A Garden-Lover’s Guide to Harry and Meghan’s California Hometown
The couple is expected to reveal what life has been like in the leafy Montecito community since departing from their royal duties during an interview with Oprah Winfrey on March 7.
It turns out even royals appreciate being on good terms with neighbors. At least it would appear that way for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have given an exclusive interview, to neighbor and fellow California resident Oprah Winfrey. An edited recording of that interview, which is understood to have been taped at the home of Winfrey's friend and CBS host Gayle King, will air on CBS Sunday, March 7, 2021.
The royal couple moved to a sprawling estate in Santa Barbara’s exclusive community of Montecito in 2020. While this area is much less paparazzi-ridden than Beverly Hills, many celebrities call it home (at least for part of the year), including Winfrey, Drew Barrymore, Ellen DeGeneres, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Though it's only one hour away from L.A., it feels a world away from the tourism, traffic, and the fast pace of life.
Harry and Meghan's relationship with Winfrey has accelerated rapidly since the television host and media moghul first met the couple in 2018. She attended their wedding that year, has partnered with Harry on a documentary series about mental health, and now counts them as a neighbor in Montecito.
Santa Barbara isn’t just a hotspot for celebrities to unwind; it’s also densely populated with some of the world’s most beautiful gardens. From immaculate private gardens that swept our 2020 Outdoor Living Awards to crowd-favorite destinations, here are some of Montecito and Santa Barbara’s most swoon-worthy gardens.
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
This 78-acre green space is beloved by locals and tourists alike, featuring more than 1,000 rare and indigenous California native plants. The gardens are also home to five miles of walking trails across the property, offering scenic views of the Santa Ynez Mountains and the nearby channel islands. You could spend an entire day getting lost among these local blooms.
Oprah Winfrey's Private Rose Garden
The media mogul collaborated with rosarian Dan Bifano to create a sensual, spiritual rose garden at her Montecito home. While it’s not open to the public, we were able to get an inside look at this fabulous sanctuary on Winfrey’s enviable, 65-acre property. This romantic garden will have you dreaming of adding Oprah's favorite peachy Bronze Star, blushing Heaven on Earth, and bronze-and-lavender Distant Drums varieties in your own backyard garden.
Lotusland
Lotusland is a nonprofit botanical garden that once served as the estate of Madame Ganna Walska and has been named one of the 10 best gardens in the world by The Telegraph. Walska’s unique collection of more than 3,000 rare and exotic plants spans 25 gardens nestled in the Montecito foothills. Reservations are required to visit Lotusland, as the property is in a private neighborhood, but it’s every bit worth a visit to the spectacular grounds.
A Private Contemporary Garden in Montecito
This carefully restored garden seated in the Santa Ynez Mountains offers sweeping views of the Pacific and three acres of sustainable, tranquil gardens. This garden won the attention of our 2020 Outdoor Living Awards judges as “The Most Inspired Materials Mix,” with Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects artfully connecting the garden to its surroundings. It’s both wild and restrained, offering the best of Southern California’s unique landscapes.
Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens
Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens is right in the center of the action, occupying one city block of Downtown Santa Barbara. These 4.6-mile gardens are housed on the former site of artist Albert Herter’s El Mirasol mansion, which was purchased by Alice Keck Park for public use in 1975. Park worked with landscape architect Elizabeth Kellam de Forest after consulting the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden to create this urban wonderland, full of extensive picnic areas, walking paths, and a butterfly garden.
A Magical Montecito Hideaway
This private garden exudes French countryside charm with Southern California flair. The garden is another recipient of VERANDA’s 2020 Outdoor Living Awards, receiving top marks for its incredible revival after the community’s devastating mudflows in 2018, which ravished the garden. Grace Design Associates restored the property’s phenomenal outdoor living space bordering a 45-acre nature preserve and transforming it into a favorite place to relax, dine, and cultivate beautiful blooms.
Lauren Wicks is a freelance writer and editor based in Birmingham, Alabama. Before going on her own, Lauren worked for brands such as VERANDA, EatingWell, and Cooking Light, and she covers all things lifestyle from interior design and luxury travel to wine and wellness.
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