Tickets and sponsorship packages for Ganna Walska Lotusland’s 13th Annual Exceptional Plants Auction are now available.

Two Dracaena draco plants in pots at Lotusland. (Courtesy photo)
Plants like these Dracaena draco plants are among those on offer at the Lotusland auction. (Courtesy photo)

The plant party will be 1-4 p.m. Oct. 5 at Lotusland. Attendees can enjoy signature cocktails and light bites while visiting with some 300 of the region’s plant experts, collectors and aficionados

Proceeds from the auction support the care of Lotusland’s extraordinary plant collections.

There will be opportunities to bid on rare and specimen plants, and vie for the chance to take home botanical treasures.

The event will feature contributions propagated in Lotusland’s nursery, as well as donations from botanic gardens, universities, private collectors, landscape designers, horticulture specialists, and esteemed nurseries.

Also on offer will be a selection of rare cycads, including Encephalartos horridus x Encephalartos woodii, a unique hybrid created at Lotusland; as well as palms, begonias, bromeliads (including specimen Tillandsia), succulents (aloe, agave, euphorbia, cacti), Australian native plants, orchids, unusual trees, artful succulent arrangements, and locally made ceramic pots.
 
A signature event since 2012, Exceptional Plants pays homage to Lotusland’s founder and the ultimate plant collector, Madame Ganna Walska, who was famous for selling her jewelry collection to finance her plant obsession.

Walska’s dedication made Lotusland one of the premier botanical gardens in the world and a haven for rare and exotic plants. The auction continues her legacy while advancing Lotusland’s mission to preserve and protect biodiverse plant life.


A leader in conservation, Lotusland is a recipient of the convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) certificate, and an official Plant Rescue Center for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

For tickets and sponsorships, visit www.lotusland.org/event/exceptional-plants-auction2024/.

Tickets are $125 members; $150 non-members; and patron tickets, $300, which includes cocktails and light fare.

Sponsorship packages begin at $1,000. Event sponsors will receive recognition in event materials, VIP access, and other exclusive benefits. Email slloydknauf@lotusland.org for more about sponsorships.