Information About The Central Coast
Botanic Gardens and Lotusland
Botanic Gardens
Widely regarded as a model botanic garden, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is a living museum and a member of the American Alliance of Museums, dedicated to research, education, and conservation of California native plants.
Garden Hours:
am to 6 pm ~ March – October9 am to 5 pm ~ November – February
Garden Shop & Garden Growers Nursery10 am to 5:30 pm ~ March – October10 am to 4:30 pm ~ November – February
Blaksley Library Tuesday - Friday 9 am to 4 pm by appointment, please contact the Collections Manager or call (805) 682 4726 ext. 107
Herbarium Monday - Friday 9 am to 4 pm by appointment, please contact the Herbarium Curator or call (805) 682 4726 ext. 105
One of only 30 gardens accredited by the American Alliance of Museums as a living museum. Arranged in stunning displays and interpreted through signage and docent-led tours, the Gardens 78 acres with more than 1,000 taxa of California native plants illustrates the remarkable diversity of California's flora and vegetation.
As a center for world-class scientific research, the Garden inventories and monitors California flora, conducts experimental recovery studies and assists with policy decisions that enable environmentally conscious planning locally and nationally.
One of only 33 botanic gardens in the entire country that are members of the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC), a national coalition dedicated to conserving and restoring rare native plants of the United States.
Lotusland
It preserves and enhances the spectacular collections of exotic plants and the historic Montecito estate of Madame Ganna Walska, to provide public access to their remarkable beauty and diversity and, through interpretation of these collections, to foster increased knowledge and appreciation of the importance of plants and the need for their conservation.
Because Lotusland is a public garden operating in a private, residential neighborhood, advance reservations are required.Regular tours and Family Tours are offered at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday between February 15 and November 15.
