“Everything is in one flower with us, and therefore it is high time to share this beauty with others. Therefore, I will be very happy if the readers of the Metro newspaper come to us as well,” Mejstřík entices, adding that this year several novelties await those interested. “I personally am looking forward to the new azaleas that I planted recently, as well as the eighty-centimeter pear tree. It has a very beautiful bark,” adds Mejstřík, who has worked tens of thousands of hours in the fragmented gardens towering over the Central Bohemian village.
Love and hard work
The Master does almost all the work in the arboretum himself, with the help of family and friends. In the past, it could not do without heavy mechanization. Stones are an integral part of the collection garden. Visitors can see around four hundred tons of minerals here, mainly small and larger pieces of Sliven marble or limestone from Tetín quarries. Boulders line the paths and form the dominant features of rockeries and flower beds.
In the garden, there is a lake or a viewing area with a bench or an orangery. Over the years, Mejstrík also planted over three thousand so-called conifer cultivars and over a thousand deciduous trees in the arboretum. The trees here are complemented by over seventy species of rhododendrons and thirty species of azaleas, around a hundred heathers and heathers.
“The season will hopefully go on as usual. In other words, adult visitors pay 90 crowns per person at the entrance, students and senior citizens 50 crowns, and then they can stay as long as they want. It also applies that, except for Sundays, we open at ten in the morning and close at six in the evening, but everything is by agreement. It’s no problem to call at any time, and I can let interested parties in through the gate de facto at any time,” Mejstřík offers, adding that even some locals still have no idea what natural treasure they have within reach in their neighborhood.
Jan Mejstřík opens the arboretum in Všenory for the eleventh time. The dendrological gardens are located on a north-facing slope on an area of two and a half hectares. In addition to flowers, there are about three and a half thousand different types of trees.
“Last year, we officially closed sometime in November. It was beautiful for a long time. We’ll see how it goes this year,” Mejstrík shrugs.
More heads built more
The concept of the first part of the arboretum came from the mind of Jiří Mareček, with whom Mejstřík, as the owner and co-creator of the idea, already collaborated during his tenure at the University of Agriculture and later also on the creation of a beautiful garden in Všenory. In 2016, the arboretum was expanded. In addition to the collection of conifers with an area of around three hectares, it also includes an old cherry tree with approximately the same area. In the next part, the planting of an assortment of deciduous trees begins. “Orientation is also important and a thorough system of records is required. Therefore, each plant has a tag with its number and name tag,” concludes Mejstřík.
Tags: colorful paradise Prague blooming attracts azaleas eightycentimeter pear tree
