Oleg Valenchuk: Thanks to active Kirov residents, our city is flourishing.

      Every autumn the jury announces the results of the "Let's Decorate the Motherland with Flowers!" competition, organized by the Union of Gardeners of Russia for ten years running. In spring residents of apartment buildings receive flower seeds free of charge. Enthusiasts grew seedlings from them, which became additions to existing flower beds or the start of new ones, drew up planting plans and, together with their neighbors, carefully tended the beds. To make the task easier for such active residents of high-rise buildings, Oleg Valenchuk launched a course of free classes in landscape design.

      This movement, aimed at greening and improving the regional center, has turned into a real celebration of beauty that brings neighbors together. The variety of categories allows people with different levels of ability and professional training to take part in the competition. The results are impressive: not only the areas around apartment buildings and playgrounds are transformed, but the appearance of entire streets changes.

      This year residents of the apartment buildings in the city of Kirov distinguished themselves in particular, demonstrating enthusiasm and enormous creative potential. The winners of the competition were the authors of floral compositions in the courtyards at Surikova Street, 42/1; Zarechnaya Street, 6; and Stroiteley Prospekt, 17/1.

      In special categories the jury noted the collective works of residents of the houses at:

      Chistoprudnenskaya Street, 12 (category "New Flowerbed");

      Kooperativnaya Street, 6 (category "Floral Fantasy");

      Mostovitskaya Street, 5 (category "Be Your Own Director");

      Stroiteley Prospekt, 9 (category "Friendly Yard").

      Each courtyard is beautiful and unique in its own way. For example, the residents of the building on Stroiteley Prospekt, 17/1 fondly call their courtyard a "paradise garden." It has become a true place of attraction for neighbors.

      The contest is not only a competition but also a platform for exchanging experience, inspiration and collective creativity. Last year's celebration for winners and nominees clearly demonstrated this. The residents of the building at Nekrasova Street, 55 shared their joy with neighbors, including the residents of the building at Surikova Street, 42/1, who this year, taking into account last year's experience, won the well-deserved first place.

      The diploma holders of the competition were residents of the houses at:

      Solnechnaya Street, 55;

      Lenina Street, 187 - HOA "Yuzhnoye-1";

      Mira Street, 14;

      Oktyabrsky Prospekt, 68;

      Krasny Khimik Street, 1, bldg. 3;

      Sloboda Sosheni, Molodezhnaya Street, 3;

      Moskovskaya Street, 201;

      Rabochaya Street, 9;

      Potrebkooperatsii Street, 38;

      Yekaterina Kochkina Street, 4.

      Kirovo-Chepetsk: Komissara Utrobina Street, 10a.

      The photographs and videos submitted to the competition allow one to appreciate the scale and beauty of the transformation. Blooming beds, original compositions, fairy-tale figures — all of this creates an atmosphere of joy and harmony.

      "Thanks to active residents, our Vyatka land is flourishing," noted Oleg Valenchuk. "And the 'Let's Decorate the Motherland with Flowers!' competition is a vivid example of how, through joint efforts, one can transform the native city and make it even more beautiful for future generations. It proves that even the boldest ideas can be brought to life thanks to the activity and creative approach of citizens."

      Winners and diploma holders will be awarded diplomas and gift certificates for city stores. They will also continue to compete for the grand prize — 30,000 rubles. The winner will be determined by a randomizer in a live broadcast in the "Union of Gardeners of Russia – Kirov" group on VKontakte (https://vk.com/minigardener) on September 29 at 11:00.