In the present research on private gardens near Novo mesto we focused on determining temporal changes in plant diversity and the reasons for these events. We focused on countryside gardens. We visited around twenty gardens, but we monitored the vegetation in eight. Half of these gardens were planted at the end of the 20th century and the other half were planted more recently. Average size private gardens near Novo Mesto ranged between 800 to 1,600 m², only a few were smaller or bigger. With method of research, conversations and photography on field we discovered, that gardens from the first half of the 20th century remain completely preserved only in form of museum homesteads. In gardens from the 2nd half of the 20th century we noticed a combination of older plant varieties with modern or foreign ones. The most recent gardens are more modest in plant varieties, while those from the 1980s are rich. In modern gardens, there are evergreen conifers and deciduous trees, mostly small shrubs. Older gardens are dominated by flowering perennials in combination with fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, ornamental shrubs of various heights and trees. Gardens always include turf, and in most cases smaller shrubs, grapevines, a vegetable garden with basic vegetables and a place for socializing. In households with kids, we noticed children's playgrounds, on farms barns, woodsheds, beehives and other elements are common.
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