Flora and Fauna of the TRNC
and the Island of Cyprus
By Bob Scott…….
Flora and Fauna of the TRNC and the Island of Cyprus! A new idea prompted by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism enviable success at this year’s Royal Horticultural Society Hampton Court Flower Show.
Not only a winner of a gold medal for best in show for their Paradise Garden but also winner of Best World garden. This very special garden was designed by Nilufer Danis of the Lotus Design Studio and built by Landform Consultants and you can read more about it on the RHS website click here
You can also read more of the garden designer Nilufer Danis by clicking here
On the back of this great event, which I followed, it got me thinking of the flora and fauna of TRNC and Cyprus in general like Five Finger mountain range and the Karpaz Peninsula plus the Troodos range, the walkers and the photographers and the delights they have seen which I would like to discover.
The villages decked out with pots of geraniums, Bougainvillea’s adorning old grape pergolas what an uplifting sight for all to see, forward to the towns’ hotels and other venues too, decked out to attract one and all, this Island has been a fertile region for centuries, mainly fruit and food, now is the chance to show off a Paradise Island in all its glory.
No this is not an instant dream, these things take time, I live in the UK and can no longer visit Cyprus where I went in my youth with the British Army so it would be good to find a locally based person to help me write this column for cyprusscene.com, someone with a vision and passion like me and someone able to cover the local area and help me create a collection of the splendours of North Cyprus or indeed the whole of Cyprus.
I am no expert but in my garden in the UK, small as it is, I have plants from all corners of the world, Rock rose rhododendron from the Himalayas, tree ferns and grevilleas from Australia in fact plants that stretch as far as the South Americas, Peru, you name it my passion reaches there and below are some examples of my plants.
My collection of books contains the wonders of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and its irrigation system, the Islamic gardens of the rich merchants of Persia, with their water features surrounded by palm trees. On to Mediterranean gardens of North Africa and the Moorish region of Southern Spain, Italian ornate sculptured gardens and on up though Europe, France and its Emperor gardens and across the channel to the great Industrialist gardens of the 1700s.
This project is all about plants, flora and fauna, shrubs and trees and what one can do with them to enhance one’s life and I hope someone will join me and share their local knowledge for the enjoyment of the many readers of these pages..
The way we take photos of plants and fauna can greatly enhance a record of the beauty of nature and I show below a few pictures I have taken over the years.
I enjoyed the photos and short story by Bob Scott … would like to see more. I, like Bob, enjoy the gardens of the world and am always interested in seeing more. Seeing gardens from Cyprus and England, while sitting at my computer in Southern Ontario, Canada, reminds me that we all share this beautiful world.
Lovely photos of gardens and plants Bob Scott thank you for sharing them with us. I am as keen as you are on flora and fauna and beauty all around us. I do love the Cyprus endemic orchids and wild flora growing on mountains and fields all around Cyprus. Great news about the TRNC garden and Nilüfer Danis and her medal wins.
Wonderful article and photos. Its a subject I know nothing about but I enjoyed reading this immensely.
Ismail, thank you for you kind thoughts, much appreciated, You understand the History of Cyprus more than most, well did gardening not start in the Garden of Eden, so you see over the centuries both have develop side by side. I had been Interested in the Irrigation system of the hanging Gardens of Babylon, where recently watching a TV. Programme I learnt that the raising of the water was done using a primitive Helix Screw taken from the trunk of a palm three, which look at a trunk of a palm tree all makes sense. Kind Regards Bob.