In a colourful, well-groomed attempt to attract tourism, the Alona community council organised Cyprus’ first ever village garden competition on August 9.

Residents were invited to showcase their private gardens in the name of creativity and environmental progress.

A variety of criteria were taken into consideration to decide on a winner. Plant health, appearance and aesthetics, contribution to the beautification of Alona, functionality and accessibility, as well as the biodiversity of the garden, were all factors which would lead to the victory.

The competition was organised on an initiative from the community council and in collaboration with the agriculture ministry.

“I acted on my instincts as a mukhtar, especially since the Alona residents have a deep love for gardening,” Michalis Nikiforou told the Cyprus Mail.

The jury consisted of five people with expertise and experience in greenery, beautification, landscape aesthetics and photography, with the goal of determining and awarding the three best gardens in Alona. The prizes ranged from money, granted by the agriculture ministry, and books.

The garden which came in second

At first, the Alona residents were surprised at the mukhtar’s suggestion, after all, such a competition had never taken place in Cyprus before and especially not in a village of that size. Nevertheless, the 14 residents who participated in the competition were eager to exhibit their gardening skills. 

“The first-place award went to a beautiful garden, which was located in the centre of the village, making it extremely accessible to both the visitors and residents, since the competition in its most part aims at promoting our beautiful village,” said Nikiforou.

The competition was also aimed at showcasing the renowned richness in biodiversity due to the lush greenery and the hazelnut forest nearby. Creating an “Alona of colours” is how Nikoforou described the initiative.

“More people were planning to compete for Alona’s best garden, however due to the short notice given to the residents, not everyone was able to compete. For this reason, we are excited to announce that Alona’s best garden competition will become a yearly tradition!” said the mukhtar with pride.

This year, the village hosted its 51st Alona Festival of which the garden competition was part.