Lotusland is the 37-acre estate of the late Madame Ganna Walska, the well known operatic singer and socialite, who created a botanical display garden featuring tropical and sub-tropical exotic species. The estate is now owned and operated by the non-profit educational Ganna Walska Lotusland Foundation, which she established to carry on her work after her death in 1984. Virginia Hayes, Curator of the Living Collection, will take us on a guided tour in pictures of the garden and some of its amazing plant specimens.

Before coming to Lotusland, Virginia managed Santa Barbara Water Garden Nursery, specializing in aquatic plants, and owned a pond maintenance business. She holds a Master’s degree from UCSB where she did research on the unique floral characters of lotuses (Nelumbo nucifera) and their variation among wild populations.
Virginia writes a popular gardening column for the Santa Barbara Independent, contributes to Montecito Magazine, Pacific Horticulture Magazine and others and has recently written a book titled The Gourmet Garden..

The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden has GREAT news: Raffle tickets for a once-in-a-lifetime trip for two to the Eden Project and ten other gardens during Cornwall's annual Spring Gardens Festival will go on sale Wednesday, December 10. (Flyer with prize details attached.) Tickets are limited--only 500 will be sold--so call us right away (805/541-1400, ext. 302) to make sure you get your tickets before they're gone. And remember, raffle tickets make a great holiday gift for your family and friends! Call us today and give us your credit card information over the phone and we’ll send you your tickets. Proceeds benefit the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden; cost of tickets is tax deductible.

This 154 acre garden is growing! The Master Plan showcases mediterranean plant life from five geographical areas: California, Chile, South Africa, the Mediterranean and Australia. It highlights the plants of economic importance and sustainability for our county and for mankind. The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden will attract over one million guests each year and provide economic prosperity in San Luis Obispo County for farmers, restaurants, hotels and small businesses, and their employees.

Please join the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden in the first annual Bountiful Harvest Supper in celebration of seven local farmers whose delicious seasonal  produce will be prepared by well-known regional chef, Maegen Loring and served family-style. Master of Ceremonies, Amelia Saltsman, is author of the four-time award-winning book, The Santa Monica Farmers’ Cookbook: Seasonal Foods, Simple Recipes, and Stories from the Market and Farm. Amelia features these well-known farmers in her book and will discuss each farm with us during the evening as we dine with the farmers and their families.

Date: Sunday, November 9th at 4pm.

Place: Oak Glen Pavilion, our beautiful new “green” building in the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden

is located in the El Chorro Regional Park just off Highway 1 between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay.

Price: $75 per person includes an autographed copy of Amelia's book, and a luscious supper prepared by Chef Maegen Loring using recipes from The Santa Monica Farmers’ Cookbook.

RSVP Please: This unique event is limited to 70 guests. Send your check, payable to San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, 3450 Dairy Creek Road, SLO 93405, to reserve your seat at the Harvest Table before 10/31.

For additional information, please call: 805-541-1400 x 302.

An “edible festival” featuring sustainable mediterranean foods and organic gardening workshops will held Saturday, September 13 from 10 AM to 2 PM at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, located in the El Chorro Regional Park just off Highway 1 between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay. The public is invited to this free event where they can meander through the exhibits, attend garden workshops, enjoy special tastings, and peruse the plethora of fall plants for sale. The plants are water thrifty, grown on site and don’t need chemicals or pesticides. These plants can be used to create the proverbial English cottage garden look or an exotic sculptural garden.

For the second year, the University California Cooperative Education (UCCE) Master Gardeners are presenting their popular Tomato Extravaganza, a UCCE Master Gardener signature event. Visitors can taste several varieties of tomatoes and basil and then vote for your favorite in the “people’s choice” category.

Master Gardeners will be holding workshops in the Oak Glen Pavilion. This naturally elegant, straw bale building is the height of sustainability. The mini seminars by the UCEE staff and Master Gardeners are scheduled on Food Safety and the Garden at 11 AM, Ethnobotany of basil at noon, and over-wintering Tomato Plants at 1 PM. Docents will be available to talk about all the sustainable elements of the building in between workshops.

The topic of tomatoes is especially timely. Consumers are hard-pressed to find an heirloom tomato on supermarket shelves because virtually all tomatoes sold today are hybrids that have been bred to possess traits that favor growers rather than consumers. For example, tomatoes that ripen all at once so they can be harvested at one time or tomatoes with thick skins that are less likely to bruise. Scientists are even working on a square-shaped tomato, a shape that would allow growers to fit a few more in each box. In developing all these traits, flavor is often overlooked.

Food and the growing of it, has suddenly become mainstream news. Whether it's the creation of a seed repository right here in San Luis Obispo, the slow food movement, the genetic engineering of crops or rising prices, newspapers, blogs and radio talk shows have food front and center.

One of the main topics emerging is an increasing interest in where and how food is produced. People are flocking to farmers' markets, seeking out restaurants that prepare dishes from locally grown foods, and legions of first-time vegetable gardeners are growing it themselves.

People from around America have discovered the variety and flavors of heirloom tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes are a return to protecting the genetic makeup of plants and seeds are passed down in families and among friends. These tomatoes, unlike store-bought varieties are open-pollinated and are not hybridized. Heirloom tomatoes have become increasingly popular and more readily available in recent years. They can be found in a wide variety of colors, shapes, flavors and sizes. As with most garden plants, cultivars can be acclimated over several gardening seasons to thrive in a geographical location through careful selection and seed saving.

For children, “Tomato Heads” will be the spotlight at the Children’s table. Along the same lines as the classic Mr. Potato, youngsters will be creating their own big-headed creatures.

A number of local sustainable farmers and vendors — those whose farming practices incorporate socially just, humane, economically viable, and environmentally sound practices — will be in attendance sharing their delectable edibles and knowledge.

Tibor Canyon, a self-certified “Beyond Organic” olive oil ranch will bring their special oil for tasting and purchase. Tibor Canyon has received numerous awards and recently won a Gold and Silver medals at the LA County Fair International Olive Oil competition. Their oil is certified by the California Olive Oil Council as Extra Virgin and is hand harvested by friends and family, and pressed on a stone mill.

Master baker Chirro Pasciuto will be selling his renowned Italian bread and serving Mediterranean tidbits. Rinconada Dairy will be serving tastes of their raw sheep and goat milk cheeses, which will also be available for sale. Local Pistachio grower, Cecilia Garcis of NPO will be selling their organic pistachios, and Jennifer of 7th Heaven Farm will be selling avocados and fruit. Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates will be bringing their fair-traded chocolate.

Eve’s Garden Shop will be open during the event and docents will be available to answer questions about the Botanical Garden’s “preview” displays.

For more information call:
Liz Scott-Graham, Executive Director of the SLO Botanical Garden, 541-1400 X 303
or Sioux Strebin at 541-1400 x 302.

Tomato Extravaganza PDF

Bill Bouton