Gardens of Lotusland
A Most Fascinating California Garden
One of the more fascinating California gardens is Lotusland in Montecito near Santa Barbara. This 37-acre botanical gem was originally planned as a retreat for Tibetan monks in the mid-20th century by the owner, Ganna Walska. It is filled with an eclectic mix of tropical and subtropical plants and much more. It is home to more than 3,400 types of plants!
Ganna Walska hailed from Poland and was an aspiring operatic singer. She was so unsuccessful in that pursuit that she inspired a theme of Orson Welles' ‘Citizen Kane’, namely that of Kane supporting his second wife’s hopeless vocal career. Walska endured the same - she was supposed to be the star of a 1920 production of an opera but on the eve of the premiere, the show was cancelled because the conductor refused to put up with her awful singing.
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