feast your eyes.


while in santa barbara i had the pleasure to visit the beautiful lotusland in the montecito hills.


the garden was founded and designed by madame ganna walska, an eccentric and awesome 6x times wed opera singer with a taste for the unusual in horticulture.


this place is magical- 37 acres of wonderment and rarities, plants i've never seen or even heard of!


black bamboo


aloe trees, a 'la dr. suess


crazy varieties of palm


more unique aloe


a wading pool with a fountain made from an almost now extinct kind of shell from africa


my first time seeing a real live lotus!


so gorgeous



sister.  i love you.





so many cacti!


a weeping willow style cactus



black flowers?!



awe-struck


madame's pool looks so inviting.  more rare abalone shells


madame walksa herself


fern trees looking so prehistoric




one of my favorite scents happens to be the most poisonous thing ever- angel trumpet.


haha this flower is rare and blooms for only a short time, yet can't remember what it is...


a small redwood tree






stone designs on the garden floor


the blue garden


i love succulents


water runs everywhere in the gardens- you can always hear a trickle.



the hugest clock i've ever seen




madame wanted a blue garden.  the gardeners said 'it can't be done!' madame proved otherwise! ;)


the incredible cycad garden.  one of the largest collections of cycads in the world!  dinosaurs ate these plants, making them millions of years old. wow!



the rainforest garden


the japanese garden


a great spot to meditate!


so peaceful


i can't wait to go back someday.  hope your eyes enjoyed this little treat!  

6 comments:

  1. Thanks Hayley, truly enjoyed it<3

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  2. Yes new post! SOOO PRETTY!!! Gorgeous photos sis. Really nice blog. It was nice to re-live this day for a bit. You took such good shots, thanks for sharing. What a great time we had :)

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  3. like a beautiful dream......thank you for sharing again that time.

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  4. wow, this is wicked cool!

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  5. just breathtaking! sooo beautiful! i hope i get the chance to visit that place some day!!!

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  6. i love california. thanks for reminding me of the magic. the flowers are just amazing, the landscape, the trees. blessings.

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