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
Garden & Nature Community Reading Group
Join other garden and wildlife enthusiasts to discuss books and ideas about gardening, plants, nature, and the environment in the Garden & Nature Community Reading Group. This group is a partnership between Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Steenbock Library, and the UW Arboretum.
The theme for our 2024 winter series is No Place Like Home. We will be reading and discussing three books that encourage us to consider how our words and actions create hope for the environment we call home. All discussions are free and open to the public, and participants are encouraged to read the selected book prior to participating in the discussion. Books are not supplied but are available through the Madison Public Library system.
Discussions are free but registration is required.
Wed, May 15, 2024 6:30 PM
The Simplicity of Cider
Time to get into summer beach read mode with the charming novel, The Simplicity of Cider. This story features a prickly cider-maker whose routine is disrupted by the arrival of a handsome farm hand and his young son at her family’s orchard. Set in Door County, this book will have you ready to celebrate being home in Wisconsin.
Past Reads:
Wed, Nov 29, 2023 6:30 PM
Gardening Can Be Murder: How Poisonous Poppies, Sinister Shovels, and Grim Gardens Have Inspired Mystery Writers
Do you love a good garden-themed mystery? Then join us for a discussion of Marta McDowells brand new book Gardening Can Be Murder. McDowells is the first book to explore the popularity of horticultural themes in the mystery genre going back to Edgar Allen Poe all the way through to the contemporary cozy. Well discuss McDowells findings along with our own favorite sleuths and stories. Was is a shovel in the flower bed or deadly nightshade in the conservatory? Come join us to find out!
Wed, Jan 17, 2024 6:30 PM
Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell
Of Time and Turtles immerses readers in the delicate work, observed by Montgomery and Patterson, of protecting and rescuing sea turtles. It is a hopeful, optimistic blend of science, memoir, and philosophy that draws on cultures from around the world to create a compassionate portrait of turtles, the rescuers that work tirelessly for their welfare, and the future of their homes in the wild.
Wed, Mar 20, 2024 6:30 PM
Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden
Camille T. Dungy shares her experiences trying to diversify her garden in the predominately white community of Fort Collins, Colorado. Dungy explores how the various plants she grows in her garden become a metaphor for how homogeneity threatens the future of our planet. Her writing invites understanding of the relationship between peoples of the African diaspora and the land on which they live, and the concept that the soil beneath their feet is where they find home.
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