The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 12 Autumn 2015 High res | Page 31

The Zimbabwean Gardener In 2014, Murambi Gardens embarked on a special mission, searching for the perfect gardens in the City of Mutare; in September the 22 entries, 6 of them being in the commercial section, were judged by a panel of three judges. The competition was extremely tough, as there were many beautiful gardens, but at the end of the judging, the final winners were as follows: Winner, Individual Garden: Mrs Mariga of Greenside Runner up: Mrs S. Bilang of Murambi Garden Cottages Highly Recommended: Mrs Maureen Peatling of Upper 6th Winner, Commercial Section: Riverside Enterprise Runner-up: Island Hospice Special Prize- Pensioner: Mrs Anita Holloway of Park Cottages Mrs Mariga’s winning garden is nestled under the watchful eye of Cross Kopje in the suburb of Greenside, which should actually be re-named Brownside! The entire garden is an oasis in the middle of a desert, especially during September, as the entrance is delightfully colourful, and a very warm welcome to a garden where water is not in abundance. Her verge in the summer months is a real show stopper, filled with a variety of marigolds. Mrs Mariga’s love of gardening is clearly evident in every aspect of her garden, as well as the initiatives she has taken. She has erected a water tank so she can pump municipal water into it in the evenings; these are the only hours of the day that the suburb receives municipal water. The garden, compost heaps, vegetable garden, pot plants, hanging baskets, and annuals are all in superb condition, and although the lawn in September was not as green as the other gardens with boreholes and water in abundance, the effort and dedication under extremely adverse conditions was remarkable. The garden scored four perfect scores of 10 and six scores of 9, showing Mrs Mariga’s true dedication to her hobby, which has brought her much joy and delight. Even after long hours on her feet working as a nursery school teacher, she still finds time to spend in her garden, tending to her annuals and watering every morning before she goes to work. Mrs. Mariga is fond of the colours annual offer. Every year, when her winter annuals have passed, she redesigns her garden with summer annuals; such dedication to gardening. This January, her garden was filled with an array of marigolds, dahlias, salvia and zinnias; fun summer colours. Congratulations to Mrs Mariga and to her part-time gardener Eddie for winning, and inspiring her friends to take up gardening. MURAMBI GARDENS Retail nursery on 19 Jason Moyo Drive, Murambi, Mutare 0712 207 828 0773 246 873 [email protected] HIVU NURSERY On the Main Vumba Road sells tree ferns, ferns and other shrubs, ground covers and hanging baskets. Open 7 days a week 31