If you’re an avid gardener with designs on moving to Cyprus there are some important things to consider before you start brandishing your trowel.
From the shires to the inner city, Britain is a nation that loves a good old potter in the garden. Tying in a stray tendril, pruning the hedge, planting bulbs all while the top tips from Gardeners Question Time are fresh in the memory. We’ve even made celebrities of our favourite TV gardeners, leading to national treasure, Alan Titchmarsh receiving an MBE.
If you’re a member of this green finger brigade and planning a move to Cyprus you’re probably looking forward to being able to weed, dig and water to your hearts content in warmer climes. So be prepared to experience very different conditions and challenges, as you swap a generous sprinkling of British rain for 326 days of Cypriot sun a year.
Be prepared to experience very different conditions and challenges, as you swap a generous sprinkling of British rain for 326 days of Cypriot sun a year
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Buying a home with a garden
The main prerequisite for being able to don your gardening gloves is having a garden in the first place. Only then you can start thinking about stocking up on pots, seeds and fertiliser. So let’s take a look at the average price of a three-bedroom home with a garden you can call your own, in and around four of the largest cities on the island:
• Nicosia – €372,700
• Limassol – €304,100
• Larnaca – €277,200
• Paphos – €354,000
The most expensive properties are found in the capital, Nicosia. While the average price for this type of dwelling in Cyrus is around €326,000, this can vary greatly depending on access to amenities, location and the amount of land you think you’ll need to satisfy your gardening addiction.
No matter what property you have, giving it a little ongoing TLC will maximise its value. So, by keeping your garden ship shape, your home will become even more desirable.
Garden of Bellapais Abbey in Northen occupied Cyprus. (photo stella / Shutterstock.com)
Gardening in Cyprus
Comparing gardening in Cyprus with gardening in Britain is like comparing Alan Titchmarsh with Rachel De Thame. The biggest difference is in the climate. Cyprus is famous for being drenched in sun throughout the year, with high summer temperatures and little rainfall. Gardening in Cyprus – like much of the Mediterranean – is a battle to provide sufficient water and shade from the hot sun. And don’t think it gets much easier in winter either.
Once the intense heat of summer has passed a “second spring” brings plants that were dormant between June and September back to life.
During the long winter months in Britain there’s little to be done except tidying up and protecting plants from frost – something you won’t experience much of unless you buy in the Troodos Mountains. In Cyprus, many plants remain in full bloom at the end of the year, thanks to a phenomenon that will be alien to most British gardeners: two growing seasons. Much like back home, the traditional spring season takes place between March and May. Then once the intense heat of summer has passed a “second spring” brings plants that were dormant between June and September back to life. This welcome surprise is a joy to behold.
Garden Club of Cyprus
Joining a gardening club is a great way to meet likeminded people and collect helpful tips on overcoming the horticultural challenges in your new home. The Garden Club of Cyprus was set up by expats for expats, to offer invaluable seasonal advice around tending to your plants, trees and shrubs. They can even help you explore Cyprus by recommending the best gardens to visit on the island.
Its founder and renowned horticulturist, Patricia Ann Jordan has written a book dedicated to gardening in Cyprus, which has become a must read for expats with a penchant for plants. The bestselling ‘The Cyprus Garden’ even outsold Ruth Rendell when it first hit the bookshops in 2005, leading it to be reprinted the following year, and has gone on to become a gardening Bible to many on the island.
Garden centres
In one of her regular articles in the Cyprus Mail, Patricia highlights that garden centres have improved enormously in Cyprus in recent years, becoming significantly more sophisticated in their operations. And with so many to choose from across the island these days, you won’t struggle to find somewhere that supplies everything you need, from geraniums to artificial grass – heaven forbid! Here is a useful list of local garden centres and nurseries.
The Cyprus Buying Guide takes you through each stage of the property buying process, with practical recommendations from our experts who have been through the process themselves. The guide will help you to:
