Jacqie Abuga’s house is the ‘house on the hill.’ As you get into her driveway you climb up a steep hill. It is here, in Karen, that Jacqie’s beautiful garden comes to life and her four-bedroom mansion nears completion.

Ms Abuga takes us through her journey of home ownership.

“I bought this quarter-acre piece of land for Sh5 million in 2011 and left it fallow until 2016. Back then there was no road. I didn’t initially plan to build a home, the plan was to hold on to it and let its value appreciate. But things took a turn when I got access to fairly priced mortgage facilities,” explains Ms Abuga.

Then came her dilemma; whether to buy or to build a house.

“With the mortgage, I could afford ready-made houses that were way out of town, but they didn’t have a garden. So I figured, I could build on the piece of land.”

Having decided to build on the piece of land, Ms Abuga had to contend with the steep terrain that her land lay on.

“It took about a year to get the plans in place because first, the architect did not take cognisance that the land was not flat as his drawings indicated. Of course, there was a way we could lower the ground level. Unfortunately on one side of the land is a huge slab of rock which would have required that I blast it with dynamite, a process that would affect my neighbours,” Ms Abuga tells the BDLife.

So she got a new architect.

“The new architect was like ‘but this is already a solid foundation. We can build on it instead of digging deep into it,” Jacqie says.

When she started building she then realised “there will be empty places in some parts of the house which meant an additional room I had not budgeted for, so the cost went up,” she notes.

The bank was not happy about the changes so even with the mortgage she had to dig deep into her pockets to build her house.

“I started gardening in 2016 as the house was being constructed. I started with the kei apple fence and the bougainvillaea on the front because it is very beautiful and at some point in the year, around March and November, it is filled with pink and white flowers. In 2018, when I moved here, I added the duranta.”

Gardening journey

Ms Abuga grew up on a farm in Kericho where they had a lot of space and grass. “I’d always tell myself that if I had my way, I would design the garden in a particular way. I never actualised my dream in my parents’ compound so when I got this place, I said, ‘This is now the time for me.”

Her Karen land being a very hilly place, Ms Abuga needed to level the ground to create her garden. She spent almost Sh1 million on terracing to create different levels and layers of the garden.

“I used a lot of stone and red soil to backfill this garden. I had to get the levels right before I started landscaping. This was done all while the house construction was taking place. It was quite costly but I was determined to make it a garden so I didn’t stop at anything,” says the communication specialist.

She adds, “I grew up on a farm where we got all the food from the farm. The only thing we ever bought was sugar and flour. I was determined to have that for myself.”

Jacqie’s garden is divided into three levels.

The white garden

The first level is her white garden which is still coming into shape. “If you look there is no flower here that is of a different colour. It is all green and white. Even the rose here is white.” At the centre is the fragrant yesterday today and tomorrow flower.

The Arabica grass

The second level of her garden is the masterpiece. This is where her well-pampered Arabica grass resides.

“I have uprooted the grass three times until finally, I settled for Arabica. Everyone will discourage you and tell you that Arabica is very stubborn and is hard to grow. I agree it’s a very needy type of grass because it needs a lot of water and fertiliser. The first two types of grass I had planted were not very ‘carpety’ or bouncy. There was first, Kikuyu grass, which attracts weeds so it becomes difficult to maintain. Then there as the Zimbabwe grass which is okay but it is the grass that you are growing when you are not trying hard enough. But with Arabica grass, if you take care of me, it will take care of you,” the mother of two fondly says about her one-year-old grass.

On this second level, the grass grows on its own and on the edges grows her trees.

“I decided that I will not have any plants on the grass so that in case I have a function, I have a place to host the guests. Surrounding this area (the second level) is the bamboo which I want to form a boundary fence between the garden and the pathway. For the trees, my most treasured one is the araucaria pine tree. I have always wanted a pine tree so that come Christmas time we are able to drape it with lights,” she tells us.

Other trees in the garden are the Thika palms and the traveller’s palm.

The vegetable garden

The third level of Jacqie’s garden is her vegetable garden where she grows her tomatoes, kales, spinach and fruit trees including the loquats, tree tomatoes, bananas, oranges, and hass avocado trees.

Ms Abuga utilises various items to hold her plants. Apart from used cans, car tyres are also used as planters.

“Every time I have a changeover of tyres I come and use them in the garden. My wheelbarrow broke down, so I painted it white and here it is now with some plants.

The grand entrance

In Jacqie’s garden is an array of potted plants neatly arranged as you climb the stairway to her house. At a distinct position is her Irish ivy that is held by circular wire and the dark pink anthurium growing on the same pot.

The potted plants give you a warm embrace as you get into the house.

“Part of the reason I have this stairway is because of the terrain. I did not want to sink my house lower so I was like ‘Why don’t I have a grand entrance into the house?’ I love pink so you’ll notice that most of my potted flowers have a little pink here and there,” she explains.

Apart from the healthy anthuriums, as you walk into Jacqie’s house you’ll get to experience the beautiful fuschias, the all-seasons jade plant and the purple-pink Egyptian starcluster.

Taking care of the garden

Having a beautiful well-maintained garden does not come cheaply.

“Because of the rains at the moment, I don’t need to water the garden but when it is dry, we water every morning and evening. When there is no rain, my water consumption shoots up by at least Sh2000 a month. In a month, I spend around Sh15,000 on maintaining the garden depending also on the plants I have to buy. I mostly work with a gardener who comes in twice a week to maintain it. Gardening is a journey, today you think you’re okay then tomorrow you have a light bulb moment and think ‘I could change this or add that plant. Your love for gardens has to come from within for you to care about it,” says Jacqie who prides herself on having created the garden at her workplace.

Her biggest challenge has been the termites “because there is red soil so you have to do the termite fumigation often. Moles also come in to destroy the plants.”

Advice for homeowners

For those seeking to own a home, Ms Abuga advises, that you consider the terrain of the land as you settle on the mortgage. You should also get a like-minded architect.

“You need someone who is not stiff and can tap into your dream. Get someone who is flexible, creative and can think out of the box. Bear in mind that there will always be unforeseen costs,” she says.

Being present during the construction is essential.

“At some point, I was a ‘telephone builder’ and I suffered losses.”