If you will excuse the pun, plants can grow on you. As a designer I have a list of plants that I am not overly ?keen? about, but I will use them if needed for a specific area. I always look for uniqueness in a plant be it to fit into a small area, highlight a rock outcrop or make a bold statement as a specimen plant or in a group.

Cacti and succulents are worthy of more consideration when designing one?s garden, they have leaf variation, texture and architectural form and are of course tolerant to drought conditions.

The following offer diversity and interest.

Aptenia cordifolia ? Baby sun rose ? a low ground hugging succulent with fleshy leaves and attractive rose-purple flowers, is relatively fast growing and is a good contrast plant to cacti and succulents with grey/blue leaves.

The once popular ice plant is making a comeback.

Carpobrotus chilensis if left unattended develops into a long stringy plant, as was often the case when planted on slopes or to hang over walls. It is a good plant for creeping along or over ground or walls in general, however it needs checking by pinching back long growth and encouraging a ?bushy? habit. The purple flowers are attractive and accent the triangular shaped leaves.

The euphorbia family is diverse in its growing habit, but many species are of interest in the garden. An architectural subject to make a bold statement especially as it matures, is E. lactea commonly called the Candelabra cacti; the branches are usually four ?angled? and have whitish striations running along their length. Short spines are found in clustered along the branches giving an interesting outline to the plant.

The Crown of Thorns ? E. splendens millii is found in either an upright habit or with a spreading branch system and is best planted in groups, especially with the spreading types. Flower ? actually bract ? colour ranges from red, white, yellow and pink. The upright forms also make excellent container candidates.

Crassula argentea ? Jade plant has been around for a long time, usually grown in pots, it does well in open ground but can get lost if planted next to fast growing plants. Leaves are very fleshy and the edges flushed with red, flowers are small star shaped and pink.

Yucca aloifolia ? Spanish bayonet ? is a wonderful security plant.. Its sharp pointed tips when planted as a ?hedge? creates an almost impenetrable barrier; from an aesthetic point of view they have a bold outline with a strong inflorescence of white flowers.

Pedilanthus tithymaloides variegata ? Slipper plant is an unusual subject, with its slender greenish white stems and leaves, adorned with small red flowers, it is a good foil when planted against plants with a dark green foliage.

Small compact plants are not easy to find in Bermuda, but Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi is such a candidate, attaining a height of no more than twelve inches. It is many branched to the point of being ?bushy? with fleshy leaves of a metallic glaucous green edged with purple, with flowers being of a brownish fawn colour, a good plant for the front of the border of to fill a small planter.

For an unusual vine that will ramble and climb through taller trees consider Pereskia aculeata ? Barbados gooseberry. A spiny stemmed evergreen vine bearing clusters of creamy white flowers in late summer followed by plump yellow ?gooseberries?. Looks spectacular when dripping down from a large tree with cluster of fruit cascading over the foliage.

Several Agaves are of interest for their usefulness as foundation plantings with A. angustifolia marginata being a favourite; A. franzosinii attains a height of 5 to 7 feet and is a classical ?architectural? plant being able to stand alone and still look attractive. Leaves are bluish grey with a needle like tip of black that only highlights the silhouette of the plant. For a ?softer? feel consider A. attenuata with its soft grey green leaves formed in rosettes, young plants sprout from the trunk as the plant matures.

Cacti are in many cases slow growing, but we do have a few candidates worth trying, including the Opuntia or Prickly Pear. The most common O. stricta ?Dillenii? is a native species which, adds much interest because of its general attributes, such as the prickly pad, yellow flower and reddish fruit add the fact that it is very hardy and you have a good all-rounder.

Two forms of Night Blooming Cereus are grown in Bermuda, Hylocereus undatus is often found rambling over walls and through the canopy of trees; it has triangular stems bearing creamy white/lemon flowers and a pleasant fragrance of suffused vanilla. Selenicereus grandiflorous has round fluted stems covered with small white hairs surrounding the spines; creamy white flowers are very fragrant.

Many of the above can be grown together to create a very effective planting, they are also drought resistant and ?evergreen?, a plus in any garden.