WHY ARE WE SO FASCINATED BY SUCCULENTS?

We are pleased to announce that this is our first ever issue of the Nanjala Weekly Cravings. We really do hope you have a good read and always come back for more… (edited in July 2024)

In 2023, our founder, went to visit a friend called Margit Cleveland (now the late) at her Kyuna, Nairobi home.  What fascinated her was that Margit had potted plants right from her door step, around a little garden gazebo, and others were in her balcony too. Her frontage and compound were filled with different types of beautiful indoor and outdoor plants.

After frequenting her home severally, Teresa was so taken by their growth and beautiful blooms; especially during the rainy season, that she too wanted to have her own home to be filled with such beautiful plants.  So she eagerly called Margit and asked her for advice on what were the best plants to start with and where she could buy her plants. So off she went to get her plants. Started with some roses, geraniums, yesterday, today & tomorrow, queen of the night, athuriums and the poisonous lobelias and oleander coupled with a few pots – and in a short time Teresa too had acquired quite a collection of plants for her home.

Early the following year, she then visited Margit again and saw the most unusual plant, called the Tillandsia (or well known as the Airplant). The plant had grown on a tree and was virtually suspended on mid air! There and then began a deep love and fascination for succulents.

Not only did Teresa buy the Tillandsia, she purchased a few other succulents such as Echeverias, Sedums, Crassulas and a few Cactii.  To date, she is always on the hunt to find the most beautiful and rare succulents. The great fascination was really about their unusual appeal due to unique textures, colours, and their thick foliage and delicate flowers (yes, they bloom however for some, rarely!).

Armed with a little notebook, she would write down the botanical names and research about the succulents. She continued collecting, she started to know more about the benefits of having plants and succulent in the home.

Here are some of the discoveries:

Succulents offer low-maintenance beauty in the home, they literally need very little water to survive.

Secondly with the right care, succulents live for more than a decade and with a price starting as low as KES. 800, what’s not to love about them?

Third and most importantly, succulents are perfect for balconies, patios, or indoor spaces in warm weather and easily double up as indoor décor. These plants are especially ideal for Nairobi urban dwellers who live in apartments/flats that have little space or don’t have a gardens of their own.

Today, we are proud to say that the brand SHOP NANJALA launched as a consequence of a wish to share these really simple yet visually beautiful plants to the rest of our community. Naturally, the sub-brand NANJALA BLOOMS was born and we are proud to say we now have a selection of the very best species available for purchase in our web-shop.

We promise, no green thumbs required!

(edited on 19.07.2024)