BACK TO NATURE
Lifestyle chats to botanical garden Cyherbia founder MIRANDA TRINGIS
In an interview by Amanda Moss
C
yherbia is situated in Avgorou and opened in 2012 and is set in 32000 square metres and was born from an idea after she brought the land with her husband as an investment. She said, “about six months after we got the land, my husband had the crazy idea to create a park for people to learn about the benefits of herbs for health and well-being and at the same time spend a nice day in the natural surroundings. I was dabbling in herbalism for years as a stay at home mum, using herbal remedies for my family, and I knew how powerful the herbs of Cyprus are in their therapeutic actions. When he had the idea for the park, after my initial fear of such a big project, I decided to study for a degree in herbal medicine. The park took 8 years to create, during those years I got my degree and some years of
10
working as a herbal practitioner. There are 9 themed herb gardens, 2 lavender gardens, a woodland planted in the shape of Cyprus where you can walk around the island and also see the fairy village, there is the famous 2000 sq.m hedge maze, and on site you can enjoy healthy dishes and herbal tea in the tea room, and find herbal products in the shop. Guests get a printed guide to read whilst they walk around the gardens. Cyherbia is currently expanding by building a new herbal apothecary for blending teas and making other products, a new reception and storage area. One of the most anticipated events on the calendar at Cyherbia is Halloween, with their
tradition of pumpkin carving weekends throughout October, and the big family Halloween event on the last weekend of October. Miranda said: “Although Halloween is not that big on the island, many people love the spooky family fun we offer at the park, and the pumpkin carving has become a very popular activity for young and old. Last year as many as 1500 pumpkins were carved over 3 weekends! There wasn’t a pumpkin to be found anywhere on the island! The pumpkins are grown especially for us in other parts of the