Welles-Wishes at Lotusland

Staff, trustees, and friends of Lotusland, the 37-acre Montecito botanical paradise, gathered at the University Club to celebrate Corey Welles after a career of 33 years tending to the estate of former Polish opera singer Ganna Walska.

Welles, recognized today as a leader in the field of sustainable horticulture, pioneered Lotusland’s sustainability efforts and is credited with making the estate the first and only pesticide-free botanic garden in the U.S.

He developed his methods over the course of three decades harnessing the area’s academic resources, enlisting researchers from UC Santa Barbara to share their expertise in botany, soil sciences, entomology, and more.

Welles transitioned the garden to organic fertilizers, mulches, and compost tea creating a system where the soil, insects, plants, and animals successfully support and regulate the estate.

Chris Ziliotto, who joined Lotusland last spring, was handpicked by Welles and will continue developing the garden’s sustainability program.

Among those wishing Welles well were Executive Director Rebecca Anderson, board trustees Connie Pearcy, Dan Bifano, Ron Caird, Jeanne Anderson, Crystal Wyatt, Rachael Douglas, and Mari Mitchel; former staffers Anne Dewey, Bruno Reginato, Esau Ramirez, Marge Kelly, and Bob Craig; as well as longtime docents and volunteers.

He was gifted with an owl box which will be permanently located at Lotusland with a plaque in his honor and a bowl made from Monterey cypress that graced the estate’s Great Lawn until it was removed several years ago.

A botanical bash of note…