She is known as the queen of potted plants in Kigali, but Adelphine Abewe’s love for plants and nature is one that is unbreakable and driven by passion. The mother of two and managing director and founder of El Amor Garden Ltd picked interest in plants when she was a child, inspired by her mother who used to grow plants in pots mainly for church. “Since I was a child, I loved dealing with plants. I was the one in charge of my mothers jungle, our garden.” “I was the one in charge of watering, adding soil, potting the babies and even painting the pots, knowing which ones will go to church,” recalls Abewe, adding that slowly it grew into a hobby as she developed the passion. In 2018, Abewe thought of quitting her job at a leading hotel to focus on her passion, which is plants. She professionally started her company in 2019. The food and beverage graduate thought of doing something in line with her education, such as starting a restaurant or something, but the lure of plants caught up with her. some of her potted plants that she sells in her shop. Pictures/ Olivier Mugwiza “I was thinking of something like opening a restaurant, which was very expensive for me. The budget was not enough and then I was like what if I start with something that I love? Something that I can do without investing too much money?” Abawe says. Luckily, while she was pursuing her studies in India, part of the course entailed entrepreneurship, focusing on turning what you loved to do between 7 and 12 years, into a business. After doing her research, she consulted her family and they gave her a go ahead, well knowing her love for potting plants, mainly flowers and vegetables. Abewe started growing plants in buckets and plastic cups where she lived and people picked interest. Even after moving, people would still call and say ‘we are still taking care of your plants in the backyard’. Slowly, the passion grew into something serious and she recalls that even as a child, her grandmother used to joke that she has a green thumb due to her love for plants. Sometimes she would pot plants and give them out as gifts. She has never lived in a place without plants outdoors or even inside the house. Her life is all about plants. “Its a long journey because I started with giving out plants as a gift and posting them,” she says, adding that from the social media posts people would comment and appreciate. Some were willing to pay and she said why not? One thing led to another. She started charging between Rwf5, 000 to Rwf8, 000 per plant and then went on to establish her own nursery. As they say, the rest is history. Today, potting all sorts of plants for outdoor and indoor use, from ferns to cactus to rubber trees, Abewe is helping green homes in Kigali. She does not just sell; she also gives advisory services and follows up with her clients to know how the plants are doing. She advises on their watering and nourishment. Even if you are not a fan of plants, you end up falling in love. For her, plants are like children and must be taken care of keenly, making sure that they don’t wither, get malnourished or die. It is something she does with a passion and she believes everyone else should. “I prefer displaying plants in the living room so that people can visit and see,” she says, adding that you can take advantage of empty corners, on top of shelves and other unused spaces in the house where you can place plants. She knows which plants can thrive outside or inside the house and with her expertise, she receives orders from offices, hotels, public places and residential houses. “When we go to advise or talk to our clients, we try to suggest according to their house and the positions so that they can balance the plants and nature,” Abewe says. She also advises on the type of plants to put in the bedroom to improve the quality of air, among other specifics she pays attention to. For her, there is a whole science to how we manage the plants around us. Abewe, from a personal perspective, believes there is a lot of interaction between people and plants, which is very important and goes down to how you treat the plants. She was able to overcome a serious case of depression just by simply interacting with plants, which can be really refreshing. This is something many people disregard but it is really important. When she is depressed, she goes to a forest and takes a walk to the swamp where her nursery is and a simple session with the plants makes a whole difference. You can check out El Amor Garden Kigali Ltd at their Rugando base. Her shop located at Casa Keza Spanish restaurant in Kacyiru. You can reach Adelphine Abewe on 0785211604.
