Bucket List Item #192

Visit Lotusland.

After ten years of dreaming and wishing and hoping, a short time ago I finally had the opportunity to visit Ganna Walska’s Lotusland in Montecito. And while I missed a little because I was in a wheelchair and the ground was a little wonky from all the wild storms (and the Lotus ponds were damaged and in repair) so there were a few places that I couldn’t see, it was still every bit worth the wait.  

If you’re not familiar, Lotusland is a stunning botanical garden unlike any other. It was created by the now deceased Polish opera singer Ganna Walska who had a penchant for theatrical creativity that shows in every bit of the estate. The garden was her home and she devoted the latter part of her life to it, spending years making it not just a spectacular place to live, but also for others to visit.

It's also a pretty unique place because it has an untold variety of plants from nearly every environment and even contains many endangered species that are painstakingly cared for and grown in special greenhouses and shared with other gardens all over the world.

I didn’t take as many pictures as I wanted to because I was sincerely in awe (seriously, it was like an otherworldly fairyland) and as cliché as it sounds, it’s just not something that can be captured on camera — you really have to see it in person. But here are a few of my favorite plants and spots that I had to memorialize in photo. And if you ever have the opportunity to go, please do. You will not be disappointed.