Ganna Walska Lotusland will welcome plant collectors, landscape designers, horticulturists, and garden enthusiasts, 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3 for its annual Exceptional Plants Auction.
The auction is one of the garden’s most anticipated signature events, and a celebration of extraordinary plants and the people devoted to growing, studying and conserving them, according to Lotusland.
Featuring more than 200 lots, the auction brings together rare, unusual, drought-tolerant and climate-resilient plants propagated at Lotusland and donated by botanical gardens, universities, specialty growers and private collectors.
For tickets, visit here. Ticket prices are: garden members, $125; 
non-members, $175
; patrons, $300
. Admission will not be available at the door.
Orchids, succulents, agaves, cacti, cycads, unusual trees, and specimen plants range from accessible finds from tens of dollars to significant rarities valued in the thousands, offering something for the curious gardener as well as the serious collectors, organizers report.
Horticultural experts will be on hand to share their knowledge, answer questions and help guests discover the stories behind the plants.
Committee and Curator’s Picks will call attention to particularly noteworthy specimens, while a specially identified selection of water-resilient plants will offer inspiration for gardens adapted to Southern California’s climate, organizers said.
Among the 200-plus auction lots are plants with stories of rarity, conservation and provenance. One standout is Mexipedium xerophyticum Oaxaca, donated by The Huntington, and the sole species in its genus.
Considered extinct in the wild following a devastating wildfire in its native habitat in Oaxaca, Mexico, the orchid has been successfully propagated by several U.S. botanical gardens.
Its slow growth and difficult pollination make it exceptionally challenging to cultivate, underscoring the importance of botanical collections and propagation in safeguarding rare plant life, according to Lotusland.
Other rarities include an exceptionally large Oberonia cavaleriei orchid from Lotusland member and Oberonia expert Daniel Geiger, believed to be the only clone of the species currently available in the United States; a 15-year-old Operculicarya decaryi × pachypus, a hybrid created at Orange Coast College; and Colocasia “Manta Ray” from PlantHaven, bred at the University of Hawaii and offered ahead of its planned 2028 commercial release.
Eight distinctive agave cultivars from renowned plantsman Tony Avent’s Juniper Level Botanic Garden and Plant Delights Nursery will be available for bidding and have not yet been introduced to the trade.
Some surprises from the collection are a large specimen of Vanilla planifolia, the climbing orchid that produces vanilla, paired with a selection of Grade A vanilla beans representing four countries of origin from Amadeus Vanilla Beans donated by Geiger.
Tom Cole, owner of Cold Spring Aloes and Lotusland neighbor, has donated two collections of extremely rare-in-cultivation Aloe from Ethiopia and Kenya. Cole has personal experience documenting and studying these species while leading humanitarian work in Africa.
“These are just a few of the plants generously donated by private collectors, specialty growers, colleges, and leading botanical institutions, alongside specimens propagated at Lotusland,” organizers said.
“Together, they create an auction distinguished not simply by rarity, but by provenance, expertise, and the horticultural relationships that make these plants available,” they said.
Exceptional Plants is led by Paul Mills, Lotusland’s director of conservation and curator of Living Collections; and Anna Bower associate curator of the Living Collections and nursery manager.
They work with a committee that includes Jeff Chemnick (Aloes in Wonderland), Cristi Walden (Seacrest Nursery), Robert Bett (PlantHaven), Randy Baldwin (formerly of San Marcos Growers), and Mike Tully (Terra Sol Garden Center).
Beyond the committee, Exceptional Plants draws expertise from across the horticultural community, including contributing growers and collectors, representatives from botanical gardens and institutions, and Lotusland’s horticultural staff, including Chris Ziliotto, Plant Healthcare and Sustainability Program manager.
Lotusland will also welcome participating students from UC Santa Barbara’s Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration, thanks to the support of our sponsors.
The opportunity gives students working in biodiversity and plant-pollinator research a chance to engage with experienced horticulturists, growers and collectors and participate in the broader horticultural community gathered at Lotusland.
“Exceptional Plants carries forward the spirit of Lotusland founder Madame Ganna Walska, whose passion for acquiring extraordinary plants helped create one of the world’s most distinctive botanical gardens,” organizers said. “Today, that spirit of discovery is coupled with Lotusland’s work in conservation, propagation, and sustainable horticulture.”
Every ticket purchased and every winning bid supports the care and preservation of Ganna Walska Lotusland and its living collections, helping advance the garden’s work in conservation, propagation and sustainable horticulture, garden officials said.
The 2026 Exceptional Plants Auction is made possible with the support of Presenting Sponsor Arroyo Seco Construction. Sponsorship opportunities are available at 
https://exceptionalplants2026.auctria.events.
Bidding is reserved exclusively for guests attending Exceptional Plants. The auction catalog will be released online prior to the event.
Ganna Walska Lotusland is a 37-acre botanical garden in Montecito, home to more than 3,500 plant species from around the world, including rare and threatened plants.
Created by Madame Ganna Walska and opened to the public in 1993, Lotusland is a nonprofit public garden that advances its mission through the care and preservation of its collections, horticultural excellence, education, and programs that deepen understanding and appreciation of the plant world.