The Southfield Public Library will host The Gardening Guru Presents Oudolf Garden Detroit on Monday, February 23, 2026 from 6:30 -8 p.m. in the Southfield Public Library Meeting Room, 26300 Evergreen Road.

This event will feature an overview and virtual tour of the naturalistic public garden on Belle Isle hosted by Richard Thomas, head horticulturist for Oudolf Garden Detroit. The presentation will discuss the garden’s creation and design. 

Known for his deep knowledge of plants and design, Thomas has spent decades studying horticulture, visiting notable gardens, and teaching plant and garden design. His passion began in high school while working at a plant nursery, where he learned propagation, plant identification and garden design—skills that shaped his lifelong career.

The garden was designed by internationally renowned plantsman Piet Oudolf. Regarded as one of the most influential garden designers of his time, Oudolf was inspired to take on the Belle Isle project after receiving a 2016 “love letter from Detroit” from The Garden Club of Michigan. Thomas, a Garden Club of Michigan member, helped bring Oudolf to Michigan and played a key role in the development of the garden.

The Oudolf Garden Detroit spans three acres in front of the Nancy Brown Peace Carillon on Belle Isle. It includes 32,000 hardy perennials and grasses, many of them native species, with 90 percent sourced from Michigan. The design blends all three of Oudolf’s signature perennial styles—block, matrix and group planting—for the first time in a single project. An additional 48,000 bulbs, primarily from Holland, were layered across the beds to provide early‑season color. The garden was featured on the September 20, 2025, edition of the PBS NewsHour.

Additional information on the garden is available at oudolfgardendetroit.org.

For more information, contact the Southfield Public Library Community Outreach Department at (248) 796-4367 or visit www.southfieldlibrary.org.