Had you asked Tinu Bid when she was 14 years old to water a flower in her mother's garden, she would have laughed it off.
Her family loved nature and flowers, but Tinu had no interest in plants. But now, as an adult, caring for plants has become her full-time job.
Today, her home flower garden in Thika's Riverside Estate is an oasis of harmoniously blended vibrant plants, colourful flowers and well-designed spaces that create a peaceful, inviting atmosphere.
"When I was a child, I could see my mother always planting, asking for cuttings, sharing and even waiting by the roadside for the men to bring the cuttings. We would also go to Bob's Harris, especially for common anthuriums. She was always in the garden, but I had no interest. I used to think, "What's the point?" Says Tinu, 40 years later.
For 19 years now, the housewife has dedicated her life to caring for Mother Nature. She has transformed a one-time coffee plantation into a serene haven. She attributes her success to the efforts of her mother, who instilled in her the importance of continuing her legacy.
"My late mother suggested that I work on my garden and even helped me to start. She taught me a lot about gardening, and I got into it. I lost her at a young age, but I always feel like she's the one who inspired me to keep going. I can still imagine how happy she was working in the garden," she says.
"This land was a coffee plantation. We cleared it in 2000 and built the house. We moved in in 2008 and it was all lawn. There were no plants on it. So the first thing we had to do was treat for termites," she says.
Potted Orchids at Tinu Bid’s home garden in Thika Kiambu County on October 4, 2024.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
Her five children have grown up knowing that a beautiful home is not only defined by its exterior and interior but also by the plants that keep it alive.
On her three-quarter-acre plot, her house is strategically placed in the middle, surrounded by beautiful flowering plants and a neatly manicured Kikuyu grass lawn.
The entrance to her compound has a 15-year-old Cycad tree. She now has 10 similar trees. A green vanilla creeper does justice to the concrete wall, and she has used bamboo to screen her house from the neighbours.
If she were to be a flower on her farm, she would be an orchid. The most coveted of all ornamental plants, the delicate, exotic, and graceful orchid represents love, luxury, beauty, and strength.
Why orchids? "It's very precious and expensive," says Tinu.
The back of her garden is a sanctuary of bittersweet memories. In a corner at the back of her kitchen, she has kept a special spot of African violets in memory of her housekeeper of 30 years.
"This is a special corner for me. I lost one of my housekeepers who was with me for 30 years. But she loved these plants. She used to make cuttings here. We made a special corner for her. These are African violets," she says.
When the family relaxes in the evenings, she can see the lychee tree that her late uncle planted two weeks before he died.
"I will always cherish that tree. My uncle came with a plant, and he said, you know, I want to plant this myself. So I guess he wanted to leave me with his lychee. And now the lychees are coming, but the birds like them too. It also gives me a lot of shade," she says.
To make it more stunning, she has hung beautiful flower baskets and lights around it, making it unique. The tree is now home to around 20 bird nests.
Her love of colourful foliage is not to be overlooked, and from variegated evergreens to agave, her garden is home to many of the same.
"I love it because I just feel like... look at this nature," says Tinu.
Her succulent garden is also one of her favourite places. The low-maintenance plants multiply and produce beautiful flowers. The rock garden is full of bromeliads; some are in bloom, others have just finished flowering. Her orchids are just about to open.
She has a dumb cane, a peace lily, water-hungry and sun-loving begonias and lucky bamboo. There are more than seven varieties of palm, including the six-year-old Royal palm, also known as the Bottle Palm, which she believes is an auspicious plant. There are also air plants in her garden.
There's also the Chinese money plant, several varieties of croton, and the ubiquitous anthurium, which she often uses in her flower arrangements.
"This is a moonflower, and it only opens three times a year, and only at night when there's a full moon. So I have cut it now. It opens at nine o'clock and in the morning it's gone. So you have to be very, very careful when it opens," she says.
Her yellow bird of paradise plant, gifted to her by a friend, is in full bloom.
She has just pruned her purple petrea, a woody climber with attractive star-shaped flowers that hang down. Although the flowers don't last long, the beauty of the plant lies in the long-lasting petal-like purple calyxes that remain even after the flowers have fallen.
She believes that ferns have good energy because they are evergreen, and she often uses them in her arrangements.
Over the years she has developed a strong attachment to Heliconia, which was her mother's favourite plant. Unfortunately, Heliconias are becoming rare in nurseries due to their high cost. She has six varieties, including yellow and red ones.
"Do you know why it's so precious to me? My mother used to have heliconias in her garden. She loved them so much," she says.
Her choice of plants is influenced by how much care they need. With a keen eye, I noticed that yellow flowers dominated the garden.
"The yellow colour just attracts me," she adds.
"I prefer low-maintenance plants. They give me a lot of pleasure. Besides, I hardly ever buy plants, I just propagate them and usually exchange them with friends. But I also support the local nurseries. Sometimes, if I'm passing by and I like it, I pick it," says Tinu.
They say you have to talk to your plants because they are living things.
When her Sh15,000 mucuna plant, the most expensive in the garden, failed to flower for over a year, she confirmed this belief with her tongue.
"I talk to my plants a lot. When I'm not very happy, I come up. This mucuna did not flower for a year and a half. And Iwas like, what is this? I used to go there and just ask it why it was not producing flowers," says Tinu.
Her love of nature extends to animals. Her garden is home to hundreds of birds, and it's clear why they love the place. With about five birds and feeders, the garden is indeed a better host.
"From morning to evening we have different birds. There is time for different birds, the small ones come in the early morning and the big ones come in the evening. In a month, the birds eat 50 kilogrammes of millet. They love it here," she says.
Most gardeners are wary of mixing plants, pets, and domestic animals. But Tinu has mastered the art so well that she does not have to choose between the two.
Succulents at Tinu Bid’s home garden in Thika Kiambu County on October 4, 2024.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
"I don't use any chemicals in my garden, partly because of the dogs. Only organic cow manure, and I will soon switch to goat manure," she says.
There is a unique characteristic among plant lovers. They would rather give a plant than expensive jewellery.
"Whenever I'm invited to someone's home, I always bring a plant as a gift. I think it's a special and personal gesture because I only give plants that I like and have grown in my own garden," says the 54-year-old.
There is something special about Tinu. "In my garden I have plants from Zanzibar, this is from Mombasa, this is from here, this is from Mauritius. All my flowers, I know where I bought them," she says.
As a life member of the Kenya Horticultural Society-Thika Branch, she has acquired extensive knowledge of gardening, plant care, and floral arrangements.
With all her children now at university, her garden fills the empty nest, and she devotes all her time to its upkeep. She has hosted three wedding photo shoots and many birthday and group parties in her garden. Now she has more plans for it.
"They were friends, but now I want to go commercial. Not to make money, but just to give me more encouragement," she says.
An investment of about Sh100,000 makes her very happy and satisfied. She also creates art with various plants and loves colours.
"The first thing I do in the morning is to look at my plants, which has also given me a lot of peace and strength," she says.
