Is your garden feeling a bit bland? You are not alone.
In Bermuda, many of us view landscaping as a ‘one and done’ activity – something undertaken to gain Department of Planning approval before construction work and then given relatively little thought going forward.
Sure, the grass gets mowed and the hedges trimmed, but once the initial planting is in place, we get on with the rest of our lives until a change of ownership or hurricane damage forces us to do otherwise.
But if you give your garden enough love, it will pay you back in spades and provide beauty, colour and variety for you to enjoy all year.
Four seasons of colour
Landscape architect David Cox said one of the most effective ways to introduce colour back into your garden is to use plants whose leaves have different colours and textures that will provide interest all year round.
“Colour can be quite personal,” Mr Cox said. “But whatever your preferences, it is important to remember that flowers are seasonal, and you need to think about what your choices will look like when they are not in bloom.”
One way to bridge seasonal gaps is to make greater use of contrasting foliage.
“Putting Match-Me-If-You-Can alongside silver buttonwood, for example, creates an
immediate contrast and visual interest even when other flowering plants are not in bloom.”
The showier the flower, the shorter its blooming season tends to be.
Rather than choosing several varieties that reach their peak at the same time, select plants with different flowering cycles so that one display begins as another starts to fade.
“Hibiscus is a hardy evergreen shrub that can bloom for much of the year,” Mr Cox said, “while Easter lilies and roses often put on their best displays in the spring, and oleander flowers profusely during the summer months.”
Whatever you decide to plant, water requirements must be part of the planning process. New plants in particular need adequate water during their first year while they establish a healthy root system. Before adding anything to your garden, consider how you will keep it watered throughout Bermuda’s inevitable periods of hot, dry weather.
Work with what you have
The good news is that refreshing a tired garden does not necessarily mean digging everything up and starting again.
If you are working with an established garden, you can make a considerable difference while preserving the unique character of the Bermuda landscape.
Start by taking a fresh look at what is already growing, then identify a couple of key areas where a little attention could have the greatest impact, keeping in mind your budget and the amount of time you can devote to the project.
“There is no need to tackle everything at once,” Mr Cox said. “You can achieve a big impact by focusing on a small area and keep the rest of your property relatively maintenance free simply by removing or relocating a few plants to make room for carefully chosen splashes of colour.”
Take careful consideration of the location of your plants.
“Before adding a plant, consider its light requirements as well as the size and shape it will eventually achieve,” Mr Cox said.
“As a rule, rounded growth plants such as plumbago or bird of paradise need to be planted away from walls and buildings, while varieties of ground cover such as African iris and flax lily will do well near a house.
“Most people plant things in planters that are too small or beds that are too close to the house – even roses can be a challenge to maintain if they are growing too close to a wall and can’t be pruned correctly.”
There are plants, such as lady of the night and pseuderanthemum, however, that grow vertically and don’t take up a lot of space, making them ideal for breaking up space visually on the side of a house.
Maintenance
Trees and plants never stop growing and changing.
Flower beds that once seemed spacious can gradually become overcrowded, leaving plants competing for sunlight, space and water.
Mr Cox said: “A bed that was once in a sunny location can gradually become shaded, causing flowering plants to stop blooming, or it can become overgrown with invasive species such as Chinese fan palm and Mexican pepper.
“Neglecting a garden for decades can be complicated and expensive to remedy, particularly if tree removal is required, unless skilled and consistent maintenance is employed over the years.”
Native and endemic plants
Bermuda’s native and endemic plants are ideally suited to our harsh growing conditions. So even though many of them are shades of green – and not particularly eye-catching – Mr Cox insisted they have their place.
For a small island, Bermuda has a diverse ecosystem, and the impact of sun, shade, wind and salt all need to be considered when selecting plants. Some species simply won’t survive in exposed locations, while others are particularly well adapted to salty coastal conditions.
“Olivewood or Bermuda cedar make a great backdrop for inland properties, while buttonwood and sea lavender seemingly thrive in exposed coastal areas,” Mr Cox said.
Sometimes all a tired garden really needs is a fresh pair of eyes. A little thoughtful editing might be all you need to turn a bland overgrown outdoor space into a colourful oasis.
