The Garden Conservancy and Ganna Walska LotuslandCelebrate $30,000 Gift to the Lotusland Forever Campaign

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[SANTA BARBARA, CA] – February 16, 2024 — The Garden Conservancy is thrilled to announce that
Ganna Walska Lotusland is the recipient of the esteemed Jean and John Greene Prize for Excellence in
the Field of American Gardening. The prize, which comes with a generous $30,000 grant will help
support the ongoing efforts to safeguard this remarkable garden for future generations as part of the
Garden’s 30th Anniversary Lotusland Forever Capital and Endowment Campaign.
The prize has been made possible by a transformational estate gift of nearly $3 million to the Garden
Conservancy from John Kaul Greene, who passed away in September 2019, after expressing his
intention to create an award to recognize excellence in American gardening. John is survived by his wife,
Jean, who shared with him an appreciation for the ways gardens enrich our lives, an appreciation that
deepened during the four years the couple lived in Europe. John joined the Garden Conservancy’s board
of directors in 1998, and he served on the board of trustees of the Chicago Botanic Garden for more
than half a century.
Recognizing the importance of this whimsical and dramatic oasis back in 1991, the Garden Conservancy
chose Lotusland, in Santa Barbara, CA, as its second preservation project. Now, three decades later,
Lotusland is one of the most important and celebrated public gardens in the United States.
In recognition of both the aesthetic and scientific value of the collection as an irreplaceable national
resource, the Conservancy played an important role in the preservation of the Garden and its opening to
the public in 1994. Today, Lotusland stands as a testament to the Conservancy’s mission and what it
means to preserve a garden—unceasing action and ongoing commitment.
Lotusland holds immense significance as an artistic expression, a place of wonder, a haven of
biodiversity, a laboratory of sustainability, and an incomparable archive of plants and seeds, some of
which grow nowhere else. Ganna Walska’s legacy, deeply rooted in Lotusland, continues to inspire and
captivate visitors. With ample space slotted for growth and evolution, Lotusland remains a beacon of
beauty and botanical preservation.
The Lotusland Forever Campaign aims to preserve and revive the estate’s historic buildings, conserve
non-living collections, improve natural resource management, revitalize the decades-old nursery,
enhance access for visitors, and establish endowments for each of the diverse gardens. “This gift will
enable us to enhanceour stewardship of this extraordinary garden, ensuring its longevity and allowing us
to share its magic with visitors,” said Rebecca Anderson, Executive Director of Ganna Walska Lotusland.

“This campaign exemplifies the Garden Conservancy’s mission to protect and preserve exceptional
gardens of cultural and historical significance. By investing in this visionary initiative, the Conservancy is
helping to safeguard the legacy of Lotusland for future generations, ensuring that its uncommon beauty
and botanical treasures continue to inspire and delight a broad audience of visitors from around the
word,” said James Brayton Hall, President and CEO of the Garden Conservancy.
In 2022, the Garden Conservancy awarded the Greene Prize to Wethersfield Estate & Gardens in
Amenia, NY to enable them to complete a cultural landscape report.
To learn more about Ganna Walska Lotusland, visit lotusland.org.