Lotusland

The place-name Ganna Walska Lotusland, also known as the (15 ha / 37 acres) Lotusland, is the historic estate of Madame Ganna Walska and current location of a non-profit botanical garden in uniquely designed landscape gardens located in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, California, United States. The Lotusland botanic garden is open to the public by advance reservation only, with walking tours 1½ to 2 hours long through the distinctive gardens. The gardens are open to the public Wednesday through Saturday for the 9-month period from February 15 to November 15. There are two tours a day, the first at 10:00 am and the second at 1:30 pm. The County of Santa Barbara restricts visitation via a conditional use permit and reservations are required.

History

Ralph Kinton Stevens purchased the land in 1882 and was the first to make a permanent imprint on the property. He and his wife, Caroline Lucy Tallant, named the property "Tanglewood." They established a lemon and palm nursery and eventually added other tropical plants to the collection and were among the early plantsmen of Santa Barbara.