The idea of planting more than required will produce a quicker and heavier look is simply a good way of wasting ones money and increasing the future maintenance, often with a negative impact on growth. There is an old saying, ’large oaks from little acorns grow’, which simply put means plants grow, and can quickly in some cases outgrow their area which of course begs the question, what to do?

When purchasing a plant ask yourself the following questions, what do I want from the purchase, why am I purchasing and what will it look like in five years’ time? You might want a flowering plant for a specific time of year which will hide or block out a specific eye-sore which should attain a height of approximately ten feet in five years. With this in mind when visiting the nursery and either check out plant types on the web — if you have some ideas — or more importantly ask the advice of the sales person or ask for someone who has knowledge of such things.

Such an approach is especially important if you are designing a large area with numerous plants involved, as you are dealing with a mix of perhaps ground covers, shrubs, cacti/succulents and small trees. Each plant will have its own character and habit and when used correctly will co-habit well with different neighbours. In an area where the flower bed is fronting a wall or road, taller plants should be more to the rear, whereas in a flower bed that can be viewed from 360 degrees placement of tall plants should be well thought out as they can be intermingled throughout the bed, but certainly not too near the front.

Breaking the plant types into groups also helps, ground covers are simply plants which do not attain much height but do have a spreading nature. Lantana is a perfect example; it can literally hug the ground with Lantana montevidensis (white or mauve) or attain a height of near 30 inches with the newer hybrids which are all very useful and colourful in a sunny location; Pentas and some of the Salvias can also be used in the same way.

Some plants are more flexible in their habit being of a ground cover and rambling nature and can also be used as vines. Examples of these being Senecio confusus — Mexican flame vine; Senecio macroglossus — Natal ivy, whilst Barleria repens — Coral creeper will ramble and meander into branches of shrubs thus giving added interest whilst reducing weed growth simply by its spreading habit.

Shrubs are numerous in their character and flowering habit, ranging from the slow growing (small) Raphiolepis umbellatus — Yeddo Hawthorne to fast growing Thevetia neriifolia — Lucky Nut, yet all have their place in the landscape.

Shrubs are perhaps the mainstay of the garden being the most used and having the characters to meld with other types to create a palette of interest. Raphiolepis is very slow growing, quite hardy with white flowers followed by black seed whereas Thevetia is fast growing with yellow or orange flowers followed by a seed which resembles a nut, hence its name. Numerous plants have both attractive flowers and edible fruits e.g. Punica granatum — Pomegranate a larger growing shrub which has attractive red flowers producing the red edible fruit and Feijoa sellowiana — Pineapple guava also has an attractive flower followed by an edible fruit.

An interesting collection of plants which are not always of an obvious classification include Philodendron selloum which makes a bold statement when used as a single planting or inter-planted in a ‘woodland’ setting. With age it produces large heavily ‘cut’ foliage and this should be taken into consideration when planting so as not to lose its beauty amongst stronger more upright specimens, space wise a five-foot square area should be given over to potential growth. Alpinia zerumbet variegata and Hedychium gardnerianum are members of the ginger family and both have a clumping habit as they grow, the former with strong variegated yellow/green foliage and the latter producing stems of purple/pink flowers; both should be highlighted in the landscape by giving them room to grow.

As most properties are now much smaller than those of yesteryear, the use of smaller trees is the order of the day, planting large trees in small areas makes no sense and certainly does not create a balanced landscape. Even smaller trees can attain a height of 15 feet plus so selection and location is important. Using smaller trees brings more of perspective and scale to a garden especially when in flower or seed as they can be easily seen.

Some of my favourite small trees include, Sabinea carinalis — Carib Wood which has feathery foliage attains a height of twenty five feet and produces red carmine flowers, is deciduous so will withstand some minor gusts of wind. Lagunaria pattersonii — Cow Itch tree with rose mauve flowers and partially evergreen in protected areas can get to 40 feet but unusual in Bermuda. Parkinsonia aculeata — Jerusalem Thorn with very feathery foliage, has yellow lowers with a red throat and spiny stems, has a nice ‘open’ growth habit which silhouettes well against a blank wall.

Olea europaea — Olive with its compact growth habit and silver grey foliage is ideal for a single specimen planting or inter-planted with Codiaeum variegatum — Croton when the diversity of foliage really stands out. An interesting and rather slow growing candidate for the small garden is the Calabash — Crescentia cujete with small creamy white flowers followed by a fruit growing directly from the branches or on occasion the trunk.

By designing the garden with spatial movement in mind creates the interesting of each tree being seen for its beauty within the context of a landscape that is a collection of plants that together form the picture.