If you asked Bill and me to come up with a nickname for our new hometown, we’d probably say Festival City since it seems there’s always some kind of celebration going on all year long. The 6-week-long summer music festival attracts worldwide attention while a food or wine exhibition might only be covered in the local press…and on this blog since we never miss one of those! Last month Carcassonne sponsored a flower contest to encourage residents to decorate their balconies, terraces, and yards for all to see. They neglected to mention that the city itself was going to give all of the contestants a run for their money with floral displays at lots of gardens and monuments.

In an earlier post we talked about our post office’s parking lot that had become a park with a garden. Elsewhere in town the squares and places have been turned into colorful playgrounds for bees and people happy to share the bounty. Even the main driving street through the Bastide part of the city has been lined with window boxes to join in the fun.

Not to be outdone by the humans in town, nature gave the contest a shot as well. Plants that we struggled to grow in Atlanta like poppies flourish like, well, weeds and the aptly-named wallflower clings effortlessly to the castle ramparts. Even the roofs aren’t neglected where it looks as if the terracotta tiles provide the perfect nesting spot for succulents.

So who won the contest? Here are a couple of shots; one balcony winner and one in-town garden winner. Watch out next year when we have our own courtyard!