The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 19 Summer 2016/17 | Page 20

nurseries in Zimbabwe
Picabella roses
This rose nursery has a rich and beautiful story to tell,
just like the roses themselves.
Nestled in the heart of the Emerald
Seedlings complex, Picabella Rose
Nursery represents a decade of continual
challenge and change inspired by a love
of roses and an interest in all who visit
the rose garden.
The family
This owner-run business is driven by
the Laver family, Gil, Sue, Bruce and
Lisa, who have invested their energy
and passion in the form of the Picabella
Nursery business. Gil, fondly known as
Rose Guru Gil, a trained horticulturalist,
is married to Sue, a public health
specialist, and one can be forgiven for
wondering how these two professions
could possibly intersect, but this happy
couple of 47 years is adamant that there
is a synergy between the love of plants
and man.
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‘We began our business by selling
miniature roses in pots’, says Gil, ‘and
as the demand grew we realised there
was a niche for quality and variety’.
The business expanded slowly from a
humble beginning on a tennis court in
Mount Pleasant and now employs seven
staff led by Gerry, who is well known
for his knowledge on almost every
cultural aspect of propagating, growing
and managing garden roses. Picabella
is a joyful and peaceful place to be;
respect for each member of the team
and their unique set of skills is upheld
and acknowledged as pivotal to the
management of this little Garden of Eden.
At an early stage , Gil decided to embrace
the idea of a rose garden where visitors
could wander at their leisure to see for
themselves how roses can and should be
grown. There was a hidden agenda here,
too, for the rose garden also provides
an abundance of bud wood necessary
for propagation, which is the flagship of
Picabella. All their roses are ‘budded’
or grafted using rootstock, which is
immaculately managed and harvested on
site - Picabella’s roses are not grown from
cuttings and plants are not purchased
from other sources. The highly dedicated
and skilled team carefully nurtures and
meticulously transitions the plants from
‘graft to sale’.
A day in the nursery
A typical day in the nursery begins early
with the release of Nelson, Jennifer,
Jessica and chicks that constitute the
‘feathered branch’ of the Picabella
family. The Picabella team swings
into action, cheerfully going about