The EU and Rose

Exhibition of roses of the European Union (1 July – 30 October 2021)

Arboretum Volčji Potok organised the EU and Rose exhibition to mark the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council. The national flags mark flowerbeds with roses from 27 member states of the European Union.

The rose gardens of Arboretum Volčji Potok prepared for this occasion well in advance. We contacted rosarians from member states whose roses were not yet part of our collection. We can now show a rose cultivated in each of the EU countries; if there are no rose cultivators in the country, it is represented by the country’s traditional variety.

Most of these flowerbeds are located in the Upper Rose Garden and the Convention Hill in front of it, and some of them among the Papal Roses and in the Lower Rose Garden.

Papal Roses

Arboretum Volčji Potok was part of international protocol events between the Republic of Slovenia, Slovenian Embassy to the Holy See, and the Vatican. This initiated a relationship, which enabled the management and experts at the Arboretum to access the gardens of the Vatican and the Palace of Castel Gandolfo, and led to the eventual co-operation of the two teams of gardeners.

In 2016, the Arboretum conceived of an idea to establish a collection of roses grown from the grafts of roses from the papal garden. Roses that have been grafted with Vatican grafts, are accompanied by roses named after popes, places of pilgrimage, saints, religious orders, etc. We have named this collection The Papal Roses.

Convention Hill

We have named the rose garden between the main house and the upper rose garden Convention Hill. This was done to honour the convention of the World Federation of Rose Society, which was held in Slovenia in June 2017. The convention took place over two days in Arboretum Volčji Potok.

This was the Society’s first convention in Central or Eastern Europe. It was dedicated to presenting the current and historical rose landscapes in territories east of the Trieste-Szczecin line, which had been almost completely unknown to world public beforehand. The meeting in Slovenia was very successful and is still considered by the international public as one of the most well-organised and experience-rich conventions.

Convention Hill boasts flowerbeds of three varieties, which represent the cultivating highlights of Central and Eastern European regions. The memorial planting is limited to four arch-shaped flowerbeds. The roses in the other flowerbeds are thematically related to the upper rose garden.

Upper Rose Garden

The Upper Rose Garden is one of the most bountiful flower gardens in Arboretum Volčji Potok. It is home to almost 600 rose varieties. Apart from flowerbeds, the Upper Rose Garden also contains pergolas pyramids, rose arches, pillars and garlands; these different height levels create a dynamic rose garden.

The Upper Rose Garden opens onto a beautiful view of the lake, the castle hill and its natural grotto, Homec and the village church, and on the opposite side towards the dramatic peaks of the Kamnik Alps.

Arboretum Volčji Potok maintains 1,135 rose varieties, predominantly German (32%) and French (22%). Our other emphasis is on disease resistant varieties. This part of the collection is highly contemporary: 40% of all the roses in the Arboretum came onto market after 2000. The regional collection is unique in Europe, with somewhere over 200 varieties created in Central and Eastern Europe.

Lower Rose Garden

The lower rose garden lies in the lower parterre of Arboretum Volčji Potok. It spans a vast area between the chestnut avenue at the entrance and the children’s playground. It is designed quite differently than the upper rose garden. Here, the organically-shaped flowerbeds are placed in front of tree clusters. It mainly consists of tall-growing roses, so-called rose bushes.

Due to a deer invasion, some of the flowerbeds had to be protected with temporary fencing or an electric fence. You are free to enter the enclosure, but please remember to close the gate of the electric fence behind you.