Lotusland’s Exceptional Plants Auction

Calling all plant lovers! Ganna Walska Lotusland is thrilled to announce that tickets for the 13th Annual Exceptional Plants Auction are now available! Get yours now before they sell out!

Join us on October 5th from 1 – 4 pm at Lotusland for the ultimate plant party! Meet and exchange with more than 300 of the region’s top plant experts, collectors and aficionados, bid on numerous rare and specimen plants, and vie for the chance to take home exceptional botanical treasures. Featuring impressive contributions propagated in Lotusland’s nursery as well as donations from botanic gardens, universities, private collectors, landscape designers, horticulture specialists, and Southern California’s most esteemed nurseries, this is a must-attend event for anyone passionate about plants. Proceeds support the care of Lotusland’s extraordinary plant collections.

This year’s auction will feature a selection of rare and unusual 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 is a 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. Her dedication made Lotusland one of the premier botanical gardens in the world and a haven for rare and exotic plants. This auction continues her legacy while advancing Lotusland’s mission to preserve and protect biodiverse plant life.

Lotusland is a leader in conservation and 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. Our commitment to biodiversity and conservation is evident in our plant collections, with include more than 35,000 plants and 3,500 species, one-third of which are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. As a pioneer in sustainable horticulture practices and techniques, Lotusland serves as a model for public and private gardens across the globe demonstrating how to maintain and care for rare plant collections and all types of plants responsibly and respectfully.