Dazzling aloe bloom at Taft Gardens

In my post about my visit to Taft Gardens in April 2024, I called it “one of California’s best kept secrets” because it’s off the beaten path and many people don’t even know it exists. At that time, the garden was a riot of color from South African bulbs, perennials, as well as shrubs like leucospermums. Most of the aloes, however, were past their prime, so I resolved to return in the winter when they would be at their peak. I’m happy to report that I did squeeze in a visit during my January trip to Santa Barbara and that the aloes did not disappoint!

Taft Gardens is at the end of a gated private road in the rolling hills outside of Ojai. Since it’s subject to a conditional use permit, the number of daily visitors is limited to 25 and advance reservations are required ($20 per person). After you make your reservation, you receive detailed driving directions and the gate code for the day of your visit. Without it, you won’t be able to get in. Currently, two 2-hour time slots are available: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. If you wanted to stay longer than two hours, I don’t think anybody would notice or mind.

The map below shows where Ojai is in relation to Santa Barbara, with Los Angeles about 80 miles to the southwest:

The scenic drive from Santa Barbara takes about 45 minutes. Along the way, you see citrus and avocado groves dotting the hillsides:

Avocado grove

The private road to Taft Gardens is very steep in places – the photo below is no exaggeration:

Taft Gardens was started in the late 1980s by businessman John Taft and his wife Melody on their 265-acre property in the foothills of the Topatopa Mountains near Ojai. 15 acres, with 1.5 miles of trails, are dedicated to curated gardens: the South African and Australian Garden as well as a Zen Garden, a Pollinator Garden, and a Cactus Garden. The remaining 200 acres are open space set aside for a Humane Society wildlife sanctuary. For a more detailed history of how this unique garden came to be, read this 2021 article in the Los Angeles Times and this post about my first visit in 2019.

The aloe show began right after I pulled into the parking lot:

Aloe ferox at the entrance kiosk

Hundreds of aloes with flowers in shades of red and orange beckoning like beacons:

On the surface, the aloe show at Taft Gardens is similar to Aloes in Wonderland, but Taft is even more expansive. There are thousands of aloes, many of them 8, 10, or even 12 ft. tall now. I recognized Aloe ferox, Aloe marlothii, and Aloe speciosa, but others I wasn’t sure about. Nothing is labeled, which bothered me at first (I’m a bit OCD about plant IDs), but then I chose to let it go and immerse myself in the beauty all around me. One thing I noticed immediately: the absence of man-made sounds. Aside from bird calls and occasional rustling in the vegetation, there was blessed silence. Bliss.

As I was walking around, I crossed paths with maybe 10 people. A quick hi and a few pleasantries, and I was by myself again. In a garden this large, it’s easy to avoid others. No such luck in a heavily visited place like the Huntington!

Requisite selfie

Somebody with a sense of humor put this aloe flower stalk in a barrel sitting in a small pond

South African cabbage tree (Cussonia paniculata) on the right

One of many leucadendrons in “bloom” – the “flowers” are actually bracts surrounding the true flowers, which are inconspicuous

Another leucadendron with yellow bracts

Ice blue leaves with yellow inflorescences – maybe Aloe marlothii?

Nice bicolor flowers on an unidentified aloe

In a garden full of beautiful aloes, one stood out to me more than any of the others:

Mystery aloe

Some specimens had 3 ft. trunks with a couple of heads, some were solitary, and others formed small clumps. I kept seeing this mystery aloe in multiple places, but I had no idea what it was. I asked a few people who know more about aloes than I do, but they were stumped as well. Brian Kemble, the curator of the Ruth Bancroft Garden, thinks it’s a hybrid with Aloe pluridens as one of the parents to account for the trunk and the sparsely branched inflorescence. No matter what it is, it’s striking, and I’d be happy to have one growing in my garden.

I spent most of my time in the South African section, but here are a few photos taken in other parts of the garden:

Oaks...

...have the most majestic silhouettes

In the Australian section, gymea lilies (Doryanthes palmeri) flanking a grass tree (Xanthorrhoea sp.)

An impressive clump of xanthorrhoeas...

...with their extraordinary flower spikes

In the upper part of the garden, near the house, I heard a voice calling out, “Look for the skunk!” I turned around and there was John Taft himself, now in his 90s, on an electric cart. He still lives in the house and apparently enjoys riding around the garden and talking to visitors. He said this was the first time he’d seen a skunk in the 40+ years he’d been on the property. He told me where to look and then drove off. To my surprise, I found the skunk and managed to take a couple of photos before it scampered off. I must not have been a threat because it didn’t spray me. Good thing, too, because I was not equipped to deal with the stinky aftermath.

My wildlife photo of the year!

If you ever have the opportunity to visit this gem of a garden, do so. This time I focused on the aloes, but there’s much more to see. For more information and to make a reservation, go to taftgardens.org.

Posts about my previous visits to Taft Gardens:

2019: Taft Gardens in Ojai, California: from A(loe) to X(anthorrhoea)

2024: Taft Gardens: one of California’s best kept secrets

© Gerhard Bock, 2025. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.