Flowers on the balcony and Florence is blooming

Encouraging residents to convert these spaces into gardens

Last week, the official website of Florence informed residents that they can now sign up for the second edition of the ‘Fiori a Fiorenza’ competition, which will judge who has the most beautiful balcony in terms of plants and flowers. This contest began in 2020 after an agreement was signed between the authorities and the Tuscan Horticultural Association to promote environmental awareness in the city and to involve citizens directly in actions that promote beautifying its image.

This year, the contest also has the goal to promote bee gardens

The competition has an aesthetic but also an educational aim, as it encourages people to be more mindful and more curious about nature, gardening and biodiversity. Speaking of the latter, that is also this year’s contest objective – to promote biodiversity by attracting pollinating insects, such as bees, which help propagate plant pollen.

For that purpose, participants will receive seeds for the phacelia flower, which is especially liked by pollinators. This purple flower, also known as scorpionweed, will be sown along the banks of the Arno River, thus the idea is to create a unified and harmonic floral image of the city.

Furthermore, the bee theme will be completed with the creation of two apiary gardens at Villa Favard and a bee-shaped art installation called ‘Bee The Change’, which will be visible on Piazzale Michelangelo at the end of April.

Residents who would like to participate in the contest can register online by 7 June. Winners will be decided by a mixed vote between an expert jury and online voting (which will be available 7-14 June). The 10 winners (2 per district) will receive their awards at a ceremony on 21 June.