Plant Highlights

Woodwardia radicans

European chain fern

Highlight Month:
April
Nativity:

Southern Europe
Growth Habit:

This fern has long, arching fronds. Where the tip of the frond touches the ground, it may form a new plant that roots into the ground.
Growing Requirements:

Chain fern needs moist soil, partial shade and can withstand mild frosts.
Features:

In this photo, the frond is just unfurling.
Where at Lotusland:

Throughout the Fern Garden and also in the Japanese Garden near the waterfall.
Mackaya bella

forest bell bush

Highlight Month:
April
Nativity:

South Africa
Growth Habit:

This flowering shrub grows as an upright multi-stemmed bush 6 to 8 feet tall. It has glossy dark green leaves and tubular pale violet flowers.
Growing Requirements:

Grows in dense shade with regular water. It is hardy to about 20 degrees.
Features:

The flowers appear in spring on arching stems. Very good for the shade garden.
Where at Lotusland:

Insectary Garden
Hardenbergia violacea ‘Happy Wanderer’

lilac vine, purple coral pea, false sasparilla

Highlight Month:
March
Nativity:

H. violacea is native to Australia. ‘Happy Wanderer’ is a cultivar selected for fast growth, with purple flowers.
Growth Habit:

A fast-growing vine, climbing on twining stems to 15 feet.
Growing Requirements:

Light shade to full sun, drought tolerant once established but grows best in well-drained soil.
Features:

Lilac vine blooms from late winter through early spring with dense, cascading clusters of small pinkish purple flowers. It makes a good screen for fences, or for an impressive winter flower display on a trellis.
Where at Lotusland:

Hardenbergia grows on the Kiosk in the Australian Garden.
Veltheimia bracteata

forest lily, cape lily

Highlight Month:
February
Nativity:

South Africa (S. Cape Province)
Growth Habit:

This bulb displays glossy green foliage followed by a one-foot tall inflorescence bearing tubular bubblegum pink flowers in late winter/early spring.
Growing Requirements:

Veltheimia bulbs should be planted in autumn in moist, well-drained soil. They grow best in partial to full shade with regular water during growing season, less after flowering.
Features:

Each flower head will last up to a month, then will be followed by inflated green seed capsules. The seeds can be harvested once the capsules dry out and the seeds turn black. Mature bulbs make offsets that can be divided or left in the ground to spread. Plants often go summer dormant in warmer climates and are frost tender.
Where at Lotusland:

Fern Garden
Zantedeschia aethiopica ‘Green Goddess’

Green Goddess calla lily

Highlight Month:
March
Nativity:

Garden Origin
Growth Habit:

Calla lilies are evergreen in moist sites in the Santa Barbara area, although they can return from their drought-dormant tubers quite successfully once fall rains have begun. Their large leaves, 1 ½ to 2-foot blades atop 3-foot stems are arrowhead shaped. They begin blooming in very early spring with tall stalks rising above the leaves. The cultivar ‘Green Goddess’ has a funnel-shaped spathe surrounding the familiar yellow spadix that shades from pure white in the center to an elongated tip striped with emerald green.
Growing Requirements:

Calla lilies naturally grow in bogs, so constant moisture is required to keep them year round. Bright shade or filtered light promotes vigorous growth and good flower production. They may even be planted in shallow water in ponds.
Features:

This cultivar is larger than the regular calla lilies and provides a lush, tropical look to the shade or water garden.
Where at Lotusland:

Fern Garden
Aloe speciosa

tilt-head aloe

Highlight Month:
March
Nativity:

South Africa
Growth Habit:

This arborescent aloe grows to 15’ or more with a single rosette of grayish-green leaves atop an attractive “skirt” of older leaves. The rosette usually tilts toward the direction of the greatest sun exposure. The large, unbranched inflorescences have deep pink buds that mature to greenish white flowers with reddish brown stamens.
Growing Requirements:

Aloe speciosa is very easy to grow. It requires full sun and good drainage. Water only to get plants established. It is hardy to 25 – 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Features:

This is one of the later aloe to bloom at Lotusland.
Where at Lotusland:

Along the Main Drive near the Sycamore Canyon Gate and in the Aloe Garden.
Grevillea paniculata

kerosene bush

Highlight Month:
March
Nativity:

Southwestern Australia
Growth Habit:

A woody shrub up to 3 feet in height that can spread 10 feet or more in width. Very drought tolerant, it makes a soft-looking mound of light green, fine-leaved foliage.
Growing Requirements:

Full sun, no supplemental water once established.
Features:

The narrow leaves are deceptively soft-looking. In actuality, they have sharp tips that can cause dermatitis. Wear long sleeves and gloves when working with this plant. In spring, it is clothed with clusters of small white flowers.
Where at Lotusland:

In the Australian Garden around the parking lot.
Salix babylonica

weeping willow

Highlight Month:
March
Nativity:

Northern China
Growth Habit:

Weeping willow trees grow rapidly to as high as 50 feet. The pendant branches form a fountain fo greenery with leaves touching or nearly touching the ground enclosing a canopy nearly as wide as it is high.
Growing Requirements:

Full sun and regular moisture; it favors wet sites at the edge of natural waterways.
Features:

This tree has been widely cultivated for thousands of years for its graceful shape. It can be a focal point in the appropriately large and moist site. The bright green leaves emerge in early spring.
Where at Lotusland:

In the Japanese Garden at the edge of the pond.
Rhododendron formosum

rhododendron

Highlight Month:
March
Nativity:

Assam, Myanmar
Growth Habit:

This species rhododendron has small leaves and will become a rounded shrub 4 to 6 feet in diameter.
Growing Requirements:

A native to elevations of about 2000 feet in the Himalayas, this species can withstand moderate frosts. It can be grown in full sun where summers are cool making it suitable for coastal southern California. Soil should be acidic and rich in organic matter.
Features:

Relatively large flowers in clusters make this species a standout. The pink buds open to blush white.
Where at Lotusland:

Japanese Garden
Tillandsia usneoides

Spanish Moss

Highlight Month:
March
Nativity:

Southern United States, Central and South America
Growth Habit:

This bromeliad is one of the “air plants” that simply hang from trees, shrubs or even manmade structures. It takes all its water and nutrient requirements directly from the air with the help of specialized hairs called trichomes. The leaves are very thin and thread-like and tiny flowers may be observed in summer (a hand lens can help).
Growing Requirements:

Spanish moss grows naturally where temperatures are mild to warm and humidity is high. Frequent misting is required to grow it in naturally arid environments.
Features:

The silvery gray foliage can festoon trees in a garden setting. It has historically been used as a stuffing in cushions and pillows.
Where at Lotusland:

Throughout the bromeliad gardens.