malvernmugadzikwa
Andrew Mangwarara
THE green-up craze appears to have spread like a veld fire in Harare.
I was impressed when I recently visited Westlea, a suburb situated near Warren Park and Tynwald.
Next to Petrotrade Service Station on Bulawayo Road is the Botanico Palm Garden, a venue for conferences, weddings and team building activities.
It is a garden that boasts a large expanse of lawn, where patrons are free to roam around.
But what stands out in the vast open space are palms, which add a touch of elegance to the landscape.
This brings us to our topic of the week, which is the use of palms to beautify pieces of land and, at the same time, greening up our environments.
Palms lend a tropical feel to your garden since they can reach a height of up to 30 metres, making them good specimens for planting alongside high-rise buildings or office blocks.
Palms are versatile in a garden landscape.
They have a shallow root system, which makes them harmless near swimming pools and buildings as they will not destroy foundations or concrete slabs like what many trees do.
Their leaf structure fits perfectly into formal and informal landscapes.
It is interesting to note that they have also been used as a source of food since time immemorial.
Palms, which are low-maintenance plants, can be planted in full sun locations or in the shade.
To grow palms successfully, choose a well-drained site. Alternatively, you can improve the drainage on the site by incorporating drainage pipes.
Dig a hole that is at least one-and-a-half metres wide and one metre deep for each plant. Mix the soil with well-rotted manure.
A compound fertiliser can be applied, up to 300 grammes per station.
Water palms generously once every two weeks.
Some interesting varieties are the graceful queen palm (arecastrum romanzoffianum), which is useful as a waterside plant; and the king palm (roystonea regia), which can withstand low temperatures. The wild date palm (phoenix reclinata), an indigenous multi-stemmed plant, is impressive next to a pool.
The raphia palm (raphia farinifera) with erect long leaves, the golden cane palm (chrysalidocarpus lutescens) and the multi-stemmed palm with golden foliage are excellent additions to the garden.
Palms can be raised from fresh seed. Dried seeds do not germinate.
Garden enthusiasts can learn a thing or two at Botanico Palm Gardens.
If you would like to be featured in our green-up campaign, contact us on the number above. Feedback: [email protected] or [email protected]
Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter