I begin with the wild and rugged garden just up the street. The Botanic Garden is near and dear to me. I have taken many out of town guests up here over the years. My boys attended Nature Camp here during the summer. The last time I visited, however, was three years ago when my travel buddy and I walked the dry, scorched trails after the terrifying Jesusita fire. Half the garden had burned and many trails were closed. It was heartbreaking. Happily, it has rejuvenated and is beautiful, green and lush. There were groups of garden enthusiasts walking along with cameras and tripods in tow. Japanese, French, German were all languages I overheard. Yeah! The tourists are back. And I am one of them.
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is located at 1212 Mission Canyon Road and is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. (depending on the season) Allow a good 2-3 hours for your visit. There is a lot of territory to cover. The 65 acres are divided into sections: Arroyo, Canyon, Desert, Manzanita, Meadow and Redwood. There is also a slice of mission history here. The lovely remains of the old Mission Dam are half-hidden among the trees. The dam was built by the padres out of protruding sandstone bedrock, so strong that it was never damaged in an earthquake. Because of the the higher elevation gravity helped move the water down to the mission grounds via two aqueducts.
This filter box, along with an intake box on the face of the dam, were built in the 1800's in order to remove sediments from the water. The cleaner water then flowed down to the reservoir.
The desert section is the oldest part of the gardens. I walked quickly through, having spent so much time in Death Valley last month, I have had my fill of deserts for awhile. The redwood grove was the day's Numero Uno destination. To me, this is the most magical section of the garden and always has been. It is cool and serene no matter how hot the temperature. This is the place of fantasy. Where fairies live among the ferns and Tree Beard lurks above me.
The entire garden is devoted to native California flora. Research programs include the inventory and monitoring of plants. Constant threats need to be addressed; solutions need to be found. In the Meadow Section, I learned that fourteen percent of our state used to be covered with grasslands. Today, it is less than one. Overgrazing, housing developments and the introduction of foreign weeds are all taking its toll on the land. The Botanic Garden supplies native grasses for local revegetation and provides information to professional and home gardeners on cultivation. That $8.00 entrance fee helps fund these very important projects.
This is a garden for both the young and the old. The Discovery Garden provides an educational platform for students. There are wonderful exhibits on woodpeckers, bees and ecology. Although there are many steps and steep hills to climb, the meadow and desert areas are flat, and there are benches in picturesque settings throughout. A gift shop and retail nursery makes shopping for a souvenir a delightful way to end your visit.
I don't think of myself as old, but I admit I sat on a bench under one of those massive redwoods for a whole hour, writing in my journal and daydreaming about all the places I have been and places I have yet to see. The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is so close to my house and so pleasant, why had it taken me three years to return?
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