Australian garden

In 1993, landscape architect Sydney Baumgartner designed the Australian garden, which incorporates grouping large masses of unusual plants to pay homage to Madame Walska’s distinctive landscaping style.

This is a garden of a relatively unknown group of plants, all native to Australia, aptly set within the old eucalyptus grove. Unusual specimens include the dramatic bottle trees (Brachychiton species), spear lilies (Doryanthes palmeri), and grass trees (Xanthorrhoea species). Various myrtles, grevilleas, and acacias screen the public parking area.

The Spanish-style Visitor Center is a gathering place for public tours and houses Lotusland’s Garden Shop and rest rooms. Modeled after the historic bath house adjacent to the water garden, it features tile benches, an arbor covered with Australian tea tree (Leptospermum laevigatum), and a lotus motif tile fountain.