Flowers in the wild: Kenya's floral treasures go to iconic game park

“I just wanted a space where people who love flowers could meet and share ideas,” she recalls. “I never thought it would go this far.”

This year’s event was at the Nairobi National Park. The festival brought floristry into the wild by combining two of Kenya’s greatest treasures: its flowers and its wildlife.

“It was risky,” she says. “We even worried that baboons might eat the flowers overnight. But it worked beautifully.”

Hosting it in the park was not just about the location; it was also about flower tourism.

“We also wanted to return flowers to their natural context and remind everyone that, long before they became commercial products, they were wild things that grew freely under the African sky. There’s something symbolic about bringing art and business into a conservation space,” Rosemary says.

“It reminds us that sustainability isn’t just a trend; it’s our responsibility.”

She was also looking to attract flower tourists, having priced the tickets in dollars.

“When we first priced tickets in dollars, I wasn’t sure anyone would come,” Rosemary says. “But then the bookings started coming in. That’s when I realised we’d truly gone global.”

South African floral designer and educator Mabel Maposa was at the event. “Flowers in the wild remind me that beauty doesn’t always ask for permission,” she said.

To Ms Mabel, Kenya is not just a floral powerhouse, but a place where cultivation meets nature’s poetry and flowers represent both business and way of life. Her journey with Kenya began in 2019, when her curiosity led her to her first flower festival.

“It was mysterious,” she recalls. “I was drawn to Kenya, I call it the home of garden roses. No other country is quite like it.”

However, her initial visit was merely the beginning. She has returned repeatedly—in 2021, 2022, 2023, and now 2025.

“This country is warm,” she says.

“The people, the culture, the way it has evolved, everything about it keeps drawing me back. But one of the things that troubled me during my first year was hearing Kenyans talk about how their beautiful flowers were being shipped off, leaving little behind for them. But that has changed. Witnessing that evolution has been powerful. I can’t stop coming back.”

At this year’s festival, Ms Mabel witnessed this transformation more clearly than ever before. For the first time, the programme included visits to flower farms.

“I learned so much. I’ve worked in this industry for 15 years, but this was the first time I truly understood the difference between breeders and growers, how far apart their processes are, what it takes to create new varieties, and how it all connects back to us florists,” said Ms Mabel.

“Kenya shouldn’t just be known for exporting flowers,” Ms Kimunya said. “We should also be known for celebrating them, for making flowers part of who we are.”

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