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
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