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Andrew Mangwarara
AVONDALE, a Harare suburb, is synonymous with eating houses that include the Mojos Restaurant.
The meat lovers’ paradise once had an untidy overgrown yard, but it has since been transformed into a beautiful green garden.
The owners of the place — Mohamed Samy and Julie Web, who are husband and wife — said they realised it was necessary to beautify their premises to attract more customers.
The garden lawn stands out as you enter the yard, with the now-pruned roses acting as a gateway. The area is also furnished with a number of wooden tables and chairs, with umbrellas providing some shade.
A rectangular pond with a splash fountain contributes to the beauty of the place. The golden duranta (duranta repens), together with the spider plant (chlorophytum comosum), line the edges of the pond.
The garden was established 14 years ago. It is still standing due to regular maintenance. It will remind you of elements of landscaping relics like the bougainvillea, the Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), Canary Island date palm (phoenix canariensis) and the giant bamboo, which is said to take three months to grow its root system before sending its sprouts.
Most of the trees mentioned are positioned on the periphery of the yard. This creates an open-style garden, whereby you have a large expanse of lawn.
The beautiful syringa tree is another important relic in the garden. It bears berries that are not supposed to be consumed. However, its flowers are fragrant. The fig tree, cypress, pepper tree and privet are also found in the garden.
Before entering the restaurant itself, a brick-floor front yard will attract you with its well-arranged pots containing palms. There is also the sculpture of a human face.
The spider plant is also found here.
Another interesting arrangement is that of red clay ovens.
The adjacent perimeter wall is adorned with the tickey creeper.
A complementary grass-thatched kitchen is located at one end of the property, with a beautiful shrubbery in the background.
One interesting feature I saw there is the tapeworm plant. It got this name because of its tapeworm-shaped flat leaves.
There are also purple flowers of the lavender herb concealed by a corner, breaking the green background.
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