We meet in the gardens

More than 20 countries, including France (the initiator of the event), are opening the doors of their diverse gardens to visitors during the first weekend of June as part of the European Let's Get It On event. This year's theme Gardens of stones - stones of gardens invites us, to recognise stone and stone elements in their various forms (material, furnishings, structure, emphasis, sculpture, etc.) as building blocks of park designs and our experience.

We meet in the gardens (French Rendez-vous aux jardins) is an event to highlight the richness and diversity of historic and contemporary parks and gardens across Europe. The initiative comes from France, where for more than twenty years the Rendez-vous aux jardins (We meet in the gardens) during the first weekend in June. In 2018, the initiative was extended to other European gardens and parks. Last year, 3,075 gardens in Europe took part, including 2,305 in France and 770 gardens in 21 other participating countries: Andorra, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland. In Slovenia, 30 public and private gardens and parks took part, organising more than 50 events on the theme of pet the senses in the garden. You are invited to take a look map of participants and reports about last year's events.

The aim of the initiative is to make the public aware of the diversity and richness of gardens and parks and their cultural significance, while educating them about the positive effects on the well-being of garden and park visitors. To is also an opportunity to raise awareness of the many measures implemented by the Ministry of Culture, the Volčji Potok Arboretum, the Slovenian Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, local communities and owners to preserve, restore, design gardens and transfer specialised knowledge and skills.

In 2025, the Gardens and Parks will be open from Friday 6 June to Sunday 8 June, with the following theme Stone gardens and garden stones. Friday is mainly dedicated to events for schoolchildren. The initiative is an important opportunity to showcase our parks and gardens to the wider public through various activities such as guided tours, expert demonstrations, workshops, exhibitions and concerts. The event is also an opportunity for information exchange between owners, managers, gardeners, professionals and visitors of all ages.

Volčji Potok Arboretum in cooperation with Ministry of Culture coordinates the initiative in Slovenia The contact person is Mateja Račevski from the Volčji Potok Arboretum (mateja.racevski@arboretum.si).

For more information on how to register for events, see Volčji Potok Arboretum website.

You are invited to participate!

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