Teahouse
landscape design
California Native–inspired Tea Garden
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s Teahouse Section uses California’s native plants to re-create a traditional Japanese tea garden and frames the Shin Kan An Teahouse. The evergreen foliage and simple, yet sculptural forms of plants like manzanitas (Arctostaphylos sp.) are a perfect analog to Japanese plants. True to the spirit of a Japanese “roji” (garden) our Teahouse Section is an expression of the local flora and a rustic treat for those wandering our grounds.
Noteworthy Plants
Yerba mansa
Anemopsis californica
A low-growing plant that thrives in wet conditions, it has what appear to be large white “flowers” but are actually many tiny flowers clustered together.
Manzanitas
Arctostaphylos sp.
A striking and iconic group of California natives, manzanitas are excellent showpieces in a formal garden such as this.
Coral bells ‘Opal’
Heuchera ‘Opal’
Selected for its pale white flowers, this cultivar of coral bells is adaptable and hardy.
‘Green Globe’ Lawson cypress
Chamaecyparis ‘Green Globe’
A petite selection of Lawson cypress, native to the upper northwestern regions of California, this cultivar lives up to its name by growing in a tight bun shape.
California snowdrop bush
Styrax officinalis ssp. redivivus
An uncommon shrub found scattered in mountainous regions throughout California, look for striking white flowers that blossom in late spring.
Seasonality
Create Year-round Appeal
The Teahouse is a shady, formal garden designed for year-round interest. There is often something in bloom, and even when there is not, numerous evergreens provide texture throughout the year to emphasize the beauty in simplicity.
Evergreens like the Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) don’t have flowers, but their beautiful leaves and delicate cones create an elegant setting for formal gardens.
Deciduous plants like California wild grape (Vitis californica) can be planted in formal gardens for their spectacular fall color. (Photo: Denise Dewire)
Layered plantings create small niches for many types of plants near water features and lend the area a naturalistic feeling. (Photo: Sangeet Khalsa)
In the springtime and summer, California wild grape (Vitis californica) grows a thick wall of heart-shaped green leaves.
Come Observe
Welcome Chanoyu of Santa Barbara
We are proud to partner with Chanoyu of Santa Barbara, a group learning the traditional way of tea ceremony. Coming together in the Garden’s Shin Ka An Teahouse, the group practices the Urasenke Tradition of Tea under the instruction of Sokyo Kasai.