Juta Krulc
Slovenia’s First Landscape Architect and Creator of the Kržišnik Garden
Juta Krulc (1913–2015) was a pioneer of Slovenian landscape architecture—and one of its most quietly revolutionary cultural figures. Over the course of a life spanning more than a century, she transformed over 400 gardens across Slovenia and helped redefine the garden as more than ornament. To her, it was a place of memory, reflection, and continuity—a vital part of the human home.
Juta Krulc (1913–2015) was a pioneer of Slovenian landscape architecture—and one of its most quietly revolutionary cultural figures. Over the course of a life spanning more than a century, she transformed over 400 gardens across Slovenia and helped redefine the garden as more than ornament. To her, it was a place of memory, reflection, and continuity—a vital part of the human home.
At a time when few in Slovenia viewed gardens as spaces of emotional or creative depth, Juta recognized in them something sacred. Her work elevated landscape design to a living art—unfolding across seasons, deeply rooted in human presence and ecological sensitivity. A garden, she believed, begins only after planting. It must grow, evolve, and resonate with those who live with it.
Early Life and Architectural Roots
Born in Radovljica in 1913, at the edge of the Julian Alps, Juta was shaped by alpine forests and traditional Slovenian gardens. She studied architecture at the University of Ljubljana, graduating in 1937 under modernist Ivan Vurnik. But her path diverged from conventional architecture after World War II.
Drawn to the “in-between” spaces—yards, paths, informal plantings—she created her own education in landscape design, illustrating wildflowers, studying horticulture, and working closely with Prof. Ciril Jeglič at the Volčji Potok Arboretum. There she refined her understanding of seasonal rhythm, spatial flow, and botanical composition.
A Distinctive Design Philosophy
From the 1950s onward, Juta Krulc worked independently as a landscape designer. Her gardens—ranging from urban courtyards to public parks—were known for their intimacy, ecological sensitivity, and subtle spatial choreography. Notable projects include the park at Villa Tartini in Strunjan and the grounds of the Forestry Institute in Ljubljana.
Her approach blended architectural precision with a gardener’s intuition. She designed with an awareness of sightlines, scale, and movement—but always began with the soil, the seasons, and the people. She favored informality over ornament, and native or adapted species over imported prestige.
“The garden and the house must always be linked,” she once said. “It depends on who lives there and how.”
She was an early critic of car-centric urban planning, lamenting how “too often, the automobile is more important than a beautifully arranged garden.” For her, a garden’s purpose was emotional as much as functional—to bring calm, joy, and connection to those who cared for it.
Kržišnik Garden: Her Living Masterpiece
Of all her projects, the Kržišnik Garden in Žiri is the most personal. She began designing it in the late 1970s around the home of her son-in-law, painter Tomaž Kržišnik. What began as a modest back garden slowly unfolded into a layered, seasonally responsive landscape.
Structured like a series of outdoor rooms, the garden evolves with the year: spring bulbs and woodland perennials; summer borders of hydrangea, rose, peony, and viburnum; shaded fern corners; and autumn brilliance from maples and parrotia. Juta manipulated the garden’s microclimate to allow even rare species to thrive.
Even in her 90s and 100s, she continued to visit, walk its paths, and offer new ideas. Her family recalls how she would change plantings on a moment’s inspiration. Today, the garden lives on as a cultural and creative space—home to Galerija Eden, seasonal culinary events, exhibitions, and an annual celebration: Juta’s Day.
In 2023, a sculpture of Juta was unveiled in the garden. A unique daylily, Hemerocallis 'Juta Krulc', blooms in her honor.
A Legacy in Bloom
Juta Krulc’s influence reaches far beyond the gardens she shaped. Through her drawings, lectures, and example, she inspired generations of Slovenian garden lovers and landscape professionals. Her botanical illustrations, published in scientific journals and exhibited widely, remain a bridge between art and ecology.
Her grandson Tadej and other family members now care for the Kržišnik Garden and continue to share Juta’s philosophy: that gardens are not just visual compositions but deeply lived spaces—slow, adaptive, and transformative.
“You must know how to see a garden, observe it, and live with it,” she said.
“A good garden is never just made—it’s felt.”
Those who walk the paths of the Kržišnik Garden today—pausing to listen, to notice, to feel—experience the world through her eyes. Juta Krulc is still here. Not only remembered, but blooming.
