Saturday, November 17, 2012

Ville Fleurie

   I cannot even imagine what the flower budget must be in each town or village in France. The french appear to appreciate their green spaces which is duly noted upon in all the gardens and parks just in Paris alone. Flower plantings are everywhere from parks to small gardens to all the "ponts". The changing of the flowers gives way to a new passing of time every few months. It is fun to see what will show up in the gardens next. Spring is probably my favorite month to see all the flowers as they are in abundance with eye-popping vivid colors begging to be smelled, photographed and admired. I took note of this flower planting the other day in Le Pecq where I live.  There was probably a crew of 15 men working on planting bulbs in the freshly prepared soil for the following spring.

Each year towns can apply for a "Ville Fleurie" rating. This rating encompasses the best use of green space, quality of life in the town, ways of conserving water, planting trees and flowers. As I watched the men plant, I noticed that our town had a new "Ville Fleurie" sign with 4 stars!! I was ecstatic as this is a high rating for a town.  While Le Pecq is not a charming town so to speak compared to its neighbor St. Germain-en-Laye just up the hill, it boasts a beautiful green space along the Seine, lovely plantings and a water treatment plant that not only treats the water coming from the Seine into potable drinking water, this site is also home to many bird species and native flowers. One can even take a tour of the site to see how the water is treated. So the next time, you are driving through any town or village in France, take note of their "Ville Fleurie" award as it is quite a distinguishable notoriety to have.

* bridges
So cheers to you Le Pecq for the "Ville Fleurie" 2012 rating!

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