Subscriber Comments for
Botanic Garden

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 106009	2010-09-18 08:56 AM
Thank you for posting these tourist sites! And thank you for this one on the Garden!
COMMENT 106023	2010-09-18 09:44 AM
Polliwogs! I spent hours playing in the creeks of the BG and Mission Canyon area. Thanks for the memories.
COMMENT 106028	2010-09-18 10:08 AM
I like getting reminded of the vast numbers of enrichment spots around our little town. Always a mystery to me why local kids say "there is nothing to do". Most of these cultural resources have youth programs so the more local publicity and reminders the better. We are so lucky to live here when we get our minds off all the edges of our town that are also riddled with crime and violence - the two should not exist together here when so many in our community heritage dedicated so much time, money and treasure to creating spots like the Botanic Gardens. You go, you sit, you watch, you sense the quiet, you observe nature, you learn, you surrender, you leave a little bit more peaceful and richer than when you came, if you want to know what the Botanic Garden is all about.
ARTEMISIA	2010-09-18 11:41 AM
So, you're saying the docent tour guide told you that the log structure in the meadow had a Native American connection? Wrong!
BECKY	2010-09-18 12:18 PM
I love the Botanic Garden, and spent many lovely afternoons there, reading a book or contemplating by (or in) the stream. I sure wish I could afford to go now, but now they charge admission, and times are very tight for many of us locals. It's just another way of being priced out of your own home town.
COMMENT 106058P	2010-09-18 12:27 PM
"Native American elements" - unless elements is defined, it remains to be seen what was meant by that statement. The "aqueduct" element refers to "Utilizing an ingenious design created by Franciscan Padres, Native American laborers from the Barbareño Chumash crafted a water system that incorporated several technologies". Possibly the log building incorporated Native American design elements? Or possibly the Native American elements referred only to the aqueduct, and the sentence ran on to include the unconnected log building? It is not clear.
COMMENT 106138	2010-09-18 07:53 PM
COMMENT 106028 Times have changed. I seriously doubt you will find many (if any) kids these days that will be content hanging out at the Botanic Garden.
COMMENT 106028	2010-09-19 07:04 AM
What needs to change? The kids today or the times kids are in. The Botanic Garden is a perfect place for kids and that is where parents need to take them if they claimed they are bored and there is nothing to do in this town. Parents can tell them they can volunteer at any number of youth programs where their young energies can be directed into something productive, useful and engaging. It is all about parents; not kids. Or parents can let their young, unformed minds and attitudes tell parents what to do.
ESL TEACHER	2010-09-19 09:18 AM
To clarify the facts about the log structure, it is an art installation designed by Herb Parker and erected in the summer of 2009. It will be in place for two years and is part of the Botanic Garden's program of installing "garden sculptures". However, opinions differ as to whether it belongs in this setting at all, as it sited in the middle of a historic landmark which is meant to be preserved in its authentic form without distraction from the view. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but some people feel it is an ugly and needless intrusion in the landscape. In addition, a lot of water is required to maintain the green roof.
COMMENT 106213	2010-09-19 09:46 AM
I live in MC and recently watched my grandchildren spend hours playing in the creek. They came home relaxed, muddy, hungry and slept like babies that night. Fresh air, sunshine and nature teach and sooth all of us. Kids have not changed but access to the out of doors has. The fear some parents have of anything that crawls or isn't sanitized is killing curiosity.
COMMENT 106216P	2010-09-19 09:50 AM
I'm sorry, but these photos make me sad - and they make me miss the old Botanic Garden, back in the day when there were nothing but native plants (along with a beautiful grove of redwoods rising from a spectacular carpet of redwood sorrel) and uninterrupted views of our beautiful canyon and mountains. This once beautiful and natural garden has been ruined. Let the tourists have it - bus them in and out on electric busses to keep the car pollution and fire danger under control....but the garden is losing its educational value, as evidenced by the non-native succulents, grasses, and disgustingly ugly "art".
COMMENT 106219P	2010-09-19 09:55 AM
Yes. Anything non-native in Santa Barbara is a waste of time and must be shunned. People, plants, animals...Ridiculous.
COMMENT 106028	2010-09-19 09:59 AM
Where is it written locals are entitled to free access to the private foundation grounds of the Botanic Garden? No one is priced out of their own home town when a private institution requires entrance fees to support their maintenance and operating costs. Private organizations dependent upon donations and fundraising would love to hand out no-charge privileges to everyone, but there is no entitlement to these privileges just by virtue of residence unless it is tax supported. The Botanic Garden faces real costs and real operating expenses just like anywhere else. People do earn small change recycling soda cans and bottles so you have a win-win possibility to keep enjoying the Botanic Garden.
COMMENT 106058P	2010-09-19 10:18 AM
The non-native succulents are ONLY in the plant shop. For those interested in conserving water in their own gardens, succulents of any kind are preferable to water-hogging plants. Check out the xeriscaping at the "Goleta Water District Water-Wise Garden", where non-natives are used to conserve water. Although a strong native plant proponent myself, I can understand the wise use of non-natives in landscaping to limit water use. BUT, there are no non-native plants in the Garden itself. But I do agree about the log structure - pretty pointless. I would have preferred the structure that was halted mid-construction by outsiders, because it was to be used for the display of native plants.
COMMENT 106216P	2010-09-19 10:21 AM
106230P - The garden is full of non-native plants and genetically modified cultivars. Get a clue.
COMMENT 106219P	2010-09-19 10:27 AM
106231P I'm from SB. Born here. But it's great that anyone who disagrees with you is from LA.
COMMENT 106058P	2010-09-19 10:34 AM
106230P - Could you name some of the non-native plants in the Garden itself, so that I can look out for them the next time I am there? Thanks. Or do you mean by non-native, plants from other areas of California? By the way, there are some native plants in the Garden that are now extinct in the wild. "The Garden's living collections, including more than 1,000 taxa of plants, are featured throughout 40 acres accessible by over 5.5 miles of public trails. Accredited by the American Association of Museums as a living museum, the collections are devoted to illustrating the remarkable diversity of California's native flora."
OLDLAWOMAN	2010-09-19 11:21 AM
I am planning to visit the new Botanical Gardens soon due to this article. Thank you to the folks who restored the gardens after such a treacherous fire.
COMMENT 106305	2010-09-19 03:13 PM
Thanks for updating me on what I thought I already knew. I was wrong and appreciate finding out that a tour is included in the price of admission and that dogs are OK. Can't know too much about one's own town, especially where so many of its attractions were made possible by donations. Maybe people think this is the norm. It's not. In most places, such areas would be private enclaves or developed with gas stations crammed cheek by jowl with burger joints. Or both.

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