I just got back from Santa Barbara, just three months after my previous trip. I gave a talk on mangaves at the Santa Barbara Cactus and Succulent Society (a great club!) and added a few extra days to do some exploring.
Here’s a quick overview of what I did and saw. I’ll have more detailed posts in the weeks to come.
The motel I stayed at in Santa Barbara, the Lemon Tree Inn, had the kind of succulent-centric landscaping I love:
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| Massive Agave guiengola |
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| Hundreds of Agave attenuata, this one right outside my patio |
I was able to explore
Lotusland on my own – a very special experience I won’t soon forget:
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| Japanese Garden at Lotusland |
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| Tree ferns |
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| Echinopsis flowers |
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| Euphorbia ammak |
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| Cactus forest outside the main residence |
Agave grower extraordinaire
Tony Krock showed me how he cuts agaves for propagation. As a Succulents and More exclusive, I’ll share a video of his demonstration.
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| Tony Krock with his miniature machete |
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| Tony demonstrating how he cuts agaves in half to trigger the production of offsets (still from my video) |
I also made a return visit to
Taft Gardens outside Ojai – a spectacular private garden off the beaten path:
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| Taft Gardens has hundreds of mature Aloe ferox |
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| South African shrubs, bulbs, and perennials in full flower |
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| Leucospermum (left) and Leucadendron discolor (right) |
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| Leucadendron discolor flowers |
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| Leucospermum flower |
I spent some time with
Nick Deinhart in San Luis Obispo. He creates amazing aloe hybrids and mangaves:
And I got the opportunity to see Dudleya abramsii ssp. murina in habitat. This native succulent is only found in San Luis Obispo County where it grows on serpentine outcrops:
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| I saw many hundreds of healthy Dudleya abramsii ssp. murina, but development is moving ever closer |
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| Dudleya abramsii ssp. murina and a fern |
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| Dudleya abramsii ssp. murina in a bed of lichen |
Here’s a map showing the places I visited:
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As usual, you make the most of even your quickest trips. Thanks for sharing the highlights. I look forward to your more detailed posts, especially the agave propagation video.
ReplyDeleteVideo is now up
DeleteWhat a splendid trip, I'm looking forward to the upcoming posts!
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to see some pretty special sights.
DeleteTwo of my favorite garden destinations. Look forward to seeing that video of the knife man!
ReplyDeleteThe knife man video is now up! Check it out here.
DeleteThose Agaves sure are impressive, and the Echinopsis flowers, too! Thanks for sharing some of the highlights!
ReplyDeleteThank you for coming along on the ride :-)
DeleteWhat everybody above said!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteThis trip must have done your gardener's soul well. Yay!
ReplyDeleteSanta Barbara, always! I know how much you love it, too.
Delete