Santa Barbara Independent Article: Buellton’s Hidden Gem: The Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden

Labor of Love Sprouted 15 Years Ago Next to River View Park
By Cynthia Carbone Ward
Tue Jul 26, 2022 | 11:33am

A hummingbird is hovering above the fuchsia trumpet of a penstemon, shade and sunlight dapple the ground beneath a winding willow maze, and clumps of columbine and yarrow adorn trails that lead to secret places. This is the Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden, a hidden gem and labor of love located ― unexpectedly ― in Buellton. I cannot believe I’ve missed it until now.

“There’s not a day that I come here and don’t find a little miracle,” muses landscape designer Eva Powers, who is on the board of trustees for the SYV Botanic Garden Foundation, and one of the dedicated volunteers, along with Puck Erickson Lohnas, Steve Schulz, and others, who envisioned this place fifteen years ago and worked to make it real. When the adjacent River View Park was developed, a requirement was put in place to set aside 2.5 acres as habitat for the endangered Western Willow Fly Catcher, and so it was, but more exuberant ideas took root in the collective imagination of the locals. What had once been a wasteland of cement, construction debris, and gravel was gradually transformed into a living replica of the natural landscapes of the Valley.  

Eva leads me along hand-cut trails through the plant zones of Figueroa Mountain, the Gaviota Coast, the Channel Islands, and a Santa Ynez River rain garden. There are healthy stands of sycamore, alder, pine, and oak trees in once-barren places. Native grassland thrives, butterflies flutter, and slopes are soft with buckwheat. 

There are human-made surprises also: Chumash-inspired stone carvings by artist Lon Etzel, colorful mosaic animal images by visiting school kids, and a dome-shaped Chumash hut constructed of bundled tule reeds attached to a willow branch framework––a project led by volunteer Julio Carrillo III. Nearby, the branches of a wishing tree are hung with poignant messages handwritten on brown paper slips that will eventually be mulched, true to the cyclical nature of things, to help fertilize the wishing tree: I wish my grandpa would get better. I wish for a sleepover for my birthday. I wish Covid will go away. 

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“The pandemic has actually led more people to the garden,” Eva tells me. “It’s an outdoor place to go, a refuge. People can help with activities and maintenance, or just quietly be here and reconnect with nature. Maybe sometimes we forget how important that is.”

Indeed, the garden provides a kind of sustenance, and I feel replenished just knowing it is here, a sanctuary for plants, wildlife, and humans. Behind the gas stations, stores, and Highway 246, nature is trying to continue, mountains loom like munificent elders, and wonders abound.  The miracle within the miracle, however, is the dedicated community that birthed and tends it. 

Credit: Derek Glas

“Good people find each other and make good things happen,” observes Kyle Abello, the City Liaison to the Garden. “This is a beautiful example of a public-private partnership and the collaborative effort of neighbors.”  

The Foundation is grateful for a recent grant from the City of Buellton, but local contributions of materials, building supplies, and expertise have been crucial, and it continues to run primarily on donations and the hard work of volunteers.  This has allowed it to be a relatively unstructured, welcoming, admission-free destination, and a creative venue for environmental education, native plant propagation, arts and crafts, and peaceful reflection. It’s organic, as it should be, a work still in process. 

I stand still for a moment before traversing the wooden bridge that leads back to the park and playground area. As I walk to my car, I hear the shouts of children playing in the distance, an elderly couple in wide-brimmed hats strolls along hand-in-hand, and a trellis of wisteria casts a crisscross of shade upon a picnic table. I feel giddy, and I don’t know why, until it dawns on me that I have just glimpsed the very things that I believe will save us: community collaboration, and the precious natural world.

The enchanted garden remains a hidden gem until directional signs are installed, but the physical address is 151 Sycamore Drive in Buellton, at the West end of River View Park, just two turns off Highway 246. Come. Be inspired, learn, reflect and feel hopeful. Donate if you wish.

Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden installs new features, interactive elements for kids

Lisa André landre@syvnews.com

  • Mar 31, 2021 Updated Oct 7, 2021

The Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden at River View Park in Buellton was celebrated March 27 during a ribbon-cutting to recognize newly added features and fresh plantings that welcome daily visitors of all ages. 

Recently installed at the park were handcrafted mosaic pillars topped with steel signage that reads, "Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden," as well as interactive play areas meant to further engage small explorers.

The new pillars and signage are located at the entrance to a community garden that features California native plants, which are thoughtfully labeled for easy identification.

Among those who attended were Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden board members and landscape designers Eva Powers, president, and Puck Erickson Lohnas, vice president, who spearheaded the garden project; and artists, including Michelle Griffoul and craftsmen with Pat Carson Studios who cut the ceremonial red ribbon.

Mayor Holly Sierra, Vice Mayor John Sanchez, and council members Ed Andrisek, David King and Elysia Lewis turned out to applaud the beautification project alongside members of the community, local Cub Scouts and others who assisted with the monthslong project.

Buellton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy Vreeland, who also volunteered her time, said the Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden continues to find ways to expand its offerings as part of an ongoing effort to educate and engage visitors.

"This was part of a bigger picture," she said. "There were a lot of moving parts and many volunteers."  

Vreeland, also a Buellton Rotarian, said that she and a number of fellow Rotarians and other volunteers helped with the children's play areas over a series of weekends. 

Since a child's natural inclination is to climb, romp and play — not stay on one path, Vreeland said, features such as wooden balance beams, stairs, a tunnel and a stationary car made out of a log that seats two children were installed to honor that.

"It's kind of like a Flintstones' car," she said, referring to the playful car feature. "There are a lot of interactive elements in there so children can continue to explore nature while having fun."

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A bit of reading to enjoy while we relish in the wonderful rainfall, which is sure to make for a beautiful spring bloom in the garden. Many wildflower seedlings already popping up throughout the garden, promising for a beautiful display in a few months!

Please join us, and renew your membership for 2021! Your support is crucial for the garden to help us grow and gain support from organizations and grants to continue to keep our garden thriving for years to come!

Tule Ap' Restoration 2020

From planning, grading, harvesting, framing, constructing and thatching the restoration of the Tule Ap in the garden has been a collaborative effort. Many involved in many ways to re-build this popular staple of the botanic garden. Making great progress and nearing completion! Thank you everyone who participated in this fun project, Julio Carrillo III for the great direction and guidance and much appreciation to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation for sponsoring this restoration project and Firestone Vineyard and Winery for the Tule reeds!

Photos courtesy of Derek Glas, Eva Powers & Theresa Reilly

GARDEN SCAVENGER HUNT

GARDEN SCAVENGER HUNT! A great family activity outdoors at the Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden! Take this with you as you explore the garden and see how many of these things you can find! Take photos of your finds and share your discoveries with us on Facebook (Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden), tag us on Instagram (@syvbotanicgarden) or email (contact@syvbotanicgarden.org). Be sure to go soon before the blooms change to summer season! HAVE FUN EXPLORING!

Share your photos with us to be featured on social media or website:

Family Planting Project

Thank you to Arden Stacy of Dunn School for coordinating this great family planting project at the garden. Plants are out at the west end of the garden for families to come and plant. Please bring your own tools to use to avoid sharing of tools. Choose a plant and find the matching stake out in the garden and plant your plant there and watch it grow throughout the year!

Be sure to take photos to document your plantings and so you can look back to see how much it grows! We’d love to see your photos too, so please share them with us if you’d like! Tag us on Facebook or Instagram or email them to us below!