After Madame Walska’s death in 1984, Lotusland became a nonprofit botanical garden and opened to the public in 1993. The garden, which is divided into separate sections highlighting roses, cactus, palm trees and of course, lotuses, requires nine full-time gardeners. The Madame wasn’t a fan of traditional flowers that you could wear on your chest or use in beautiful floral arrangements. She saw beauty in the unusual and rare plants of the world and was a collector of succulents decades before it was trendy. Let’s take a tour of the cacti and euphorbias garden.
Among the first changes Madame Walska made after purchasing Lotusland in 1941 was to add cactus, succulent, and euphorbia plantings to beds in front of her new residence.
She was fascinated with desert plants.
One side of the drive is planted with cacti, which are new world plants, and the other is planted in succulent euphorbias from the old world.
Masses of golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) and large weeping Euphorbia ingens flank the entrance to the house.
Cactus, succulent, and euphorbia plantings reflect her design style.
Succulents are low maintenance and easy to care for.
Next week, a few more photographic gems of Lotusland to share with you and I hope I inspired you to visit this magnificent garden.
My aunt was famous for many things. Famous for her jewelry, famous for her costumes, famous for her great beauty, famous for her husbands. And now famous for her garden. – Hania Tallmadge
*Tina