Small is beautiful – in small spaces

By John Warrington

Small is beautiful. So said the modern prophet EF Schumacher. Whilst I do not subscribe to this statement unreservedly, it has merit when it comes to the use of small or medium-sized plants in gardens which are themselves small or medium sized. As is mine. Additionally dwarf forms or varieties of large species of plants have the greatest value in these situations. When my wife and I bought our own home in New Providence we inherited fruit trees which had obviously been planted when the house was first built and occupied in the mid 1970s. They included two coconuts (one of which fell down soon afterwards), several large mango trees, three Flamboyant trees (one in poor condition), a golden apple and a star apple, a five finger tree – which proved to be one of the most valuable small trees in the garden – and Barbados as well as Suriname cherries. The first tree we cut down was a largish turpentine mango, followed by one of the Flamboyants and the star and golden apple trees – both poor specimens, tall and unkept and producing little fruit of quality.

Naturally having created space, the first thing we did was to try and fill it again! The first tree we planted again was a Buxton Spice mango (in our view the very best and our favourite) which is now bearing heavily, followed by two dwarf coconuts, a variegated screw pine (Pandanus) and a blue gum (Eucalyptus). So the garden was just as full as it had ever been.

Well of course things changed. Over time (twenty-five years), weather, two children, my wife, animals of various kinds and some incompetence on my part have taken their toll on the plant population, and I still have some space to play about with, which I hope to fill shortly……