The 1st International Baltic Summer Flower Bed Festival has concluded in Riga with an awards ceremony for the winners. Residents are still encouraged to enjoy the splendour of the plantings.
On 4 August, the 1st International Baltic Summer Flower Bed Festival, initiated by SIA “Rīgas meži”, concluded with the judging of Riga's flower beds and the awarding of the winners. In Latvia, the Alsunga skirt colour and pattern bed, located in Uzvaras Park at the intersection of Slokas Street and Uzvaras Boulevard, triumphed.
Summer floral plantings in all the capital cities were judged in four categories: design, creativity, innovation, and maintenance. For the first time, residents were also able to vote online for their favourite bed, which received the “People's Choice” award. The most active voters were in Latvia with 2,488 votes, followed by Lithuania with 1,355 votes, and Estonia with 1,169 votes.
Results:
“Design” category:
Vilnius: MO muziejaus skveras / flower bed in the square by the “MO Museum”,
Tallinn: Luigetiigi peenar / flower bed by the Swan Pond,
Riga: Alsunga skirt colour and pattern bed, in Uzvaras Park, at the intersection of Slokas Street and Uzvaras Boulevard, Pārdaugava district of the “Gardens and Parks” division.
“Creativity and Innovation” category:
Vilnius: Subačiaus gatvės apžvalgos aikštelė / Subačius Street viewpoint flower bed,
Tallinn: Luigetiigi peenar / flower bed by the Swan Pond,
Riga: Flower bed marking the ancient course of the Rīdzene River, at Līvu Square, Rīdzene district of the “Gardens and Parks” division.
“Maintenance” category:
Vilnius: Vokiečių gatvė / Vokiečiai Street flower bed,
Tallinn: “Harmonicum” flower bed,
Riga: Alsunga skirt colour and pattern bed, in Uzvaras Park, at the intersection of Slokas Street and Uzvaras Boulevard, Pārdaugava district of the “Gardens and Parks” division.
“Grand Prix” category: – an award presented to the flower bed in each city that received the highest total score across all judging criteria:
Vilnius: MO muziejaus skveras / flower bed in the square by the “MO Museum”,
Tallinn: “Harmonicum” flower bed,
Riga: Alsunga skirt colour and pattern bed, in Uzvaras Park, at the intersection of Slokas Street and Uzvaras Boulevard. This bed also won 1st place last year.
“People's Choice” category:
Vilnius: flower bed by the Vilnius Business Centre, 444 votes,
Tallinn: “Harmonicum” flower bed, 289 votes,
Riga: Suiti mitten colour bed, at the square of the intersection of Kuldīgas and Slokas Street, 620 votes, Pārdaugava district of the “Gardens and Parks” division.
Jury members acknowledged that the plantings in each city – Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn – have their own story and signature style. Specialists have created the beds with imagination and emotion; they are carefully and professionally maintained and admired by the public.
Perennial plants are increasingly appearing in Vilnius flower beds, and, much like in Riga, the focus in the Lithuanian capital is on the sustainability of the plantings. Meanwhile, in Tallinn, historical plantings are being restored in relatively high numbers using modern techniques.
The summer floral plantings of the “Rīgas meži” “Gardens and Parks” division are magnificent. This year, they are primarily characterised by four things: 1) they are dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Song and Dance Festival, 2) the plantings are becoming increasingly sustainable, 3) there is a new bed in Kronvalda Park created based on a painting by artist Elita Patmalniece, 4) there are floral compositions that have retained their established identity and are dominated by red, white, and red colours, highlighting the national significance of these locations and their patriotic atmosphere.
The Summer Flower Bed Festival took place from 2-4 August in Vilnius, Tallinn, and Riga. During this time, a jury from the capital cities' companies managing greenery – “Rīgas meži”, “Vilniaus miesto parkai”, and “Kadrioru park” – as well as from the municipalities, visited one another, explored the plantings, their design and care, and jointly evaluated the beds in each city.
Festival participants acknowledged that such an event is valuable and useful, and that it should be held again next year, perhaps by expanding the circle of participants.
Although the festival has concluded, residents are still invited to enjoy the beauty of Riga's floral plantings! “Rīgas meži” has specifically created a digital route for the greenery: https://ej.uz/177v. It includes more than 20 compositions that lead through plantings created and maintained by the “Rīgas meži” “Gardens and Parks” division in the city centre, as well as in Pārdaugava, Mežaparks, Teika, and Ziemeļblāzma Park.
