How often do we see a plant and think how nice it would look in our own garden?

Chances are it may be fine for 'somewhere' in the garden, but where?

Conversely it may not be a candidate for the garden at all. Why is always the question that begs an answer?

In general, Bermuda gardens are an entity unto themselves. No two are the same and therein lies a partial answer.

Salt spray, wind, sun, shade, slope of land, soil and rock all play a part in what will grow well and what will not.

Invariably Mother Nature plays a great part in the success or failure in the life of a garden and my rule of thumb is, simply, if you have a great view you will not have a 'botanical garden', but you can have a garden to be proud of!

All the elements noted above can and will impact on plant life. Plants by their very nature are diverse in their wants and needs. Plants with tender foliage will not tolerate salt spray or strong winds. Shade-loving plants will droop in full sun, while conversely sun-loving plants will become drawn in shady locations.

Severe slopes can create run off ? plants at the top of the slope could therefore suffer from moisture deficiency owing to run off. It is axiomatic that plants have roots, but one would not always think so when you inspect the planting hole for a given size plant in a pot. The easiest way to stress a plant is to neglect its needs, especially the 'golden rule' of planting it in a large enough hole to be able to establish its root system freely.

Design to a great extent will dictate the cost of maintenance, a point that is not always considered, for what you create you have to maintain, otherwise the exercise becomes redundant. With this understanding one can proceed with the 'design' concept in both phases of hard and soft landscaping.

When incorporating hard landscaping, selection of plant material is also important. Will the plant(s) 'fit' the area and grow without impediment for a long period of time.

Break down plant selection into categories, such as hedging, screening, decorative, hardy, sun or shade loving and note characteristics of each plant, e.g. growth habit and flowering time, evergreen or deciduous, fast or slow growing, hardy or tender.

In mixed borders always plan to have 'activity' for as long as possible throughout the year; if one plant is 'off colour' at a specific time of year, the neighbouring plant should be such that it is flowering or looks 'good', thus removing the visual impact of space without interest.

Size of garden will dictate in many instances the 'height/canopy' limits of a tree, large trees in small gardens create problems in the long term, therefore the use of trees in the garden needs to be given careful consideration. Trees in the landscape are used for several reasons, these include, creating an area of shade for sitting under in hot sunny days or giving relief to a side of the house from the late afternoon sun.

Shade trees to be effective should have a canopy or spreading cover, examples being Delonix regia (Poinciana) and Albizzia lebbek (Ebony), Swietenia mahogani (Mahogany); smaller trees would include Bauhinia sp. (Orchid Tree) and Lonchocarpus violaceus.

Trees with an upright habit can however be used with effect if used as a group planting for example Grevillea robusta (Silk oak) and Tabebuia pallida (White Cedar), Sterculia acerifolia (Flame Tree), these trees are large growing and need space to grow; for the smaller garden consider using Callistemon viminalis (Bottle Brush), Schefflera actinophylla (Queensland Umbrella Tree), Koelreuteria paniculata (Golden Rain Tree), Melia azederach (Pride of India) and Thespesia populnea (Seaside Mahoe).

Flowering trees ? again contingent on the size of the garden ? include many of those listed above and Spathodea campanulata (African Tulip Tree) a very upright growing tree needing protection from wind; flowers are large scarlet tulip like flowers in clusters. Tamarindus indica (Tamarind) is a large growing tree ? use in sheltered position ? with attractive dense feathery foliage with yellowish white flowers in summer, which in turn produce small pea pod like seed. Ceratonia siliqua (Carob) has a spreading 'roundish' head, with leathery glossy leaves which are evergreen in sheltered areas; female trees bears brownish coloured pods. Good for small gardens.

The Calabash (Crescentia cujete) a small tree which should be grown more if only for its 'oddity' habit of producing off-white flowers and seed on its branches. For the collectors of endemics, Olivewood Bark (Cassine laneanum) is an attractive choice being of a robust nature and fairly compact in its habit ? it is evergreen and bears yellowish seed.

Numerous other trees are, of course, available in the plant nurseries, but go armed with questions as to height etc, and know the needs and details of the garden.

When selecting plant material look for tell-tale points which will determine whether the plant is worth purchasing. Points to check, the size of plant and the size of container it is being grown in, if a 'tall' plant is in a small container it is more than likely pot-bound and roots are being strangled within the container.

Conversely, if the plant is small and the container large, the plant may have a poor root system, and not be established, or the plant may have been inhibited in its natural growth process and started to become 'restricted' in its normal growth habit.

Check branch and trunk structure, trees should have a straight trunk with a leader or growing point, if the growing point is not present, branching will start from ground level up and the chance of developing a tree trunk with a 'head' is greatly reduced.

Also check for crossing branches and the future development of a sound branch structure in which to develop a mature specimen tree which will fulfil the needs of the area. Pest and disease problems should also be checked.

Last but not least, preparation of the planting hole is paramount for success, the hole must be large enough to sustain root growth for several years in order for the tree to establish itself and become 'self sustaining' once the root system is itself established.