How does your garden grow? This is a time of year when the garden should be in full bloom, especially after the rains last month, but unfortunately we do not always reap the bounty of a good harvest; as I drive around the Island I am amazed at the number of flowerless varieties of plants!

Constant pruning is of course the culprit carried out by the infamous ! Flowers are initiated a long time before they are seen by the naked eye, therefore removal of new growth will negate flowering. Removal of dead flower heads is encouraged to formulate production of ?new flower spike?, thus increasing the flower power in the garden.

There is presently a wide range of material available that is ?new? to the landscape palette and certainly worth including in the garden directory. Time will tell whether they stay the course, but they are worth inclusion either in a new landscape or as in fills for existing plant beds.

These new introductions will enhance the garden in many areas as they provide an array of flower and leaf colour as well as leaf texture. Ground cover material ? a plant that is used to form a ?carpet? growth between shrubs and trees ? is well represented having numerous species and varieties to select from. It is possible that not all these plants will take to our climate or soil types in the long run, but as with most things ?if you don?t try you don?t know?, and for the sake of a ?glass of wine? you could have lasting beauty without the after effects!

I have used many of these introductions in several properties and they are to date doing justice to their surroundings; the following is a partial list of what you might find to suit your garden.

Salvias are a versatile plant in their usage both from a flowering and foliage point of view. S. leucantha has greyish green foliage and purple flower?s, it is a robust grower with a compact habit. S. ?Beauty of Bath? has similar foliage with light lavender blue flowers, a low grower with a spreading habit. S. greggii is a more upright habit with red flowers.

Scaevola is a plant oft used in a littoral setting as it is hardy and resistant to the forces of Mother Nature, however, S. aemula varieties are low ground hugging ? to one foot ? and produce many flushes of flower throughout the season from purple blue to yellow; a useful plant for nooks and crannies, as an under planting or edging a against a hard footpath.

Wisteria is a most attractive vine, not the easiest of vines to grow in Bermuda, but in a protected area it is worth its weight in gold, I recently saw it in one of the nurseries as well established plants, for the serious minded gardener or enthusiast a must try!

A real good red flowering shrub, Abutilon megapotanicum has done extremely well in a garden that is relatively protected over the last three months, a good single or group planting with bold red flowers making a real statement.

Agastache sp is commonly called anise-hyssop a woody perennial attaining a height up to four feet; it has blue flowers and it best planted in drifts, neighbouring to plants with strong dark green or grey foliage. In the latter case Lavender is an option with its attractive fragrant foliage and purple flowers.

For gardens that have a problem with shade consider using varieties of Ajuga; foliage colour in bronze or green with flower colour ranging from purple, magenta to blue adds a touch of interest to this ground hugging plant.

Foliage can add so much to the garden be it via the flower spikes or foliage or indeed both. Anthericum sanderii or St. Bernards Lily is such a plant with narrow strap like leaves producing pure white blossoms in abundance.

Of a similar ilk are the Tradescantia varieties with flowers of blue/purple and puce being excellent examples of this plant which to date shows promise.

Grey foliage is not all that common in Bermuda gardens, lavender is one of the few attractive plants found in our gardens; others worthy of consideration include, Artemesia an attractive foliage plant used to highlight larger evergreen or leafy shrubs and Gazania hybrids, low ground hugging plants with yellow, bronze and hues in between to add accent to the front of the garden bed.

Some plants tend to be always available but never become popular for whatever reason, in this list I would include Beaucarnea recurvata or pony tail an unusual plant in that its trunk develops into a ball at its base as it grows, foliage is strap like in habit and when mature is very architectural, especially when planted as a single specimen.

Agaves and aloes are also underused in our gardens, with many of them having attractive coloured foliage and texture, and of course many with spiny edges to the leaf, a good security plant in the right place.

Flowering plants should be allowed to flower and reach maturity in a natural manner; such growth also covers the ground reducing weed control and in association with the surrounding plantings creates a palette of colour for the longest time.

You deserve to see what you have paid for, so let the flowers hang out and do their thing; you might be pleasantly surprised what you actually have in the garden.