Lotusland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lotusland |
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Lotus plants at Lotusland
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| Type | Botanical garden |
| Location | Montecito, California |
| Area | 37 acres (15 ha; 0.058 sq mi) |
Lotusland is a special botanical garden in Montecito, California, United States. It is a non-profit place, meaning it's run for public benefit, not for making money. This beautiful garden was once the private home of Madame Ganna Walska. It covers about 37 acres and has 3,500 different kinds of plants! You can visit Lotusland, but you need to make a reservation first.
History of Lotusland Garden
Early Days and "Tanglewood" Estate
The land where Lotusland now stands was first used as a plant nursery in the 1870s. In 1882, Ralph Kinton Stevens bought the property. He and his wife, Caroline, named it "Tanglewood." They chose this name because of the many oak trees and chaparral plants there.
The Stevens family started a nursery for lemon and palm trees. They soon added other plants from warm climates. Ralph Stevens was one of the first plant experts in Santa Barbara. In 1893, he published California's first catalog just for tropical plants. He also set up an irrigation system to water the gardens.
After Ralph Stevens passed away in 1896, his wife Caroline took over. She opened the gardens as a guest ranch. Later, she leased the property to a local school.
New Owners and Garden Changes
In 1913, George Owen Knapp bought the property. He was buying many properties in the Montecito area.
The estate was sold again in 1916 to the Gavit family. They were from Albany, New York, and renamed the property "Cuesta Linda." The Gavits added new garden features and buildings. The main house was designed in 1919 in the Mediterranean Revival style. They also hired Peter Riedel and Ralph Stevens' son, Ralph, to update the gardens.
Between 1921 and 1927, the Gavits added more buildings. These included the water garden pool house and stables. They also added the famous pink walls around the estate.
Madame Ganna Walska's Vision
The gardens we see today were mostly created by opera singer Madame Ganna Walska. She owned the property as her private home from 1941 until she passed away in 1984. She first bought the property with her husband, Theos Casimir Bernard. They named it "Tibetland" because they planned to invite Tibetan monks to live there.
Soon after buying the property, Madame Walska hired landscape architect Lockwood DeForest Jr. He helped change the garden spaces to fit her ideas. DeForest designed the front lawn of the main house. He changed it from a traditional lawn to a garden filled with golden barrel cacti. Many of these large cacti came from a nearby estate.
In 1946, Madame Walska and Bernard divorced. She kept the property and renamed it "Lotusland." She then hired Ralph Stevens, who was the Superintendent of Parks for Santa Barbara. He helped her buy and plant many new plants.
Madame Walska was very involved in designing the gardens. In 1947, a new swimming pool was built. The next year, Stevens designed a grotto and the Theatre Garden. He also created The Blue Garden and the floral clock in The Topiary Garden. Stevens retired in 1955.
Between 1953 and 1956, Madame Walska turned the old swimming pool into the beautiful Water Garden. She worked with experts and a stonemason named Oswald da Ros. He collected many rocks and crystals for the garden. He also brought blue glass from a water company to line some of the pathways.
Lotusland opened to the public in 1993, allowing everyone to enjoy Madame Walska's amazing creation.
Exploring the Gardens of Lotusland
The Lotusland estate has many different themed gardens. Each one offers a unique experience.
The Aloe Garden
This garden is home to 160 types of aloe plants and 85 types of euphorbias. Some of these plants came from places like South Africa, Madagascar, and Yemen. In the middle of this garden is a kidney-shaped pool. It has a large collection of abalone shells and a fountain made from giant clam shells.
The Blue Garden
Created in 1948, this garden features plants with silvery to blue-gray leaves. You can see Blue Atlas Cedars and 130 rare Chilean wine palms here. Other plants include blue fescue and Mexican blue palms. The pathways in this garden are lined with chunks of blue-green glass. Madame Walska bought this glass from a local bottle factory.
The Bromeliad Garden
In this garden, bromeliads cover the ground under large coast live oak trees. You can also find a branched pygmy date palm and giant ponytail palms.
Butterfly Gardens
This garden space has many different flowering plants. These plants are chosen to attract and support butterflies and other insects.
The Cactus Garden
The Cactus Garden has a large collection of tall, column-shaped cacti. This collection started in 1929. The garden has over 500 plants, representing about 300 different types of cacti. They are grouped by where they come from in the world. You can see cacti from the Galapagos Islands and Peru.
A cacti collector promised his collection to Lotusland after his death. This collection arrived at Lotusland in 2001, after Madame Walska had passed away. The garden was designed by Eric Nagelmann and reopened in 2004.
Cacti and Euphorbias Gardens
These gardens are right next to the main house. They feature a collection of cacti and euphorbias. You'll see many golden barrel cacti and large, weeping Euphorbia ingens plants near the front door.
The Cycad Garden
The Cycad Garden was first finished in 1979. It had over 200 types of cycads. Now, the collection has grown to over 900 cycad plants. It includes nine of the eleven living groups of cycads. You can even find three Encephalartos woodii here. These are among the world's rarest cycads and are extinct in the wild. They are located next to a reflecting pool.
Fern Gardens
This garden features many types of ferns. These include Australian Tree Ferns and giant staghorn ferns. Other plants that like shade are also here. You can see angel trumpet trees, calla lilies, and Hawaiian palms.
The Japanese Garden
This garden has a small Shinto shrine. It is surrounded by Sugi trees and Coast Redwoods. There is also a wisteria arbor, Japanese Maples, camellias, and azaleas. Several types of pine trees are shaped in the traditional Niwaki style.
Orchard Collections
- Citrus orchard: This section has many citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, kumquats, grapefruits, and guavas.
- Deciduous orchard: Here you'll find 100 fruit trees. These include peach, plum, apple, pear, persimmon, and fig trees. There are also olive trees that date back to the 1880s.
The Theatre Garden
This garden has a circular lawn with four levels. The lowest level has a 'stage' with a hedge as a backdrop. Three of the levels have sandstone benches for an audience. Stone statues of characters from William Shakespeare's plays are placed around this garden.
The Parterre Garden
This garden has formal planting beds and brick walkways. There are two water features in the center. You'll find hedges, floribunda roses, and day lilies planted here.
Succulent Gardens
This garden includes many different succulent plants. Some examples are Madagascar Palm, Aeonium, Fouquieria, Kalanchoe, Echeveria, Haworthia, Yucca, and Sansevieria.
The Topiary Garden
This garden features a large horticultural clock, 25 feet (8 meters) wide. It is bordered by Senecio mandraliscae. There is also a boxwood maze. A "zoo" of 26 topiary animals is here, including a camel, gorilla, giraffe, and seal. Other plant shapes include chess pieces and geometric designs.
Tropical Gardens
These gardens feature orchid cacti, ginger plants, and bananas. You can see both ornamental bananas and edible ones here.
The Water Garden
This garden includes several types of Indian lotus and water lily plants. There are also bog gardens with taro, ornamental sugar cane, and papyrus.
See also
In Spanish: Lotusland para niños
- List of botanical gardens in the United States
- North American Plant Collections Consortium
- Ganna Walska
