) creates an undulating carpet effect, with the added benefit of a gentle aromatic fragrance.

The various varieties of Lantana will bloom throughout the spring-to-autumn period, and if the weather is accommodating, occasionally during the warmer periods of winter. The Asiatic jasmine Trachelospermum is a vining, spreading, sweet-smelling, white-flowered candidate that when intermixed with shrubs will ramble throughout the branch system.

Plants for containers should be selected for their capacity to grow with a restricted root growth — as the plant grows — and their visual impact when in the container. Slower-growing candidates are the preferred species for containers and include Nandina domestica (heavenly bamboo), Codiaeum variegatum (croton), Jatropha hastata (peregrine), Breynia disticha (snow plant) and Leucophyllum frutescens (Texas sage).

Planters have a greater root run and square footage growing area than containers. Suggested plantings include but are not limited to Rhapis excelsa (lady palm), a slow-growing variety. Phoenix roebelenii (dwarf or pygmy date palm) increases its visual impact when grown as a triple-trunked specimen in containers or in the ground. As they are slow-growing, they will grow well for many years before looking out of place. Cycas revoluta (sago palm) is a real “statement” plant with its strong dark-green foliage encircling the flower head and a bright-red seed.

Small fruit trees can be grown in containers and beds but correct pruning is an essential element for regular fruiting. Ideal plants for the small garden include Carissa macrocarpa (Natal plum), Punica granatum (pomegranate), feijoa (guava), eriobotrya (loquat) and ficus (fig).

Cacti and succulents add interest to any garden. Consider the following as candidates: Agave franzosinii, Euphorbia splendens millii (Crown of Thorns), Euphorbia lactea (candelabra cacti), Pedilanthus (lipstick cacti) and Aloes vera (aloe).

• Malcolm D. Griffiths is a trained horticulturalist and fellow of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture in Britain. He is also past president of the Bermuda Horticultural Society, the Bermuda Orchid Society and the Bermuda Botanical Society