Outdoor Gardens,
Lobby + Gift Shop
April - September
10 am – 6 pm daily
October - March
10 am – 4 pm daily
Bolz Conservatory
Closed March 11 - June 14 for Planned Maintenance
Schumacher Library
Permanently Closed
Marvel at eye-popping color around every turn and bathe your senses in botanical bliss. Orchid Escape features over 1,000 blooming orchids artfully displayed for your enjoyment, including new orchids special ordered from vendors as well as specimens from our own permanent collections.
$8 - General Admission | $5 - Child (ages 6-12) | FREE - Ages 5 & under | FREE - Olbrich members
Free admission through the AHS Reciprocal Garden Network is not available during this fundraising event. The outdoor gardens remain free.
At the conclusion of Orchid Escape a selection of orchids featured in the Bolz Conservatory will be offered for sale online. Customers purchase orchids by type online and then select individual plants from that type in person on the pick up date.
6" Cymbidium Orchid @ $37.50 each
8" Cymbidium Orchid @ $44.50
3" Novelty Phalaenopsis Orchid @ $14.50
4" Novelty Phalaenopsis (Large) @ $22.50
Dendrobium Orchids @ $23.50
Intergeneric Oncidium Orchids @ $22.50
Paphiopedilum Orchid @ $24.50
Premium Paphiopedilum Orchid @ $32.50
QUESTIONS?
Contact: Jennifer Delaney, Director of Guest Experience
THANK YOU for supporting Olbrich Botanical Gardens!
Olbrich member benefit - early bird pick-up from 10-11 a.m. - Join to today!
Orchid Care
Need more information on how to properly care for your new orchids - check out the American Orchid Society culture sheets.
What to Expect -
Specific colors and varieties are not guaranteed - subject to availability upon arrival.
Depending on availability you may receive an orchid that is currently not in bloom.
Rise of the Angiosperm invites guests to explore the fossil record and imagine life on earth over 70 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. Cycads and ferns loomed large overhead, where verdant landscapes met warm, shallow seas brimming with marine life. Dinosaurs still lorded over earth, air, and water.
The very first flowering plants appeared during the Cretaceous Period, including a proto-orchid. After a purported meteor struck earth causing mass extinction, angiosperms including orchids would come to dominate biomass on earth.
The first orchids on earth were terrestrial; taking to the air as epiphytes would come later. Vanilla orchids showed up about 78 million years ago, followed by slipper orchids like paphiopediums about 70 million years ago.
Pollinators coevolved with these plants. Hard to imagine a world without bees, but they evolved from wasps and increased in numbers alongside flowering plants like orchids. The oldest evidence of orchid pollination is courtesy of a fungus gnat.
The Jenni & Kyle Foundation
Enjoy a member exclusive early morning viewing of Orchid Escape. A FREE family-friendly craft will be offered in the Learning Center, along with coffee and light refreshments.
Spring marks the beginning of a new cycle of seasons and would not be the same without Olbrich Gardens' annual Perennial Plant Sale! Curated plug trays are currently on sale, while individually potted perennials will go on sale April 16 at 10 a.m.
Join us in Olbrich's Frautschi Family Learning Center for a FREE member appreciation bee-themed bingo night! Did you know Olbrich Gardens is home to over 55 species of bees!? Discover the buzzing world of bees and play for a chance to win a sweet-as-honey prize pack!
The Badger Bonsai Society will host their annual exhibit featuring trees from the private collections of club members. Explore the art of bonsai with this unique opportunity to view some amazing miniature trees and talk with the bonsai artists who grew and cultivated them.