We drove south of Santa Barbara to neighboring Carpinteria. Like its’ name, Carpinteria is more of a middle-class, agricultural enclave compared to Santa Barbara. Acres of land are devoted to greenhouses growing the flowers that many of us buy in grocery stores all over the U.S.
Seaside Gardens is set in among those very greenhouses. It is a unique environment with Mediterranean and Desert gardens created by a group of independent landscape designers. Each designer focuses on a discrete space in the garden creating a custom design with a wide variety of trees, shrubs grasses and flowering plants.
Plants are also for sale in buildings and pavilions set at the entrance to the property.
The breadth of the plants that grow in this region is amazing. The sun, rain (in most years) and moderate Central California Coast temperatures join to create near perfect growing conditions.
Shear with Tin Snips?
Among all of this horticultural beauty we came upon a flock of sheep. Granted they were made of metal, but still a surprise. …reminded us of New Zealand without the ubiquitous bleating in the background.
MedFlies 
Beautiful! How lucky I was to have been there with you. Definitely other-worldly to an upstate New Yorker like me. Especially now!
I am so glad that you were there too. So were the sheep even if they were mum about it.