I've long had Lotusland on my botanical garden “must visit” list and I finally made it there this spring. Lotusland is located in Montecito, near Santa Barbara. The mission of Lotusland is to preserve and improve its unique and extensive collection of plants, while developing its horticultural, educational, and conservation programs.
And what a collection of plants it has! Extending over 37 acres, Lotusland currently is comprised of 18 themed gardens and over 950 species of plants. The themed gardens include a cactus garden, a blue garden, a Japanese, a theater garden, a cycad garden, among the many others.
The property was established under a succession of owners beginning in the 1880's, including being used as a commercial nursery around its inception, but it was Madame Ganna Walska, an opera singer, who purchased the property in 1941 and created the gardens over four decades. “Madame” considered herself as the “Enemy of the Average” and the themed gardens are aptly described by Lotusland as a “very personal expression of [her] penchant for the dramatic, the unexpected, and the truly whimsical.” On Madame's death in 1984, Lotusland became a nonprofit and opened to the public in 1993.
The gardens are too numerous and varied to describe in detail, so I decided to highlight three of my favorites.
- I'm not a cactus fan (although I don't mind them), so I was surprised that the Cactus Garden was one of my favorite themed gardens. Although the garden was createdafterMadame passed away, the significant cactus collection had been bequeathed to her in 1966 by a friend and was transportedtoLotusland beginning in 1999. I can only imagine the friendship, respect, and trust that enabled the friend to entrust his prized collection to another person and be assured that it would be maintained for decades. The cactus garden, with over 300 species, was stunning with a winding trail meandering through the plants to an overlook.
- IntheCycad Garden, I could imagine an ancient, Jurassic world. Cycads are ancient cone-bearing plants from an erathatpre-dates dinosaurs. The garden includes over 450 specimens, including severalrarecycads that are extinct in the wild.
photos by Erin Mahaney
- The Blue Garden, not surprisingly, includes plants with blue foliage. It started with the planting of Atlas cedars and then evolved to include only drought tolerant plants. Although the garden was closed, we were able to view its silvery blue landscape from the perimeter.
There is so much more, a water garden filled with lotus and water lilies, a topiary garden,insectary, horticultural clock, paths lined with blue slag glass, and displays of giantclamshells. The gardens certainly lived up to theirhorticulturally significant reputation while displaying the unexpected and whimsical as well.
Due to its location in a residential neighborhood, Lotusland is subject to strict county limitations governing admissions, so visits are best booked well in advance. I highly recommend the docent-led tour for a first-time visit. For more information, go to: https://www.lotusland.org