BC Living
Spreads – From Scratch
You’ve Gotta Try This In May
How to Support BC Wineries Now
4 Tips on Balancing a Nutritious Diet with a Side of Indulgence
Choosing Connection: A BC Family Day Pledge to Prioritize Presence Over Plans
Embracing Plant-Based Living this Veganuary and Beyond
Inviting the Steller’s Jay to Your Garden
6 Budget-friendly Holiday Decor Pieces
Dream Home: $8 Million for a Modern Surprise
Local Getaway: A Mini Cozy Sanctuary in Nelson
B.C. Adventures: Our picks for May
Spring into Fun in Kamloops: The Best Events in the City
BC Distilled
Melodies and Museums: Solo-Friendly Entertainment for the Independent Traveller
Arts Club Theatre Company Celebrates 60 Years
Pyrrha Connects People With Pieces That Speak To Them
BC-Based Gifts Perfect for Mom
SOLO CHIC: 5 Essential Pieces for the Stylish Solo Traveller
Such feelings will indeed come over you when you visit one of California’s most famous gardens, appropriately called Lotusland.
This 37-acre Santa Barbara garden was created by the larger-than-life Madame Ganna Walska, a Polish-born, self-invented beauty who charmed her way through many marriages, collecting substantial financial resources as she went. An “enemy of the ordinary,” she developed her estate as a series of fantastic themed gardens between 1941 and her death in 1984.
These include a forest of dragon trees (Dracaena draco), avenues of dramatic succulents, an outdoor theatre with bizarre sculptures of gnomes, a bedding-plant-decorated floral clock, and – yes – a lotus pool.
While this sounds over the top, it’s in exquisite taste and beautifully maintained. The two-hour tours are by appointment only – visit Lotusland’s website for details or call 1-805-969-9990. Admission for adults is $35.
If you would prefer to tour the garden at your own pace, you might find it worthwhile to take out a $75 membership, which includes two admission passes and the opportunity for self-guided tours. Then you can slip into a dreamlike state and indulge your certain unwillingness to depart.