Green

       Of course my favorite color is green, and as some who have been following in these pages know, I put the flower second to the plant. It really is almost a rule I have; focus on the plant, concentrating on shape, size and texture.

       Well I broke my own rule a couple of weeks ago by buying a Indian Hawthorn (Raphiolepis indica). It was so stunning at the nursery, and with my mother in law coming to town, I thought 'why not'. Well, I knew better. Although happy in the rest of Florida, it preforms poorly in the Keys because our soil and environment are quite different from those of the main land. In fact it continued blooming for only several days and my mother in law didn't arrive in time to see the show. It looks so sad now that I won't post a picture. Instead, I'll post a photo of one of my completed projects which illustrates that a mostly green garden and an occasional flowering plant is all it takes to make an impression. Just pick the right plant the first time.

Don't worry about flowers

Colorful plants are used to add great accent to a dull garden but here in the sub-tropics we're able to take that approach to a higher degree. A few years ago I was hired to create a pool, patio and landscape plan for a newly built home in a lovely area of Key West. The house was very well designed and beautifully built but had little punch. There was also a desire by the owner/builder to not have a front fence, as is so common in town. My solution was to create a color packed meandering hedge that separates the street from the home entry. The result is that of year round color, a visual barrier and a unique streetscape. Because of infrequent flower production and varying light throughout the year this effect couldn't happen as successfully if I had used flowering shrubs. Createing a bold scheme as this may not be the right strategy for every home, especially one of great historical merit, but here it's a winner.