Tucked in a residential neighborhood in Santa Barbara sits a beautiful, expansive garden covering 37 acres. Ganna Walska Lotusland, often called Lotusland, is a historic estate with over 3,500 different types of plants.
The gardens are often recognized as some of the most beautiful in the world, recently named the most beautiful garden in California by HGTV. The garden is renowned for its rare plants in the various gardens, including cycads, cacti, palms, and euphorbias. Lotusland is divided into 25 different gardens, each with a unique focus. Guests can wander through manicured ferns, towering cactuses, and numerous aloe plants. Rows of beautiful olive trees lead guests between gardens, and you can also stop by an orchard with papayas, or wander into the parterre, a formal flower garden arranged to form a pattern. A whimsical topiary garden is another highlight, with 26 figures created from bushes, including a giraffe and peacock.
The historic property was bought in 1882 by Ralph Kinton Stevens, who used it as a home for his family and a commercial nursery. At the time, Stevens named the property Tanglewood before eventually selling it to nearby neighbors. In 1916, the estate was bought by E. Palmer and Marie Gavit, who added the Spanish Revival-style buildings and formal gardens that remain today. Finally, in 1941, successful opera singer Ganna Walska purchased the property, hiring a landscape architect to create an orchard and other gardens.
Over the years, Walska worked with designers and gardeners to create more beautiful parts of the gardens, including the topiary garden and Japanese garden, and converted the old swimming pool into a water garden. After her death in 1984, the gardens were left to the Ganna Walska Lotusland Foundation, and the first scheduled tour was in 1993. Madame Ganna Walska was a well-known opera singer during her life, touring around Europe and singing in major cities such as New York and Paris.
Due to its location in a residential neighborhood in Santa Barbara County, the garden requires advance registration for visitors to limit the number of people per day. Admission to the garden is $60 for adults, and a docent-led tour is an extra $15. The gardens are open to visitors from February through November. You can learn more about Lotusland here.