Ganna Walska Lotusland

Dragon Tree
Dragon trees
Me and Ganna Walska.

The main residence on the grounds was built in 1921.

The rear elevation of the main residence.
The Bath House
Glass from the Coca-Cola factory lines the paths.
This is a species of cycad from South Africa named Encephalartos woodii, which is now extinct in the wild. Lotusland is working on a program to reintroduce it in South Africa.
Cycads are a class of ancient cone-bearing plants. Many are known to be critically endangered by encroaching human development.

Enemy of the Average

Madame Ganna Walska, a well-known Polish opera singer and socialite, purchased the estate in 1941 and spent the next 43 years creating Lotusland, which is now recognized as one of the ten best gardens in the world. “Madame” was a woman of truly unique character and referred to herself as an “Enemy of the Average.” In addition to being an accomplished opera singer she was an avid supporter of women’s rights, a generous philanthropist, a seeker of truth and bride to six husbands. She purchased this estate with her sixth husband to create a refuge for Tibetan monks and originally named it “Tibetland.”

The spectacular collections of exotic plants throughout the 37-acre property are a very personal expression of Walska’s penchant for the dramatic the unexpected, and the truly whimsical. Lotusland is home to several extraordinary plant collections and around each corner there is a surprise of unique garden design and rare, exotic plant species. After her death in 1984, Lotusland became a nonprofit botanic garden and opened in 1993.

Utilizing Madame’s scrapbook clippings of garden clocks around the world, Ralph Stevens designs a horticultural clock, which is installed in 1955 at a cost of $4,500. The clockworks are custom made by AdVance Time in St. Louis, and the copper zodiac signs are crafted by head gardener and metalworker Gunner Thielst.


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