A wide selection of fascinating potted desert plants from around the world will be on display at the annual exhibition of the Cyprus Cactus and Succulent Society on Sunday, May 15.
The fourth spectacular show will take place in Nicosia at the Exhibition Hall in the caves of the Acropolis Park and will be open, free of charge, to the public from 10.00am to 7.00pm.
Secretary of the society Elena Alonefti described the event as a unique opportunity for visitors to catch a glimpse of some rare and beautiful plants.
“This is a very rare change for the public to witness a huge selection of the beautiful and bizarre spicemens on display under one roof.”
In its three years of operation the society, which aims to advance and encourage the cultivation and maintenance of cacti and succulents in Cyprus, has grown in numbers and currently has 180 members.
“All our members have enriched their collections since the society was founded and will be proudly displaying at the exhibition.”
According to Alonefti, surprisingly, there is a large number of collectors and growers of cacti in Cyprus as is evident by the high number of visitors the exhibition has had each year.
An estimated 5,000 attended last year alone.
“We have also found out that cacti collecting is something that attracts people of all ages,” said Alonefti. “We have met growers as young as 15 and as old as 90, who have a true passion for it.”
Many of the plants at the exhibition have been imported from abroad as far as from South Africa and the USA.
Alonefti said exhibition would also be showcasing beautiful rare specimens such as the endemic succulent Euphorbia veneris: a drought resistant plant suitable for Mediterranean gardens.
During the show, literature will also be provided about the cacti and succulents on display, and visitors will have the change to get advice form experts on which plants are suitable for growing in the Cyprus garden.
The leaflet “The Smart Garden`, which has been published by the society with the support of the Commissioner of the Environment, will be distributed to the public free of charge.
It contains information on which succulent plants are most suitable for gardens in Cyprus and how best to maintain them.
The exhbibition will be inaugurated by Environment Commissioner Charalambos Theopemptou at 11:30am.
It is also supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment and the Strovolos Municipality, while this year the main sponsor of the event is the my green cycle line of compost products by Premier Shukuroglou ( www.mygreencycle.com ).
According to Alonefti, during previous exhibitions visitors were very interested in purchasing cacti and other succulents, therefore nurseries from all over Cyprus will be represented again and rare plants will be imported from abroad specifically for the exhibition.
Furthermore, there will be plant cuttings and a great variety of relevant books on sale.
Running concurrently with the Exhibition will be the CCSS Annual Plant Competition. Society members will be entering around 500 plants from their personal collections which will be showcased at the exhibition hall for the public to see.
The judge this year will be Rene Zahra, Secretary of the Cactus and Succulent Society of Malta, established in 1951.
Alonefti said the judging would take place on Saturday, May 14 but the winning plants and other entries would be on display throughout the exhibition.
“There will be 10 varieties of cacti and 10 succulents entered and they will be judged on maturity, overall health and how well maintained and presented they are.”
According to Alonefti, many succulents apart from being collectible are also ideal for growing in the Cyprus climate.
“They are perfect for our climate because they have minimum water needs, need very little fertiliser and are generally low-maintenance plants.” And not all cacti are thorny.
“There are thousands of species to choose from. Groundcovers, climbers, and others which are bushes that will eventually grow into small trees,” said Alonefti.
The society wishes to remind the public that gardens do not have to be planted with just succulents as they grow well next to other Mediterranean xerophytes such as lavender, rosemary, echium, gazania, lantana, bay tree, common myrtle, jasmine, honey suckle and many others.
For more information about the event please contact Elena Alonefti at 99 614 686 or at ealoneft@spidernet.com.cy
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