Greened shopping experience
ONE of the busiest roads in Harare, Liberation Legacy Way (formerly Borrowdale Road), leads to a shopping complex named after an affluent businessman — the Sam Levy’s Village.
The complex was opened in 1990 and has 167 shops.
The landscaping gives you the impression that you have visited a resort town. This is due to the place’s neatness and elegant palms that line the car park area, creating a plantation-like effect.
They include the king palms (archontophoenix alexandrae), which are a sight to behold.
They are healthy and uniform.
As you further explore the car park area, you will be surprised to find a water pond. You will immediately get a soothing feeling. You will feel welcomed.
This is landscape design at its best! As you pass the administration block, going towards the food court, you will find a grouping of the pygmy date palm (phoenix roebelenii).
There is surprise after surprise in this car park area, before you even start your shopping.
A bed of agaves, the New Zealand flax, pony tail palms, mesembryanthemum and other grasses makes an excellent combination of colours and textures.
The solitary wild date palm (phoenix reclinata) in the same area has a bold statement to make, that of its grandeur.
You can hardly notice the concrete jungle as it is heavily covered by beds of plants like delicious monsters, ferns, cycads and palms.
The shopping complex has a number of eating places which have well-decorated potted plants that include the pencil euphorbia (euphorbia tirucalli), the bird of paradise (strelitzia reginae), the pygmy date palm (phoenix roebelenii), the lavender (lavandula officinalis) and the candelabra aloe (aloe arborescens).
Wherever you tread, you will not find any litter as there are adequate bins for that purpose. It is a good model of how plants can be incorporated in a built-up area.
Even as you drive out of the complex, you will notice another bright water feature with a cascading waterfall, in the midst of a large water pond.
It gives a tropical feel to the place. Other water plants like the umbrella papyrus (cyperus alternifolius), the bulrush (typha capensis), the ladder fern (nephrolepsis exaltata) and bromeliads add to the mystery of the garden.
The perimeter fence along Liberation Legacy Way is greened up with beautiful specimens of king palms and a large expanse of well-maintained lawns.
This area leads to another car park where the Kenyan croton (croton megalocarpon) provides shade to parked vehicles. It also has a water pond to impress visitors.
As you leave the complex through Liberation Legacy Way, masses of the beautiful agapanthus orientalis and yellow iris, fenced by the golden duranta, leave a memorable impression on you.
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