This is not just planting trees. This is restoring a living landscape.
At Lunina dolina every tree plays its part — it gives shade, protects the soil, holds water, feeds animals and opens corridors for nature. Together they form a landscape that breathes, grows and will outlive us.
Trees that are already growing
Trees are already growing at Lunina dolina, planted by our own hands and hearts — some from seed, some as saplings, some were here before us. Pedunculate oak, beech, lime, maples, bird cherry, poplar, fir, spruce. Alongside them an orchard with apple, pear, plum, cherry, walnut, fig, persimmon and medlar.
And the shrubs that feed: hazel, cornelian cherry, elder, currant, blueberries, gooseberries. Each of these plants is part of a considered mosaic — food for people, food for animals, shelter, shade and a root that holds the soil together.
Why trees are not decoration
Every tree is a worker. Roots hold water and prevent erosion. Canopies shade the soil and cool it through hot summers. Rotting and dead wood in the orchard is home to the stag beetle and hundreds of insect species. Fruit feeds birds, wildlife and us.
Trees are corridors for animals — a bird flying from hedge to hedge never crosses bare ground. A hedgehog moves hidden beneath the shrubs. A butterfly follows the flowers from meadow to orchard. Where there are trees, there is life. Where there are trees, there is a future.
"Villagers once gathered beneath the lime tree. At Lunina dolina we are bringing that feeling back."
The lime is not just a tree. It is memory and promise.
The lime (Tilia) is a symbol of the Slovenian countryside — the tree beneath which the affairs of the community were once settled, songs were sung and bread was shared. Its shade was a natural hall. Its scent in blossom is among the warmest things nature knows. At Lunina dolina the lime is not decoration — it is the centre. The place where people, bees and stories come to rest.
Woodland and native trees
Pedunculate oak · Beech · Lime · Maples · Bird cherry · Poplar · Fir · Spruce
Native trees are the backbone of the landscape. The oak gives a home to hundreds of species, the beech builds forest humus, the bird cherry flowers early for pollinators. They are here because they have always been here.
Traditional standard orchard
Apple · Pear · Plum · Cherry · Walnut · Fig · Persimmon · Medlar
Every fruit tree is an ecosystem. The blossom feeds the bees, the fruit feeds birds and us, and the old trunk feeds the stag beetle and the owl. An orchard that stands for a long time — gives for a long time.
Shrubs and berries
Hazel · Cornelian cherry · Elder · Currant · Blueberries · Gooseberries
Shrubs are the edge that holds the whole ecosystem together. The hazel is the first food for bees after winter. The elder flowers, fruits and heals. The cornelian cherry turns autumn into red fire.
The poplar — the tree that drinks water
The poplar is a natural moisture regulator. One mature poplar absorbs enormous quantities of water and helps balance wet and occasionally flooded ground. At Lunina dolina it grows where the soil needs it — and in return the soil gives it room to grow high into the sky.
The birch — pioneer of degraded soils
The birch is a healer. It takes root where nothing else will — on poor, disturbed ground — and gradually improves soil structure, adds organic matter and prepares the ground for the trees that come after it. The birch does not wait for an invitation. It simply begins.
Planting for future generations
At Lunina dolina we plan trees we may never see in full growth — and that is exactly where the beauty lies. Giant sequoia, tulip tree, ginkgo, Japanese maple, sweetgum, Korean fir, birch, river birch and special maples such as Kelly's Gold — each of these trees brings new shade, new colour and a new home for some creature we do not yet know. This is a long-term vision — for beauty, for knowledge, for biodiversity and for those who will walk this land after us.
Honestly: nature is not always an easy partner
Some trees were damaged — water voles gnawed at the roots, deer stripped the bark from young saplings. Some we will have to plant again. And that is all right.
Regenerative farming is not about controlling nature — it is about learning from it. Every failure is data. Every damaged sapling teaches us where we need better protection, better placement, better understanding. The valley is growing. Together with us.
A walk among the trees
You walk through the young orchard, between tall trees and hedgerows. Our guide tells you about every species — why it is here, how it grows, whom it feeds. You feel the shade and the pleasantly cooler microclimate beneath the canopies. You watch birds, insects and the small life that goes on without us.
No hurry. No PowerPoint explanation. Just the living landscape — and you within it.
Book a walk →Cooler microclimate beneath the canopies
Birds and insects up close
20+ species of trees and shrubs
Suitable for families and children
Become part of the living landscape
Plant a tree, walk among the trees or become a tree sponsor. Every step counts — for the landscape and for you.