Just as there are stories within stories about Walska's life and the emergence of Lotusland into the spectacular site it is today, there are gardens within gardens at the Montecito showplace each path and plant offering a different, and many times entirely new, perspective on what can be done with nature's offerings, from the simple to the sublime. Themed gardens include: topiary, bromeliad, succulent, cycad, epiphyllum, cactus, fern, euphorbia, aloe, Japanese, Australian, water and a blue garden.

Water lily leaves, Victoria Regia cv. Longwood

And just as she was careful who toured the gardens and when during her lifetime, so too is the Foundation, which Walska established in her will "to preserve and enhance the spectacular collection of exotic plants to foster appreciation of the importance of plants and the need for their conservation."

A trip to Lotusland has never, since it opened its doors to the public six years ago been a spur-of-the-moment activity. Because the garden is in a residential neighborhood, access is limited by the County of Santa Barbara and reservations are a must, up to a year in advance. And homework helps what may be a once-in-a-lifetime privilege an unforgettable learning experience. "Ganna Walska Lotusland: The Garden and it's Creators" by Sharon Crawford, available at Tecolote Book Shop in Montecito, is a beautifully illustrated book packed with information about the gardens.

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