Quimper is well known for the quality of its floral displays. These are the result of meticulous and passionate work on the part of the city gardeners. Their skill and knowledge of plant life is essential to the composition of the many flower beds and planters. Many places in the city centre are planted with flowers: the ramparts garden near the Cathedral, the Quai Dupleix gardens, the place de la Résistance and the outside of the tourist office. There are also many carefully arranged planters along the Odet and the Steir, the two main rivers of the city (the third being the Frout).

The compositions change along with the seasons (winter, spring, summer, autumn)

The three district annexes of the town hall (Penhars, Ergué-Armel, Kerfeunteun), the entrances to the city and the ring road roundabouts are all planted with flowers. One of the characteristics of Quimper is that it has numerous roundabouts around the outskirts of the city. Certain of these have become beacons of planting, showcasing the artistic imagination of the sector supervisors and welcoming visitors to the city….

New Trends

So far, the Department of Green Spaces has developed a new floral theme each year. The objectives are to evolve:

• flowers and plants (increasing the possibilities with new styles and concepts)
• gardening practices,
• knowledge of the use of plants, introduction of new plants

In 2016, this system has been changed and whilst the creativity of the floral displays will remain, the focus will be more on architecture and plant association, with some sites being retained in order to possibly incorporate structures into floral displays.

No common theme, but different scenes designed to draw the eye!

A self-sustaining horticultural production

The Department of Green Spaces has a specialised team responsible for producing the flowers and plants needed for the community. Production greenhouses and fields are located in the Hippodrome area and produce approximately 150,000 plants per year, assuring self-sufficiency for the green spaces service. To ensure the planting of green spaces, no less than 3,350 m² of greenhouses, 3,300 m² of above-ground planting and 1,250 m² of bed planting are needed.