Maintenance of the landscape of undeveloped areas is in most cases minimal, which can result in a clean-up being an expensive exercise. The two hurricanes of last October cleared out a lot of wild growth in such areas, which in itself created a two-edged sword. The debris after being cleared resulted in a lot of open ground being created, which is ideal for the regeneration of new growth and more than likely if not maintained to a greater density of growth than was previously present. Many of the trees remaining possibly had their roots systems weakened by the movement of neighbouring trees which when uprooted by the high winds had a destabilising effect on the surrounding root systems.

With the new regulations regarding native and endemic plants one has to be careful what to plant as the long-term ramifications of planting in the “wrong” location, for whatever reason, could be a problem down the road. In such areas, be they large wooded areas or simply pockets of wild growth, I would suggest consideration be given to achieve a degree of husbandry within the areas to control excessive growth of plants whilst scheduling periodic clean out of new seedling growth before they become too established. It is a case of prevention vis a vis a cure in that a “wild” controlled landscape will, in the long-term, be cost-effective, and when given a reasonable level of maintenance will actually be aesthetically pleasing and be part of the garden or simply a wooded/wild garden. The important thing to remember as in any garden, weeds grow wherever they fall, it is not rocket science and the exercise of removing them, whilst small, is labour-saving, does not deplete unnecessarily nutrient take and allows groundwater to be taken up by the established plants. The phrase invasive species is bandied about freely by conservationists. I have always maintained the problem in Bermuda is simply we have never taken the time to educate the public and train our garden workers in understanding grounds maintenance. How often does your garden maintenance company send a crew over to do maintenance and, instead of removing weed growth, they trim, blow and mow — whether it is required or not. The question when weeding is simply what is a weed and what is a garden plant? A weed is a plant growing in an area it is not wanted. So identification and understanding of what is in the garden is paramount in maintaining a clean, weed-free area.

In general, the most widespread culprits of woodland/wild/invasive species include allspice, Brazilian/Mexican pepper, fiddlewood, casuarina, whistling pine, Queensland umbrella tree, pride of India, jumbie bean, Chinese fan palm and natal glorybower. Several of these maligned plants are, in my opinion, attractive specimens within the garden setting. It is because the majority of these plants produce seed in abundance and readily germinate in situ or are easily distributed by wind or on roaming animals or through avian activity that they are classified as invasive. The plants I like to use in design work, and find accommodating to the landscape, include allspice, Mexican pepper and jet berry. Plants I would not harbour are jumbie bean, fiddlewood, natal glory bower and, on some occasions, casuarina — especially in areas that are naturally protected from wind and salt spray.

Many species of plants produce seed and will readily germinate if conditions are right, Norfolk Island pine being an example. Personally, I do not think it is a good tree for Bermuda, but it is grown. It achieves a large size when mature, 60 feet or so, and is readily defoliated during heavy winds. Black ebony also produces much viable seed as does golden rain tree which germinates quickly, and tree pittosporum. It is easy to classify plants into groups but many of these plants are grown in other countries as part of the landscape. I spent a month in Australia over the Christmas period and was surprised at the numerous species I recognised growing as part of the landscape in both gardens and the wild.

If in doubt leave out, is perhaps something to consider when looking at plants for the wild or woodland garden. Obtain as much information as you can pertaining to its height, spread, root system. Is it hardy or tender, does it produce abundant crops of seed, is it attacked regularly by pest and disease problems and, most importantly, is it a fast grower? Poor choice of plant type will lead to problems one way or another and whichever way you cut it, maintenance is part and parcel of good husbandry within the landscape in general. As an aside, with regard pruning and maintenance, whilst recently on vacation in Australia, I was reading the RG and noticed a photo of a bay grape — I believe in Cavello Bay — which was totally annihilated. Here is an example of total butchery, but one has to ask the question is the plant in the wrong location, ie, is it too big for the area or was it planted or even a self-seeded specimen? I’m not sure who did the pruning but this is an area that the Department of Conservation should note for attention, especially if it is on public property. Conservation, I would have thought, covers preserving, guarding and protecting regardless if it is an endemic or native.