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Travel & Experiences

Post-fire, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden prevails

This photo, shot in the aftermath of the May 2009 Jesusita fire, shows the destruction of the Gane House in the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden near Mission Canyon Road.

This photo, shot in the aftermath of the May 2009 Jesusita fire, shows the destruction of the Gane House in the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden near Mission Canyon Road.  ( Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Wildfires, as Yosemite’s Rim inferno reminds us, take no prisoners. So it was with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, which was charred in May 2009 by the Jesusita fire. That conflagration scorched 8,700 acres of Santa Barbara lands, destroyed 80 homes and left parts of the 78-acre botanic garden and its more than 1,000 plant species in ruins. Its century-old Gane House with garden supplies was lost, as were another building for plant propagation, a deck over Mission Creek and numerous trees and plants. Firefighters were able to save the core areas of the garden, and with some hard work and the healing hands of time, the garden has mostly recovered. Here’s a look.

-Kari Beal and Mary Forgione

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, with the Santa Ynez Mountains in the distance, is seen four years later. It’s hard to imagine the devastation, although there are some reminders throughout the garden, which is classified as a “living museum.”  (Kari Beal / Los Angeles Times)

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Burned logs and trees remain as a reminder of the devastating blaze.  (Kari Beal/Los Angeles Times)

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Along Mission Creek is Mission Dam and Aqueduct, built in 1807 as a water supplier to the Santa Barbara Mission. It is no longer in use.  (Kari Beal/Los Angeles Times)

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

But much of the brush on the outskirts of the redwood section burned during the 2009 Jesusita fire.   (Kari Beal/Los Angeles Times)

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

The California fucshia blooms in late summer and fall, even during the summer heat.  (Kari Beal/Los Angeles Times)

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

A worker tends to the meadow section. The garden has embarked on a project to restore it to its 1929 design. The idea is to plant native flowers to provide “seasonal color, year-round interest, educational opportunities, and reduced maintenance.” It is expected to be completed in 2015.   (Kari Beal / Los Angeles Times)

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Flowers are for sale in the Garden Growers Nursery. LIke the botanic garden, the nursery showcases plants that are uniquely California.  (Kari Beal/Los Angeles Times)

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