Thirty-three-year-old Borut Benedejčič arranged and designed many gardens in our country and abroad. After finishing his studies, he gathered additional knowledge about arranging ornamental gardens, arboriculture and arranging parks and gardens in Italy and England. For Pepin's karst garden
Thirty-three-year-old Borut Benedejčič arranged and designed many gardens in our country and abroad. After finishing his studies, he gathered additional knowledge about arranging ornamental gardens, arboriculture and arranging parks and gardens in Italy and England. For Pepin's karst garden is at Britain's second most important horticultural show, the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, received best grade and gold medal in the category of small gardens. His love for Karst is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for his creation of small oases of peace and beauty.
Do Slovenes often seek professional help in arranging their gardens?
Gardening and landscaping is closely related to the economic strength of a country's population. Unfortunately, we Slovenians do not have a great history of counts and nobles, who at that time were the only ones who could afford gardens. In the West, this type of activity is much more developed and has a long tradition. It is more prestigious in nature. We are not very horticulturally aware. This kind of culture has been developing here for the last fifteen years. But there are more and more people for whom a well-kept garden means a lot and is an extension of their living space. Since they admit that they don't know much about plants or simply don't have time to arrange the garden, they call in experts for help.
Are there trends in landscaping?
Recently, natural, organic forms have come to the fore. Natural materials are used such as stone, terra cotta, wood without protection, so that it acquires a certain patina... On the other hand, there is a certain modern minimalism. Simple lines, unpretentious creations. The garden should always be looked at in such a way that once we have finished it, we will also have to maintain it. If a demanding creation is not properly maintained, it will not be expressed in the future, and thus the author of the garden has achieved nothing. This most often happens in public areas.
Are there any "and" plants?
Not even when creating gardens. But there are some constants. Since the twelfth century onwards, the boxwood has been present in the arrangement of gardens. She had a sadder air for a while. Our grandmothers considered it a funeral plant. Over the past five years, however, it has proven to be an outstanding structural plant that can be used in a variety of plantings, growing in shade, partial shade, and full sun.
How can we arrange our own garden?
The first rule is not to complicate the arrangement of the garden. Less is more. Constantly changing plants and arranging the garden according to fads, without taking into account the climate and conditions we have in the garden, do not pay off financially in the long term. It used to be considered prestigious to hire a professional landscaper. But if we try three or four times to arrange the garden ourselves, it can cost us more than if we called professional help the first time, which is increasingly available to us.
How are the preparations for the international competition going?
You must be nominated for the Royal Society. You cannot buy participation in the exhibition. For Pep's Garden, we had forty-six tons of material that we had to transport to London. We had to set up the garden as if it had been there for two hundred years. We showed the facade of a typical Karst house, irrigation with a Karst stern... They were very amazed at how smart and ecological a solution we found for irrigating the garden within our tradition. All the plants we planted were wild and typical of the Karst. We also built karst limestone drywall without using a binder. We put all this up for a fortnight.
What about future projects?
Every ten years, the biggest horticultural event in the world, Floriada, takes place. In 2012, it will take place in the Netherlands for the fifth time. The exhibition, which will take place from April to October, will be visited by over two million people. Forty countries will present themselves at this one, and we were chosen as the official representatives of Slovenia. The project is called the Unique Forgotten Karst Park. With this project, we want to draw attention to the issue of preserving cultural and natural heritage. We will also highlight the biodiversity of plants and animals in Slovenia. The forgotten park is due to the fact that in Slovenia we do not place enough emphasis on the protection of cultural heritage. Few people are aware of the fact that most of the Karst has become overgrown in the last ten years. This is how the variety of plants and everything that man has created over the centuries in this area, such as shepherd's paths, ridges, etc., is being lost. We will certainly do our best to represent Slovenia, but the preparations are exhausting and are already underway, as such a large project is also very a big financial deal.
Where should we go for inspiration to set up an authentic karst garden?
We have many excellent excursion spots in the Karst. The typical karst village Pliskovica already has a well-developed tourist offer. In addition to the youth hotel, we can go to the cheese maker and see how our grandparents made cheese. You can treat yourself to homemade honey when visiting a beekeeper and see what the stonemasons are doing. The Ferrari garden in Štanjel is very interesting, and the Raj pod kostanji garden in Kobdilje is very beautiful. On the Italian side, you can stop in the Carsiana park near Zgonik. In Dutovlje, you can watch the re-establishment of Pep's garden live.
