October 2005

• Fall Quilt Show Plant Sale  October 3   Monday   Noon – while supplies last
  Select plants from Olbrich’s Fall Flower and Quilt Show are for sale to liven up your garden, containers, or fall tabletop. Proceeds benefit the Garden.

• Annual Olbrich Circle Reception  October 6   
  Life members of Olbrich Botanical Society are inducted into the Olbrich Circle at this annual reception.  For more information about becoming a life member, call 608-246-4583.

• Plant Show and Sale: State African Violet Show and Sale  October 15 and 16   Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  African violets on display and for sale in the Evjue Commons.  Sponsored by the Wisconsin Council of African Violet Clubs. The sale includes blooming African Violets, Streptocarpus, and other gesneriads. The sale also offers leaves, starter pots, soil pots, and handouts for growing tips. For more information, call 608-833-5552.
  

• Ongoing: Bolz Conservatory – Fragrance: Fair or Foul  September 6 – January 3
  Why are some flowers sweetly fragrant and others unbearably foul?  Are flowers the only part of a plant with fragrance?  Just how is perfume made from plant parts?  These and other questions will be answered from September 6 through January 3 as part of the exhibit Fragrance: Fair or Foul in Olbrich’s Bolz Conservatory.  This walk-through exhibit will explain how and why fragrance is produced in plants while interactive activities designed for the whole family will entertain as well as inform.  Come immerse yourself in the warm embrace of the Conservatory’s rainforest environment and experience the fragrance of the tropics.

• Art Exhibit:  Natalie Sewell, Fiber Artist  Ongoing: September 11 – December 4    Sundays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Evjue Commons
  Natalie Sewell’s art quilts elevate quilting to a new level.  Her incredible landscape designs in the exhibit “A Walk in the Woods” fool the viewer into thinking the creations are paintings.  Closer inspection reveals intricate stitching and layering of fabrics, thread, and paint. Her landscape quilts reflect her life-long passion for trees and flowers. All of her leaves, tree trunks, foliage, and flowers are “cut-outs” from her large collection of printed and hand-dyed cottons, which she machine appliqués to a background fabric. Free. Gallery Sundays are made possible by a gift from William and Joyce Wartmann. 

• Quilt Show:  Quilts in Bloom  Ongoing: September 17 – October 2  Mondays – Saturdays 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sundays 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  View dozens of locally-crafted art quilts on display in the Atrium as part of the exhibit Quilts in Bloom.  A $1 donation is appreciated.  Free for Olbrich Botanical Society members.  Also, take a stroll through the outdoor gardens to enjoy chrysanthemums and asters planted in drifts of autumn color. Plants used in the show will be on sale October 3. For more information call 608-246-4550.

• Yoga in the Gardens  On-going, Mondays, 5 – 6:15 p.m. OR Thursdays, 7:30 - 8:45 a.m.
  This is a participative experiential class for gardeners, nature enthusiasts, and yoga students. Held in the Conservatory or outdoor gardens when possible. Comfortable, loose fitting clothing and a portable mat are recommended; feel free to bring a water bottle. Rick Comello, Monday instructor, is a bodyworker and Reiki Master with over 20 years of experience. Jonathan A. Garber RMT, Thursday instructor, is a certified Kripalu Yoga and Yoga for the Special Child Teacher. The cost is $10 per class - pay at the door.  Check with instructors concerning holiday weeks.  For more information call 608-246-4550.