Seattle Gay News
Issue 11, Volume 47, March 15, 2019
SPRING ARTS & TRAVEL
Ganna Walska Lotusland in Montecito, California a stunning botanic garden worth visiting by Brian Matt Special to the SGN “Welcome to Ganna Walska Lotusland: “Madame Ganna Walska, a well-known Polish opera singer and socialite, purchased the Montecito, California estate in 1941 and spent the next 43 years creating Lotusland, which is now recognized as one of the ten best gardens in the world. The spectacular collections of exotic plants throughout the 37-acre property are a very personal expression of Walska’s penchant for the dramatic, the unexpected, and the whimsical. Lotusland is home to several extraordinary plant collections and around each corner there is the unexpected – a surprise of unique garden design and plant species. After her death in 1984, Lotusland became a nonprofit botanic garden and opened to the public in 1993. Our educational programs serve the Santa Barbara community and our innovative horticultural practices are shared with botanic gardens and garden-lovers around the world.” – Courtesy of Ganna Walska Lotusland [EDITOR’S NOTE: Last September Brian Matt and MK Scott took a road trip from Seattle to Palm Springs to attend the NLGJA / The Association of LGBTQ Journalists National Convention. On their way home they visited the Ganna Walska Lotusland botanic garden located in Montecito, California east of Santa Barbara. Following is Brian Matt’s report.] With a combination of Mediterranean, European and Moorish influences, the architecture of Lotusland evinces a visit to Italy or Spain. However, the most inspiring and thrilling part is the extensive gardens.
Water Garden at Lotusland – Photo by Rod Waddington via wikipedia commons
Having traveled through California several times and having visited other botanical gardens, a comment by a friend of mine allowed me to find out about this amazing corner of Santa Barbara. Acquired by opera singer Madame Ganna Walska in 1941 as a retreat for Tibetan monks to help her guru explore spirituality in further depth, she originally named her estate “Tibetland.” However, the circumstances of World War II caused the State Department to suspend visas and the monks were never able to get to the retreat. She eventually married her guru, but found that the differences between them did not allow for a convivial marriage. After divorcing, Madame Walska had the 37 acres to herself, and immediately put her creative efforts into creating the worldfamous gardens that are there today. Lotusland comprises several different compartmented gardens that are still able to synchronize as a whole, in part due to the famous landscape architects that Ganna Walska employed Lockwood de Forest and Ralph Stevens. Much of the garden design was done by Madame Walska herself, especially after 1956. Ganna Walska developed her own distinctive style of landscaping with a strong predilection for exotic and architectural plants as well as carefully arranged viewpoints. She had exacting standards for landscaping – obtaining materials from hundreds of miles away in some cases to get the feeling or look just right. She also worked with several artists, plant collectors and stonemasons to bring her vision to fruition. Cacti and Euphorbia Garden at Lotusland – Photo by brewbooks via wikipedia commons
see LOTUSLAND page 12