Carol Njeri’s balcony in Gitaru, Kiambu County, is a vibrant display of yellows, reds, whites and pinks. Two years into her gardening journey, she has mastered the art of growing geraniums, balsams, yellow and red impatiens, fuchsias, and caladiums. She has alos attracted birds to her home.
Three pigeons are perched on her windowpane, watching us when we arrive. They do not fly away but remain still as if acknowledging our presence. If they could speak, they might say, “You are the guests, welcome to our home.” Their songs provide a soothing, melodic relief in the quiet of her home.
Carol tells us that the birds came one day and never left. “I have three pigeons. Every morning, they are my alarm clock. They peck at my living room window until I open it for them to perch inside. I have the small birds that also come to feed but they leave soon after. The pigeons stay here all day and then leave in the afternoon to return the next day."
Carol Njeri tends to her plants on March 9, 2025 at her house in Gitaru.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
"Before I got a bird feeder, I noted that the small birds would come whenever I watered my plants. That made me wonder; what would happen if I put up a feeder? That was around September last year. Since then, the birds have become my friends. Now, I feed them oats, rice and kamande (lentils).”
Where it all started
Carol‘s gardening journey started with a five-year-old velo addiction that the mother of one wanted to overcome.
After her marriage came to a sad ending in 2020, Carol struggled to cope, and Velo gave her the relief and comfort that she so desired.
“When my marriage ended, I struggled to come to terms with it. I needed something to numb the pain and make me feel better. At the time I didn’t even know anything about Velo. A friend introduced me to it. When I took the first one, I felt good and relaxed.
" You know how when you have the first taste of something and feel good you want more of it? So I started taking two a day then three a day and was hooked. I got to a point where I couldn’t function without it. I would go to church and with the preaching ongoing, I’d still be trying to tuck a Velo into my lip,” she narrates.
Her turning point was when she found that Velo was controlling her life.
“It got to a place where, without Velo, I’d behave like a Zombie. If I didn’t have it, I would get constant headaches and insomnia. It was so bad that even after it was banned, I still had to get it. At that time, I started looking for harder drugs like Grants (a stronger nicotine pouch). It was an expensive addiction. A can at the time was around Sh2500 and I would use one can every day."
"It was draining me financially. I knew I had to stop, so I reached out for help. Whenever I posted about my desire to stop taking the drug on my TikTok page, people would advise me. Many told me to keep busy and do something that I enjoy. So I told myself I could always try flowers since I have always loved flowers. When I was little, if you came to our place you would find flowers I had grown. I didn’t know much about flowers; I just knew I loved them. I would water them every time,” the 33-year-old says.
She continues: “I started with one geranium which died. Then I got another one, and it reached a point where whenever I was driving and came by a plant stand, I would stop and buy a plant. Slowly, it became very therapeutic and I was no longer thinking about Velo. Anytime I felt like I wanted to take Velo, I would go start watering my plants and even talk to them.”
What does she consider when buying flowers? Carol says that all she needs to see are flowers.
“I don’t leave my house saying that I am going to get a specific flower. The moment I come across a place with flowers and I spot one that I love, I will buy it. However, I have come to notice that I love geraniums a lot because they look very beautiful when hanged. I am also very fond of caladiums. They are seasonal, so there are times when it might lose all its leaves.”
Potted Geraniums at Carol Njeri’s balcony garden on March 9, 2025 at her house in Gitaru.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
Her favourite plant is the orange impatiens, which are in bloom in her balcony garden. However, it has not been an easy journey with this plant.
“Getting it to grow has been by fire by force. The first time I planted it, it bloomed well. Then one morning, I slept and woke up only to find it dead. I could not understand what happened to it. I got another one. It bloomed, and then one day, it died all on its own.”
The third time’s a charm. Now, her orange impatiens are in full bloom, and Carol says that it is doing very well.
Inside her house, Carol has grown snake plants, succulents, money plants, and anthuriums.
“My first love is the flowering plants. Inside, I put the less flowery plants because they may not do well and I still want to be surrounded by plants. Taking care of flowery plants has not been the easiest. It has been quite hot lately, so I have been watering many of my plants twice a day. The indoor plants I water them once a day. However, during the cold season, I only water them twice a week. The important thing is to touch the soil and then I can feel if it is dry.”
Carol also invests a lot in liquid fertilisers and manure.
“Here where we live, there are staircase lights which are kept on through the night. I think this also helps to promote the healthy growing of my plants as they have access to adequate artificial light.”
Carol says that her current garden is a vision of the kind of home that she wants for herself in the future. To gain more knowledge about how to best care for her plants, Carol relies on Pinterest, Google, and plant sellers.
To anyone hoping to have a flowery balcony garden like hers, she says: “Always remember that flowers are like pets. If you don’t love them they will disappoint you. Your plants love attention, especially the flowering ones. You also have to understand the type of flower and how best to care for it. Remember to water either early morning or late in the evening.”
Impatiens plants at Carol Njeri’s balcony garden on March 9, 2025 at her house in Gitaru.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
SHe adds: “The must-haves for your balcony are geraniums. They are very beautiful when you hang them. Coleus is one of the easiest plants to maintain for a starter. Fuschias are easy to grow too. Impatiens and hydrangea just require you to be a little more patient.”
The trick to getting balcony gardening right, Carol says, lies in knowing where to put each plant.
“There are plants that require a lot of sunshine and those that require less. For instance, my ferns and caladiums don’t like sunlight, so I put them on the side of the balcony, which receives less light under shade. The geraniums flourish under the sun so I put them out to get enough sunlight.”
Gardening rescued Carol from her addiction, and today, it is also a form of therapy for her. “I am not an outgoing person, so you will find that when I am not at work I am at home. I spend a lot of time talking to my plants,” she tells Lifestyle.
