Explore the verdant wonders of the Central Coast’s botanical gardens From Thousand Oaks to San Luis Obispo, these gardens celebrate the biodiversity of Mediterranean-type ecosystems By Michele Roest
Photo by Phil Ranger
There are few better places to take in the best of Ventura’s views than at the Ventura Botanical Gardens.
The Central Coast is rich in botanical gardens filled with lush flowering plants, ferns, shrubs, and trees. But the earliest botanical gardens were founded by universities in Italy during the late Renaissance period of the 1540s. They were created for the study of medicinal uses of plants. Later, the cultivation of plants for profit led to academic studies in forestry, landscape architecture, ornamental horticulture, and garden design. Botanical gardens today have become destination spots for millions of tourists who visit them each year. Botanical gardens in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties focus their efforts on cultivation and preservation of the plants unique to Mediterranean-type ecosystems. There are just five 30
Summer 2021
of these zones in the world, and the Central Coast of California — known as the California Floristic Province — is one of them. The others are located in similar latitudinal zones in Central Chile, the Mediterranean Basin, the Cape Region of South Africa, and Southwestern and South Australia. They are home to unusual and globally significant plant diversity
and endemic species. All five regions have received international designation as biodiversity hotspots, and share similar climates: short winters and long, dry summers. They also only occur on the west coasts of continents, and benefit from the coastal influence.
Photo by Phil Ranger
A dramatic bloom at the Ventura Botanical Gardens.
Plants in these regions have developed unique adaptations to these conditions, including tolerance to drought. Many are fire-adapted, which turned out to be a good thing for the Ventura Botanical Gardens. “In 2017, the Thomas Fire came right through — 2,000 plants were burned,” laments Barbara Brown, board member of the Ventura Botanical Gardens. Not all the plants survived that massive fire, but many did, persevering despite evident surface charring. california101guide.com
