The Var region and Alpes-Maritimes area are the third most forested areas of France and are well known for their variety of pine trees. Best known and most obvious from its 'umbrella' shaped canopy is the stone pine (or umbrella pine). Other species include the maritime and aleppo pines.
All across the French Riviera there various notable trees that very much epitomise the Mediterranean climate, such as the cyrpress, lotus, fig, almond and oak.
The warm climate also makes it very easy for palm trees, aloes, olive, orange and lemon trees to grow. And of course an abundance of flowering trees, shrubs and bushes like the mimosa, jasmine, roses and carnations. The main place for orange and lemon trees is between Cannes, Antibes, Monaco and Menton. The latter in particular being very well known for their citrus production. Many of the cut flowers that you will find in the flower markets are grown around the Frejus and Antibes areas, however carnations and roses are mainly grown in Nice and Grasse areas, well known for their 'parfumerie's'.
The Greeks introduced the olive tree to Provence some 2,500 years ago. The Mediterranean climate is naturally excellent for the olive tree. It grows everywhere on slopes and in valleys up to a height of 600 metres. The harvest takes place in August and are mostly hand-picked before being processed into olive oil.
| Ville | Dinstinctions |
|---|---|
| Cannes |  |
| Menton | |
| Nice | |
| Antibes |  |
| Beausoleil | |
| Cagnes-sur-Mer | |
| Falicon | |
| Grasse | |
| Mandelieu-la-Napoule | |
| Mouans-Sartoux | |
| St Laurent du Var | |
| Valbonne | |
| Villeneuve-Loubet | |
| Bairols |  |
| Beaulieu-sur-Mer | |
| Biot | |
| Carros | |
| Castagniers | |
| Castillon | |
| Eze | |
| Gourdon | |
| La Brigue | |
| La Roquette-sur-Siagne | |
| Roquefort-les-Pins | |
| St Blaise | |
| St Etienne de Tinée | |
| St Jeannet | |
| St Vallier de Thiey | |
| Tende | |
| Théoule-sur-Mer | |
| Tourrettes-sur-Loup | |
| Vallauris | |
| Vence | |
| Villefranche-sur-mer | |
| Ville | Dinstinctions |
|---|---|
| Bormes-les-Mimosas | |
| Hyères les Palmiers | |
| Le Lavandou | |
| Sanary-sur-Mer | |
| Bandol | |
| Brignoles | |
| Cavalaire-sur-Mer | |
| Draguignan | |
| Fréjus | |
| Grimaud | |
| La Garde | |
| La Londe les Maures | |
| La Seyne-sur-Mer | |
| La Valette du Var | |
| Ollioules | |
| St Cyr-sur-Mer | |
| St Raphaël | |
| Sainte Maxime | |
| Seillans | |
| Six Fours les plages | |
| Sollies Pont | |
| Toulon | |
| Baudinard sur Verdon | |
| Cogolin | |
| Collobrières | |
| Flassans sur Issole | |
| La Cadière d'Azur | |
| La Crau | |
| Le Pradet | |
| Le Revest les Eaux | |
| Montauroux | |
| Neoules | |
| Vidauban | |
Concours des villes et villages fleuris
Le concours des villes et villages fleuris est un concours créé en 1959 en France pour promouvoir le fleurissement et les espaces verts urbains. Originellement piloté par les services de l’État, sa coordination nationale en est assurée depuis 1972 par le Comité national pour le fleurissement de la France, rebaptisé Conseil national des villes et villages fleuris en 2001. Il est ouvert à toutes les communes de France.
Lorsqu'une commune participe au concours, elle reçoit un niveau allant de 1 à 4 fleurs. Les niveaux de 1 à 3 fleurs sont désignés par le comité régional. Ce comité peut sélectionner les communes susceptibles d'obtenir un niveau supérieur comme la quatrième fleur et le Trophée « Fleur d'Or » qui sont attribués par le conseil national.
Suite à la session 2018, plus de 4 923 communes ont obtenu un niveau, dont 257 ont obtenu le niveau 4 fleurs. Le trophée « Fleur d'Or » a été attribué à une quarantaine de communes depuis son instauration en 2008. Ce dernier est accordé à un nombre limité de villes et villages classés 4 fleurs.
Le niveau obtenu ne peut pas être qualifié de « label » : en effet en France, le mot « label » est réservé aux dénominations officielles, les pseudo-labels sont des « marques distinctives créées par un syndicat professionnel ou un organisme parapublic et apposées sur un produit commercialisé pour en garantir la qualité, voire la conformité avec des normes de fabrication ».
Concours des villes et villages fleuris
The Concours des villes et villages fleuris ("towns and villages in bloom competition") is a contest organised annually in France which aims to encourage communes to adopt and implement policies that improve the quality of life of their inhabitants and enhance their attractiveness to visitors through the provision and maintenance of green spaces and the enhancement of their natural environments. Successful communes are awarded the right to display a badge (showing from one to four flowers) on road signs and in other local promotional material.
The competition was created in 1959 by the French state and it is administered by a distinct national committee since 1972. This committee is still linked to the Ministry of Tourism. All the French communes can take part and there are no application fees. There is not any limitation to the number of awarded communes, so they are not in competition between each other.
The label has experienced a large success since its creation. The number of villages taking part in the contest has increased from 600 at its inception, to 5,300 in 1972, 10,000 in 1993, and 12,000 in 2005.
The label comprises four awards: one, two, three or four flowers, according to the efforts of the municipality. Each award is given according to strict criteria. The "Fleur d'Or" (golden flower) is a special prize awarded to a small number of applicants. Labelled communes display their flowers on road signs at their entrances.
As of 2015, there are some 12,000 awarded cities, towns and villages. They represent a third of all the French communes. 226 of them have 4 flowers.
