Photo 1. Petar Vrgoč, Ph.D., explaining the procedure of making a bonsai
tree to the “Medved” Forestry Society (Photo by M. Randić)

STUDY TOUR OF THE “MEDVED” FORESTRY SOCIETY

After visiting the Strict Reserve Bijele and Samarske
Stijene and the Risnjak National Park, some 20 members of the “Medved”
Forestry Society of Kočevje (with which P.I. “Priroda” established
a rapport during Project SOŽITJE) wanted to learn more about the sub-Mediterranean
part of Krk Island. While touring the woody north-western part of the
island they were joined by a “Priroda” employee. Together we
visited Jezero near Njivice, one of the rare freshwater oases found on
the Adriatic islands. In addition to having aquatic and wetland habitats,
this area also features forests with many continental tree species. These
forests were especially interesting to our guests from Slovenia because
this is where bears sometimes stay after swimming to Krk Island from the
neighbouring mainland.

After seeing Jezero, we made our way to the greenery
P&B Hortikultura and the bonsai tree exhibition held there. Petar
Vrgoč, Ph.D., organizer of the exhibition, took us on a tour through the
exhibition and vividly explained the entire procedure of growing bonsai
trees (Photo 1). Especially interesting were two specimens of bonsai pine
created by Petar Vrgoč: an Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) bonsai called
Lucija and a black pine (P. nigra) bonsai called Lara. These pines are
ideal for creating “miniature trees” because they have short
needles and a unique colour and texture of needles and bark (Photos 2
and 3). Read more about the bonsai exhibition at: rasadnik-krk.com/index.php/izlozba-bonsaija

Photo 2. Specimens of bonsai trees created from pine cultivars: a black
pine (Pinus nigra) – Lara – and an Aleppo pine (P. halepensis) – Lucija
(Photo by M. Randić)

Photo 3. Petar Vrgoč explaining the process of producing pine cultivars
at the greenery (Photo by M. Randić)