Vannes is a Ville Fleurie

Vannes, along the river

Vannes—flower box on bridge

A one-flower town

Background: What are Villes Fleuries?

The ‘towns and villages in bloom’ award (ville fleurie) is given to French places that make a special effort to create a pleasant natural environment for both residents and visitors by focusing on plants, flowers and open areas within the town.

The awards range from 1❀ to 4❀❀❀❀ (4❀❀❀❀ is the highest). There are many places that have received 1❀ and 2❀❀, fewer receive 3❀❀❀, and about 200 that have received the prestigious 4❀❀❀❀ for their efforts. Generally, 4❀❀❀❀ ‘towns in bloom’ in France have made significant long-term efforts to improve their gardens and parks and are worth visiting for this reason alone. Many of these towns are also tourist destinations in their own right, with churches, museums, other historical sights and so on, which is probably the reason that tourists are visiting there anyway—the flowers become a bonus.

A two-flower town

Strasbourg

Colmar

Each year towns can apply for a “Ville Fleurie” rating. This rating includes the best use of green space, quality of life in the town, ways of conserving water, planting of trees and flowers. The places with a 4❀❀❀❀ rating always seem to have an abundance of flowers with vivid colors, or clustered together in striking groups of colors, all begging to be smelled, photographed and admired.

Flower plantings of various kinds are everywhere in these towns, from parks to small gardens to flower boxes on the “ponts” (bridges). The changing of the flowers seems to happen every few months and it’s fun to see what will show up in the gardens next.

Strasbourg

Luxembourg Gardens, Paris

Paris

I cannot even begin to imagine what the flower budget must be in each town or village in France—obviously significant, as is also the time and effort that must go into creating the floral beauty. The French appear to appreciate—and use–their green spaces, which is very obvious when you wander around the wonderful gardens and parks in Paris (where most people start a visit to France). Over the years we have been in Paris at all times of the year and loved the gardens in all seasons. We’ve also enjoyed watching gardeners at work planting in the spring, pruning trees in the summer, replanting for the fall etc. This is especially notable in the Tuileries Gardens, Luxembourg Gardens and Park Monceau.

Vannes—lovely gardens in the former moat

Vannes

Vannes

Vannes

Now, when we travel around France we take note as we enter a town or village whether it has a Ville Fleurie sign and always end up with masses of flower photos if it does.

Vannes has been a Ville Fleurie with a 4❀❀❀❀ rating, and it wanted to keep that rating, hence its special event Les Jardins Éphémères (which I wrote about here https://vivsfrenchadventures.wordpress.com/2017/03/01/jardins-ephemeres-a-first-in-france/ )

But, besides the Ephemeral Gardens, we noticed many other instances of the love of

Vannes—living picture frames

flowers. Here are some examples.

Vannes

Agapanthus sale

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