Enter the world of blooming Slovenia and its colourful botanical gardens.
As snow slowly subsides, spring is in the air throughout the country. The first heralds of spring such as hellebores, snowdrops, primroses and other early spring flowers come to light. Visit blooming parks and botanical gardens which awaken and are full of flowering plants.
Hills and mountains become covered with greenery and colourful flowers later than valleys, but they captivate with their pristine natural beauty. The Velika Planina Plateau will charm you with a purple carpet of spring crocuses. A special spring experience is the image of Golica, a peak in the western Karavanke Alps, which is covered in white in May, not with snow but with daffodils called ključavnice by local people.
If you want to see alpine flora in the valley, visit an alpine botanical garden. One of the most interesting and diverse gardens is Julijana in the picturesque Trenta Valley with around 600 plant species of the Alpine and sub-Mediterranean world. On the Golte Plateau, visit the Alpine Garden which is, at the altitude between 1,300 and 1,400 m, the highest such garden in Europe. Among other things, you can find a tree horoscope and an energy spot here.
Do you adore the scent of mountain meadows? In later spring, when the shades of nature are at their most beautiful, the International Wild Flower Festival is held in Bohinj. Take a stroll through flowering meadows and, accompanied by flower connoisseurs, learn about the wealth of Alpine flora in Bohinj. Taste Alpine flowers on your plate. Create with Alpine flowers in mind. Live and spend time together embraced by blooming spring.
As you visit the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, drop by the botanical garden which is the oldest cultural, scientific and research institution in Slovenia with over 200 years of operation.
Go for a walk through the botanical garden in Maribor, where you will find plants from the Pohorje Hills as well as foreign plant species. Near the second largest Slovenian town, visit the small private botanical garden Tal 2000, which prides itself on thelargest collection of growing self-sown aquatic and riparian plants in Slovenia, including certain endangered species.
Although water scarcity is characteristic of the karst world, you can find beautiful gardens in this part of Slovenia too. The botanical garden in Sežana boasts 200 plant species from around the world. Its special features are 150-year-old cedars, green circles and a special palm nursery which is reminiscent of the nursery in Schönnbrun in Vienna. Among special gardens worth a visit is also the Ferrari Garden in Štanjel, which combines the architectural masterpieces of the well-known karst architect Maks Fabiani and the green plants of the Mediterranean.
Visit the only independent arboretum in Slovenia. Only a few kilometres from Ljubljana, you will find an abundance of flowers in the Volčji Potok Arboretum. It is worth a visit when thousands of colourful tulips bloom. In addition to flowers and over 3,500 tree species, you can visit special exhibitions – this year, you can see life-size whales.
At the end of May and the beginning of June, a flower event is held in nearby Kamnik, where you can admire the town centre adorned with flowers.
You can add the Mozirski gaj Flower Park to your list of places to visit, which is a park near Mozirje, where you can walk through the European Union tree avenue, look for the descendant of the oldest grapevine in the world, and enjoy the views of blooming plains from the observation tower. The park encompasses an open-air museum where you can learn about the architectural heritage of nearby places.
The fresh colours of awakening nature call for a visit. Set off and find interesting corners of Slovenia.