[Noozhawk’s note: Third in a series sponsored by the Hutton Parker Foundation. Click here for the first article, and click here for the second.]
Ganna Walska Lotusland is well known as a marvel of botanic beauty on Santa Barbara County’s South Coast, but it also stands as a model for gardens across the globe, championing sustainable horticulture and environmental stewardship.
According to Chris Ziliotto, Lotusland’s sustainability manager, the garden distinguishes itself by employing a regenerative approach — with no synthetic pesticides — rooted in established sustainable methodologies.
Ziliotto, mentored by Corey Welles, acknowledged for steering the garden’s transition nearly three decades ago, highlights the complete elimination of industrial chemicals and pesticides.
Revered as one of the first botanic gardens to embrace organic practices, Lotusland shares the lessons of its past 30 years, educating home gardeners and peer institutions on integrating regenerative techniques into their own spaces.
In 2024, Lotusland will host workshops, outreach and educational opportunities to teach the community how to incorporate regenerative approaches.
The public can even learn how to make its own compost and sign up for Lotusland’s Compost Tea Party, which will be offered on April 24.
“Lotusland is a living laboratory,” Ziliotto said. “We have the ability to show others that our methods have merit and work in a high aesthetic environment.
“Our legendary collections have been maintained for decades using this regenerative, holistic approach.”
Lotusland’s commitment to regenerative horticulture and environmental stewardship is profound and ongoing.
“We continue to seek out and develop new partnerships and techniques that advance the garden’s sustainable practices,” said Rebecca Anderson, Lotusland’s executive director.
One of the latest examples of this is a collaboration with Carpinteria-based Get Hooked Seafood, to test an innovative hydrolysate fertilizer made from local sustainable fish and kelp waste.
Get Hooked is a community-supported fishery program that brings fresh seafood to households in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties through an online subscription service.
The company, founded by Kim Selkoe and Victoria Voss, refined a recipe originally provided by the Santa Barbara-based White Buffalo Land Trust that grinds fish waste into a nutrient-rich fertilizer.
Get Hooked plans to make its garden products available to the public soon.
This carefully curated fertilizer not only promises higher quality and cost-effectiveness but also aligns with Lotusland’s commitment to environmental responsibility and community connection.
Currently, Lotusland uses a seaweed-based product that is shipped from Norway and a fish meal product that originates from a facility in Spain but may come from fish stocks anywhere, making traceability difficult.
The shift to using local seaweed and fish waste products from nearby ports is better for the environment and the community, as well as providing a more affordable, superior fertilizer.
“We are using our local waste more efficiently, while reducing our carbon footprint and re-generating products from the Santa Barbara Channel, all while supporting a local organization,” Ziliotto told Noozhawk.
“It’s a win-win.”
Anderson sees a bigger picture.
“This is something that we hope other coastal communities can replicate,” she added. “We are currently in the experimental phase, but hope to take our partnership to the next level, revolutionizing the use of natural waste as fertilizer.”
The larger value of this effort will help reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity — resulting in both carbon drawdown and improvements to the water cycle.
In addition, this incorporation of local fish and kelp-based fertilizers will accelerate ecological diversity at Lotusland.
Taking the partnership with Get Hooked and White Buffalo Land Trust a step further, Lotusland plans a presentation in the spring featuring Ziliotto and soil biology expert David White to discuss the garden’s biological soil care program.
The pair will discuss regenerative soil care, and offer hands-on opportunities and tours of Lotusland’s composting facilities, fruit orchard and insectary garden. Tickets for this event will go on sale later this year.
The sustainable horticulture efforts at Lotusland are made possible thanks to the generosity of Wendy and Eric Schmidt, who have also helped fund the creation of a comprehensive Plant Health Care Technical Guide. This guide aims to inform and inspire the next generation of gardeners near and far, with decades of institutional knowledge.
Lotusland’s forward-thinking horticulture initiatives model inventive, sustainable practices, environmental consciousness and community collaboration.
With 950 endangered plant species and more than 35,000 plants on its 37-acre property, Lotusland is one of the world’s premier botanical gardens and a center for education, sustainable gardening and plant conservation.
To ensure that the gardens continue to flourish, Lotusland relies on charitable donations and community support. Click here for more information or to learn how you can get involved, or click here to make an online donation.