Publications
Taft Gardens & Nature Preserve Videos
Aerial photography: Eric Foote
Taft GardenWildlife-Cam: Ventura Wildlife Guru David Lee
@TaftGardens Instagram
The Watsonia bulbs are in bloom at Taft Gardens, and this Flower Crab Spider is loving it!
Watsonia is a genus of plants in the family Iridaceae, subfamily Crocoideae. Watsonias are native to South Africa and are named after Sir William Watson, an 18th-century British botanist.
These gorgeous bulbs are easy to grow, hardy, and self-sufficient in full sun. Their long tubular flowers come in various colors, including bright pink, deep reddish orange, and crisp white. The only downside to this Springtime treat is that they do not last long. Their blooms will grace Taft Gardens for only 2-3 weeks. We invite you to book a self-guided tour and bask in their glory while they last.
Taft Gardens is open from Tuesday to Saturday by reservation only. Twenty slots are available daily. Please book 24 hours in advance.
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📸 @alexandra.nicklin
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#ojai #ojaivalley #santaanacanyon #secretgarden #watsonia #crabspider #flowercrabspider #flowerbulbs #southafrica #southafricannatives #southafricanplants #southafricanflowers #alexandranicklin #selfguidedtour #superbloom #thingstodoinojai #thingstodoincalifornia #greatwalks
Tickets links for our annual Art In Nature Residency Exhibition Openings are officially live on our website.
June 1, 2024
Daytime Artist Residency Exhibition Openings
Free but Ticketed
11 am - 3 pm
Fundraiser Dinner, Exhibition Openings, and Performance
$100 Fundraiser Ticket
5 - 8 pm
Featuring:
Two-person Exhibition in Taft's Historic Art Studio
by Stephanie Dotson @stephaniedotson & Madeleine Ignon @madeveart
Musical Performance by Scott Hirsch @scotthirschmusic
Solo Installation in the Protea Studio by Vanessa Wallace Gonzales @livingrelic
Site-Specific Installations in the Gardens by Rosemary Hall @rosemaryhhall , Eliot Spaulding @eliot_spaulding, and Amun Levy @beast_visual
Link in our bio under "Events."
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All Photos by Marc Alt @marcaltphoto
Graphics by Louise Sandhaus @lulusandhaus
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#ojai #ojaivalley #artinnature #ojaiartists #ojaiarts #ojaiartist #santabarbaraarts #centralcoastarts #secretgarden #rosemaryhhall #stephaniedotson #amunlevy #eliotspaulding #vannessagonzalez #Madeleineignon #scotthirsh #artistresidency #fundraiser #fundraiserevent #performance #exhibition #artinstallation #videoart #collage #sculpture #gardens #naturepreserve #ojailocal
This post marks the culmination of our 2023-24 Art in Nature series. We are proud to re-introduce Rosemary Hall @rosemaryhhall, who joined us last year with a compelling Research Residency proposal focusing on our Pollinator Garden. Her time at Taft Gardens was a success, leading us to grant her another nine months to continue her studies this residency season.
Since October, Hall has been researching themes of ecology, transformation, and the history of various materials. She focuses on minute details of nature and hopes to call attention to small beings and subtle happenings in the natural world that we often overlook. Hall has been working towards creating several projects, including a forthcoming installation for the Art in Nature Fundraiser entitled "Encyclia imagosis, Taphonomy," a series of oxidized chrysalis sculptures buried on the property in leaf litter, like a moth pupa. When Hall unearths them, they will have markings of the passage of time, soils, and decomposers.
The Art is Nature Exhibition Openings and Annual Fundraiser will take place on June 1st, 2024.
11am - 3pm: Free but Ticketed Exhibition Openings
5 - 8pm: Fundraiser Dinner with Exhibition Openings and Artist Presentations
100 tickets for each event will go on sale at 9am on May 4th and will be available at
https://www.taftgardens.org/events
If you join our mailing list on our website (link in bio), we will notify you once the ticket links are live.
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📸 @marcaltphoto
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#ojai #ojaivalley #artinnature #ojaiartist #centralcoastart #secretgarden #rosemaryhhall #artistresidency #ecology #ecosculpture #chrysalis #mothpupa
Shout out to Alexandra Nicklen, our garden coordinator, plant expert, and badass photographer, who captured these busy hummingbirds gathering nectar from the bottlebrush trees in our Australian Garden.
Bottlebrush is a garden staple in California but is native to Australia. It is often sold as a shrub but can grow as a tree over 25 feet tall. It is known for its graceful, drooping branches that end in tufted flowers. They come in bright purple, pink, red, yellow, white, and green varieties and typically appear in Spring and Summer, attracting nectar-feeding birds and insects. They are especially attractive to bees and hummingbirds, who can be seen and heard buzzing around Taft Gardens in great numbers, like a fine symphony.
It is a wonderful time to visit our secret garden and immerse yourself in the healing sounds and sights of nature.
Taft Gardens is open for self-guided tours from Tuesday to Saturday. Limited slots are available by reservation only. Please book 24 hours in advance.
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📸 @alexandra.nicklin
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#ojai #ojaivalley #secretgarden #hummingbirds #hummingbird #bottlebrush #bottlebrushtrees #australiannatives #australiannativeplants #australiannativeflowers #alexandranicklin
Art in Nature Walk
Saturday, April 27, 2024
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Join Cassandra C. Jones, Artist and Arts Chair of the Taft Gardens Residency Program, for a unique look at the property from a creative perspective. Jones will guide guests through the South African and Australian Gardens to the art studios to see what the artists-in-residence are working on. She will offer an oral history of Taft, stories and education about botanicals in bloom, and insight into how the space inspires regional artists. This walking tour would benefit anyone interested in contemporary art, unusual plants, and local history.
Cassandra's tour was unfortunately canceled last month due to rain. This Saturday, the forecast calls for warm, sunny weather, so we are on schedule as planned.
Please join us! The link is in our bio under Events.
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📸 @marcaltphoto
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#ojai #ojaivalley #artinnature #santabarbaraartists #centralcoastart #secretgarden #guiededtour #artistresidency #mathinnature #ojaiexperience #localhistory #jpegmountain
Behold! A light rain came through Taft Gardens this morning, bejeweling our Brandi Dela Cruz. These rays of sunshine are in the Leucospermum Genus and the Proteaceae Family. They are among the most coveted varieties of Pincushions and will make your heart sing, especially when water droplets bedazzle them.
Pictured here in its many stages of becoming, these large blooms thrive in full sun and make excellent cut flowers. But while they are stunning, drizzled in watery gems, you will want to avoid over-irrigating them. They tend to thrive on neglect, which makes them easy plants to care for if planted correctly.
Botanical Name: Brandi Dela Cruz
Common Name: Pincushion
Category: Shrub
Family: Proteaceae (Proteas)
Genus: Leucospermum
Origin: South Africa
You can see our Brandi Dela Cruz on the wide path between the South African and Aloe Gardens.
We are open for self-guided tours from Tuesday to Saturday. Limited slots are available by reservation only. Please book 24 hours in advance.
The link to book tickets is in our bio.
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📸 Cassandra C. Jones @jpegmountain
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#ojai #ojaivalley #secretgarden #selfguidedtour #protea #leucospermum #proteas #shrub #southafricannatives #superbloom #bradidelacruz
In honor of Earth Day, we thought you might like to know that Taft Gardens & Nature Preserve has the most huggable trees!
According to the Scottish Wildlife Trust, "Research shows that spending time around trees can reduce stress, improve immunity, lower blood pressure, and accelerate recovery from illness or trauma. Furthermore, when you hug a tree, you release a hormone called oxytocin – known as the hormone of love and trust – which gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling."
On your next visit, we invite you to wrap your arms around a Brachychiton rupestris, also known as a Bottle Tree. Three of these huggable beauties are located directly across from the Lilly Lawn, next to the Austrailian Grass Tress. Rest your head on their bulbous forms and sink into feelings of well-being and calm.
Limited reservations are available, Tuesday through Saturday. Please book 24 hours in advance.
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📸 @marcaltphoto
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#ojai #ojaivalley #bottletree #earthday #earthday2024 #huggable #wellbeing #oxytocin #natureheals #naturelovers #treehugger #rosemaryhhall
Why does an Egret move their neck from side to side?
Egrets use this as a hunting method to stalk their prey. This strange wobble has multiple functions. It helps to balance their bodies and enhance their depth perception when zeroing in on small lizards and insects. It also mimics the swaying of plants or branches in the wind. This clever adaptation allows Egrets to blend seamlessly into their surroundings, ensuring their prey remains oblivious to their presence.
Our egret friends spend a lot of time at Taft Gardens, and they are one of the most common daytime sightings of wildlife on the property. We honor them by giving them space to do their thing, and in return, we are lucky to witness their natural habits and life cycles, which can last up to 22 years.
Taft Gardens & Nature Preserve is located at the end of a private residential road and can be experienced during regularly scheduled guided & self-guided events by reservation only. Please book 24 hours in advance.
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🏆 🎬 @joeldepartment
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#ojai #ojaivalley #secretgarden #selfguidedtour #egret #lizardlunch #nature #naturelovers #egrethunting #naturepreserve #wobble #wildlife #wildlifeconservation #wildlifefriend
The Pom Pom Flame Tips are in full bloom at Taft Gardens!
In the Proteas family, this variety of Leucadendron is a showstopper as it does something extraordinary in the Springtime. Its blue-green bracts turn ivory and sprout an egg-shaped center with a vibrant gradient that transitions from canary yellow to fire engine red.
Its striking appearance can stop people in their tracks, making it one of our all-time favorite plants in the South African Garden.
Common Name: Pom Pom Flame Tip
Category: Shrub
Family: Proteaceae (Proteas)
Genus: Leucadendron
Species: discolor
Origin: South Africa (Africa)
We are excited to have such a robust super bloom this year and love sharing Springtime with all who find their way to our secret garden tucked into the Santa Ana Canyon. Visit our website to book a self-guided tour or attend one of our upcoming events. There is always something magical to discover at Taft.
Links in bio.
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📸 Cassandra C. Jones @jpegmountain
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#ojai #ojaivalley #secretgarden #selfguidedtour #pompomflametip #leucadendron #proteas #shrub #discolor #southafricannatives #superbloom
On behalf of the entire staff at Taft Gardens, we wish a very HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY to our fearless founder and diehard naturalist, John Taft!
Many of you know and love him because you have been here to watch the gardens in Santa Ana Canyon grow over the past 40+ years. Or you have been involved in other conservation projects with him in Africa or the Centennial Valley of Montana. Some have seen him as a teacher and resource for understanding the natural world. Others have been lucky enough to catch a golf cart tour with him through Taft Gardens and have been charmed to hear his stories about nature, local history, and many adventures.
In celebration of John and as a gift to everyone who makes this place thrive, all Self-Guided Tour visitors through April 27th will receive a free potted Taft Gardens succulent.
Instead of giving him gifts, he has asked supporters to donate towards our effort to build a sustainable endowment. We have set up the John Taft Legacy fund to help us keep John's vision thriving for generations to come and ensure the ongoing stewardship of Taft Gardens & Nature Preserve.
The link to donate is in our bio.
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#ojai #ojaivalley #centralcoast #santaanacanyon #johntaft #secretgarden #naturalist #taftgardens #founder #birthday #happybirthday #90thbirthday
Join us for a Nature Immersion Walk guided by Elena Rios @elenarios.innernature
Saturday, April 20, 2024
9:00 AM 11:30 AM
Experience a slow, immersive nature connection walk that honors ancient human practices found in Indigenous Knowledge worldwide. Unlike a typical naturalist walk, our gathering focuses on relaxation, sensory observation, and being present in the moment rather than on plant names. This integrative mindfulness practice allows you to notice things in new ways, letting go of distractions. Discover the health benefits of Forest Bathing as we reset our nervous systems, reduce stress hormones, and enhance mood, creativity, and cognition. Through this experience, we reconnect with the Interconnection of All Things and our relationship with the Earth. The event concludes with a soothing tea made from native plants and wholesome snacks, offering a nourishing end to our journey. Join us for a profound exploration of nature's wisdom and our place within it.
You can find the ticket link in our bio under "Events."
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#ojai #ojaivalley # #natureimmersion #elenarios #relaxation #mindfulness #observation
You never know who you will meet at Taft Gardens!
Fully formed adult Polyphemus moths do not eat or drink and, therefore, have a remarkably short lifespan of less than a week. Their entire life cycle, which includes 10 days as an egg, five or six weeks as a caterpillar, two weeks as a pupa in the cocoon, and a short stint as an adult, takes about three months to complete.
They are named after a famed character in Greek mythology, the one-eyed cyclops, Polyphemus, and are harmless. They will not bite you. But they can cause skin irritation in some people, so we do not recommend handing them unless you know you are not allergic.
Spring is the best time of year to see them at Taft Gardens. Discovering one is like finding a golden Easter egg, which makes for a magical day out in nature.
We are open for self-guided tours from Tuesday to Saturday by reservation only. Twenty slots are available daily. We also offer a range of guided tours that you can sign up for on our Events page. Link in bio. Please book 24 hours in advance.
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📸 Cassandra C. Jones @jpegmountain
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#polyphemusmoth #giantmoth #ojai #ojaitours #ojaivalley #ojaiadventure #centralcoast #secretgarden #specialspot #australiangarden
Featured Photography
Photography: Jeff Cartier