tawandamusarurwa
Andrew Mangwarara
GRAIN reserves are crucial for a country’s survival.
A recent visit to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) headquarters was necessary considering the key role the parastatal plays in the food sector. What an eye-opener it was! The surrounding grounds reflect what kind of organisation the GMB is.
The place is located on 179-187 Samora Machel Avenue in Harare.
There is an immaculately designed island that has groupings of different plants with a variety of colours.
A visitor will come across a good selection of plants that require a minimal amount of watering because of their hardiness.
Plants such as the senecio, aloe chabaudii (in flower), kalanchoe, cotyledon and aptenia are found by the roadside.
Agaves and acalyphas also brighten up the place.
At the main entrance, waterberry (syzygium guinsee) shrubs are lined strategically, one after the other.
They will become a prominent feature when the rains come, which is the time when they produce edible red berries.
Below the GMB signpost, a colourful group of plants is certain to surprise any visitor. The yellow, green, red and intermittent shrubs in full bloom are a refreshing sight.
Within the yard, a line of the handsome Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta) makes the place attractive, with bougainvillea shrubs adding more colour.
When you reach the main door, a water pond with fish, which is close by, gives vibrancy to the place.
This time, you find a conglomeration of the queen palm (arecastrum romanzoffianum).
Having a plant like buffalo grass (bouteloua dactyloides) by the pond was a worthwhile decision in view of the beauty it adds to the place.
The choice of plants for a raised platform bed offers one something to enjoy, with the arum lily (zantedeschia aethiopica), arrowhead vine (syngonium podophyllum), Janet Craig (dracaena deremensis), ladder fern (nephrolepsis exaltata) and Joseph’s coat (altenanthera bettzickiana) softening the concrete surroundings.
Overall, the office surroundings are kept neat and inviting, as befits a place with the enormous responsibility of ensuring that the nation is well-fed.
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