Another quick trip to Santa Barbara

I just got back from Santa Barbara, just three months after my previous trip. I gave a talk on mangaves at the Santa Barbara Cactus and Succulent Society (a great club!) and added a few extra days to do some exploring.

Here’s a quick overview of what I did and saw. I’ll have more detailed posts in the weeks to come.

The motel I stayed at in Santa Barbara, the Lemon Tree Inn, had the kind of succulent-centric landscaping I love:

Massive Agave guiengola

Hundreds of Agave attenuata, this one right outside my patio

I was able to explore Lotusland on my own – a very special experience I won’t soon forget:

Japanese Garden at Lotusland

Tree ferns

Echinopsis flowers

Euphorbia ammak

Cactus forest outside the main residence

Agave grower extraordinaire Tony Krock showed me how he cuts agaves for propagation. As a Succulents and More exclusive, I’ll share a video of his demonstration.

Tony Krock with his miniature machete

Tony demonstrating how he cuts agaves in half to trigger the production of offsets (still from my video)

I also made a return visit to Taft Gardens outside Ojai – a spectacular private garden off the beaten path:

Taft Gardens has hundreds of mature Aloe ferox

South African shrubs, bulbs, and perennials in full flower

Leucospermum (left) and Leucadendron discolor (right)

Leucadendron discolor flowers

Leucospermum flower

I spent some time with Nick Deinhart in San Luis Obispo. He creates amazing aloe hybrids and mangaves:

And I got the opportunity to see Dudleya abramsii ssp. murina in habitat. This native succulent is only found in San Luis Obispo County where it grows on serpentine outcrops:

I saw many hundreds of healthy Dudleya abramsii ssp. murina, but development is moving ever closer

Dudleya abramsii ssp. murina and a fern

Dudleya abramsii ssp. murina in a bed of lichen

Here’s a map showing the places I visited:

Look for detailed posts soon!

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