tawandamusarurwa
Andrew Mangwarara
IF you want to travel to the future of landscaping, then you need to visit the new NMB head office on Liberation Legacy Way.
Recently constructed, this green complex is totally off the grid, with solar energy being its main source of electricity.
NMB is a leading commercial bank.
At the main entrance, you are greeted by white roses that symbolise peace. They invite you to relax.
As you move within the premises, you notice a gem — the blue potato bush (lycianthes rantonnetii) flowering all year round.
The green lawn greets you, along with the fast-growing Kenyan crotons (croton megalocarpon) and the Nyanga flat top (acacia abyssinnica), which will soon be offering shade to parked vehicles.
Upon approaching the building, the well-designed beds offer you a pleasant welcome.
The plants are grouped by leaf form. You find the likes of mother-in-law’s tongue (sansevieria trifasciata), the lady palm (rhapis excelsa), the wild date palm (phoenix reclinata), liriope (liriope spicata) and cotyledon spp.
Scattered opposite the entrance is a line of the beautiful bird of paradise (strelitzia reginae), which does not need an introduction in the landscaping business.
Though small, the beds at the entrance offer the visitor something to be entranced by.
What a sight as you enjoy the golden cane palm (chrysalidocarpus lutescens); the croton (codieaum variegatum pictum); and the Japanese sago palm (cycas revoluta), with many other small unique ground covers!
The landscaper managed to blend the right colours.
What a green space!
The designer incorporated succulent plants at one side of the building, which is reminiscent of a desert landscape, where the tree aloe (aloe excelsa) and candelabra aloe (aloe arborescens) tell their pleasant story.
At one corner of the building, you will find the dracaena deremensis, the New Zealand flax (phormium tenax), the African lily (agapanthus orientalis), the philonderon and the spider plant (chlorophytum comosum), which show the prowess of the designer.
Who does not want time to refresh?
This is exactly why you will come across a section where sets of garden chairs are placed to give employees a place to sit down and enjoy their lunch break.
When you eventually enter the building, you will be amazed by the bed of indoor plants that completes the design, which leaves you glad that you visited the bank and gives you an assurance that your money is in a safe place.
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