Discovering the Gardens of Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara sits along the California coast north of Los Angeles. Many people think of it as a posh beach town. However, its Mediterranean climate makes it a unique place to garden. While it is fairly warm year round, it is also somewhat dry. This makes it suitable for a wide variety of plants.

There are three gardens that I have enjoyed while visiting Santa Barbara. The first is the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden in the foothills above the Santa Barbara Mission, The second garden takes over a city block not far from the business center. The Alice Keck garden is really a beautiful spot to rest and relax. The third garden is the somewhat secluded Lotusland Garden in nearby Montecito.

While I have been to Santa Barbara many times, I only recently became aware of the botanic garden. My nephew’s wife started working there so she offered us tickets. We took her up on her offer and visited during Thanksgiving week.

The gardens I have visited around the world continue to stretch my understanding of the term garden. If one is looking for flower beds filled with brightly colored annuals, the SB Botanic Gardens will disappoint. This garden seeks to share some of the plants that are more native to the region. Its goal is to preserve California native plants which are diminishing in their natural habitats. Its desire is not so much to create a beautiful garden landscape but a garden that reflects the California environment.

As we entered the garden on a sunny November day, we turned left walking past the gift shop. Here were a number of low growing shrubs and bushes. We also discovered the ShinKanAn Teahouse. It was closed but was obviously inspired by the Japanese tea culture.

We continued walking down into a dry ravine with larger rocks that line the bottom. This was Mission Creek, but there was no water. There are not a lot of plants here, but we could see the canopy of branches above us. We walked back up to an area called the Manzanita where various California manzanita trees are growing. There were some areas of shrubs and ground cover here. Fall berries were often the point of color in the garden.

We continued back towards the gift shop. On the other side was an area of agave plants. One had a strikingly tall stalk with flowers at the top. Apparently this particular agave only flowers once every five to six years. This was in the desert section of the garden so there were other desert plants around as well.

Continuing on we took a trail back down into the Mission Creek ravine and crossed a bridge. Above us was the canopy of the California oak trees. I love these trees with their branches that twist and turn in a variety of directions. They are almost like art pieces. Unfortunately the leaves did not have much interesting autumn colors.

There was another trail we started to follow, but we realized it was taking us back to where the bridge was. However on this trail we came to a viewpoint where we could see over the tree tops to the distant Pacific Ocean.

The trail led us around to a unique feature, a dam. This dam in the ravine was part of the original water system that took water down the hill to the Santa Barbara Mission. It was really fascinating to learn about how the mission created this important source of water. You can still see part of the aqueduct that carried the water down to the mission

On the other side of the dam is a small stand of redwood trees. We could easily identify these trees by their reddish, stringy bark. A couple of oak trees were also in the grove which added interest to the canopy overhead.

Coming up from the redwoods we saw a meadow area with trees around the edges. Here we saw some flowers blooming including lupine which seemed odd at this time of year. From here we could also catch a great view of the mountains behind the garden, our final view before leaving the garden.

Closer to downtown Santa Barbara is a one block public garden, the Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden. In the early part of the 20th century a hotel was built on the block. After various ownership changes the hotel burned down in a kitchen fire in 1967. A proposed high rise for the property was rejected and eventually Alice Keck Park purchased the block and then donated it to the city for a garden which the city created. The city opened the garden in 1980.

One of the unique features of the garden is that there is a large billboard near an entrance which indicates all the plants in the garden and where they are located so if you are curious about a plant you can find out what it is. There is also an online brochure that will provide you with the information as well. As with any good garden, it’s not just about flowers. There are other plants to enjoy and discover as well.

At the heart of the garden is a lovely koi pond which has some observation areas around its edges. There are also benches one can sit on and enjoy the restful view of the pond.

There are a number of walkways that will take visitors around the garden and part of the joy is discovering the many varied and unique plants that grow here. Flowers will change according to the season, but I have seen a number of unique and interesting plants here which keeps me stopping by any chance I get. Here are some of my favorite flower photos from various visits to the park.

Of course one of the best parts about the garden is that is is a free public park so you can come and visit at any time. The only challenge may be finding a parking spot nearby.

Another garden near Santa Barbara which has world class fame is Ganna Walska Lotusland in nearby Montecito. Andrea and I toured it back in 2011 so my memory of the garden is a little thin. While it is worth visiting, the garden requires visitors to make advanced reservations with adult admission currently $50.

The garden’s history goes back to the late 1800’s. However it was not open to the public until September of 1993. The garden’s namesake, Ganna Walska was a unique person with interests in opera, spiritual mysticism, and finally gardening with quite a few husbands along the way. You can find her colorful story on the garden’s website.

The garden itself has a number of different features. These include gardens of cacti and succulents, others of bromeliads, cyad, and ferns. There is a pool and a number of art pieces in the garden. One unusual piece is a horticultural clock. Visiting the garden involves a tour. Visitors may not wander the gardens on their own. Apparently the city has placed restrictions on the garden and the number of guests so they must work within that challenge.

So next time you are in the area, take some time away from the beach to enjoy the unique trees and plants that grow in Santa Barbara. It’s a great way to relax and de-stress.

Botanical gardens can be found in many places around the world in cities both large and small. Do you have a favorite garden that you have enjoyed near you or discovered on your travels? I’d love to have you share it with us in the comment section below. In the meantime I’m working on some posts for February. See you then.