Many people from Nairobi and Nakuru often duck to Naivasha to get out of the hustle and bustle of the cities or to enjoy the quiet countr...
Many people from Nairobi and Nakuru often duck to Naivasha to get out of the hustle and bustle of the cities or to enjoy the quiet countryside and interesting wildlife. But while at it, how many ever visited a flower farm?
I was privileged to visit the Oserian Flower Farm near Lake Naivasha to learn about horticulture and the history of the owners, the Zwager family. Geoff Mayes, the manager of Kiangazi and Chui lodges took me round this historic flower farm where I was shown diverse varieties of flowers as well as the elaborate growing, harvesting and packing processes.
Depending on your interest, one can either book a one-hour or three-hour visit. From watching creation of a new breed of flowers to mass production, to going to the packhouse to see how staff conduct quality assurance, this is a unique learning experience. Oserian is the biggest flower farm in the world and Africa’s largest rose producer.
The sheer expanse of the flower fields in a riot of colours and the heavenly scent will leave you spell bound. The farm, then a cattle ranch with 16 employees, was purchased in 1969 by the late Hans Zwager.
Given his enterprising appetite, Zwager, born in Netherlands, transformed the place into a premier flower farm that not only exports produce to Holland but also to the entire European Union.
He later developed geothermal energy production at Oserian, which now supplies power to the entire farm. Geothermal heat is also employed to control diseases in the rose houses, reducing the need for fungicides.
According to Geoff, instead of employing pesticides, this environmentally conscious flower uses predator dudus (insects). After this educative tour, I returned to an appetising lunch outside Kiangazi House .
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