Join us for monthly nature journaling - a relaxing activity that encourages slowing down to notice details, explore with curiosity, and connect with the natural world by recording observations in a sketchbook. No experience required! We’ll share ideas for connecting with nature to help you capture the garden’s beauty and the wonders of the outdoors.

Each session includes:
• Guided nature journaling and sketching
• Time to explore and observe
• Prompts and demos from experienced instructors

Bring: A sketchbook/paper and a pencil/pen (optional: colored pencils/watercolor)

Class offered by Karen Houlding.  

Become a Member and help our garden thrive all year long.

Your membership supports programs, education, and the continued growth of the Sammamish Botanical Garden.

Enjoy an evening with fellow gardeners while helping out the SBGS! Participants will sort and package seeds for Earth Day, then sit down together for a delicious homemade spaghetti dinner.

Location: Private home
RSVP: Members- check your email for more details and to reserve your spot!

Space is limited to 14 participants, so don’t wait to sign up. This is always a fun, hands-on evening and a great way to connect with other SBGS members.

Not a member yet? Join SBGS today to get access to future members-only events like this one!

SBGS 2025 public annual meeting will be held at the Lodge at Beaver Lake on Wednesday, October 29th, 2025.

Come at 6:30 pm to chat with fellow gardeners, enjoy desserts and refreshments! Registration is not required, but greatly appreciated.

Renew or register to become a member of the SBGS for 2026 in person at our annual meeting and receive a free SBGS tote! Available while supplies last.

Meeting and presentations will begin at 7:00 pm.

Creating a Charismatic Garden

Join lifelong gardener, author and artist Lorene Edwards Forkner to discover how to infuse your garden with personality and engagement in all four seasons. The most interesting gardens reflect the heart and the hands of the gardeners that tend them. We’ll look at landscapes through the lens of personal reflection, design principles, and COLOR!

Lorene Edwards Forkner is an author and speaker whose work centers on exploring the wonders of the natural world. She writes a weekly gardening column for Pacific NW Magazine in The Seattle Times and is the author of numerous gardening titles, including the recently published The Spirited Garden with photographer Doreen Wynja and Color In and Out of the Garden. Lorene is a warm and engaging speaker who uses imagery and language to tell garden/life stories that inspire and inform audiences.

Become a Member and help our garden thrive all year long.

Your membership supports programs, education, and the continued growth of the Sammamish Botanical Garden.

Hardy Plant Society of Washington will be hosting their annual fall bulb sale with lots of new bulbs added this year.

Over 300 varieties of spring blooming, fall planted, bulbs at great prices: Alliums, Galanthus, Spring Crocus, Narcissus, Tulips, Fritillarias, Muscari, and more.

There will also be a selection of potted bulbs such as Cyclamen and Colchicum (Fall Crocus), and many other perennial plants in gallon and 4″ pots from our nursery, as well as our HPSW seed packets for sale.

Lists of the available bulbs: pdf with color photos and spreadsheet with no photos

Come early for best selection. Please bring a box/bag to take your treasures home. Cash, Credit Cards, and Checks accepted.

https://www.hardyplantsocietywa.org/

Your membership supports programs, education, and the continued growth of the Sammamish Botanical Garden.

Become a Member and help our garden thrive all year long.

Join us in the garden at this month's meet-up for a demo of herb drying with a mesh drying rack

Join us for monthly nature journaling - a relaxing activity that encourages slowing down to notice details, explore with curiosity, and connect with the natural world by recording observations in a sketchbook. No experience required! We’ll share ideas for connecting with nature to help you capture the garden’s beauty and the wonders of the outdoors.

Each session includes:
• Guided nature journaling and sketching
• Time to explore and observe
• Prompts and demos from experienced instructors

Bring: A sketchbook/paper and a pencil/pen (optional: colored pencils/watercolor)

Class offered by Karen Houlding.  

Your membership supports programs, education, and the continued growth of the Sammamish Botanical Garden.

Become a Member and help our garden thrive all year long.

Board meetings are usually held on the second Tuesday of intermittent months with location to be determined. All members of the SBGS are welcome to attend.

Please send attendance requests to info@sammamishbotanical.org for more details .

Print Making

Our next Nature Explorers Club adventure takes us into the beautiful intersection of math, art, and the garden!

Join us for a spooktacular afternoon of autumn-inspired printmaking. We'll explore nature’s textures and seasonal shapes by creating beautiful (and a little bit creepy) art with:

• Mushroom spore prints

• Apple and pumpkin stamps

• Scary plant specimens on display

• Pumpkin dissection station: kids can squish, scoop, and study real pumpkins and seeds

This workshop is perfect for young artists and curious minds alike. Come dressed for mess, and be ready to create.

Open to ages 5 and up. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Bring: Sketchbook or paper, water bottle, and weather-appropriate clothing. Supplies will be provided for printmaking.

Found Object Art in Nature

In this session of Nature Explorers Club, we’ll transform natural treasures into works of art. Together, we’ll practice slowing down, looking closely, and reconnecting with the wonder of the natural world. The goal is to see nature with fresh eyes, enjoy the process as much as the product, and reawaken our sense of curiosity.

Activities will include:

• Taking apart a flower petal by petal to observe its hidden details

• Creating mandalas from gathered natural objects

• Using Y-shaped sticks to form stars, signs, and simple games

• Exploring the Fibonacci spiral and designing our own

• Experimenting with representational art inspired by what we find outdoors

What to Bring:

• An unlined journal or sketchbook

• Pencil and colored pencils

• A water bottle

• Weather-appropriate clothing

• Optional: your own natural collections such as sticks, pebbles, fern leaves, seed pods, berries, feathers, cones, moss, bark, lichens, or other small finds

Join us in the garden at this month's meet-up for a demo of botanical ink making!

Join us for monthly nature journaling - a relaxing activity that encourages slowing down to notice details, explore with curiosity, and connect with the natural world by recording observations in a sketchbook. No experience required! We’ll share ideas for connecting with nature to help you capture the garden’s beauty and the wonders of the outdoors.

Each session includes:
• Guided nature journaling and sketching
• Time to explore and observe
• Prompts and demos from experienced instructors

Bring: A sketchbook/paper and a pencil/pen (optional: colored pencils/watercolor)

Class offered by Karen Houlding.  

Join us for a free, drop-in nature journaling workshop - a relaxing practice of noticing the natural world and recording observations in a sketchbook. No experience necessary.  We will provide an introduction to nature journaling along with a nature connection technique.

Check back on our social pages for weather updates closer to the event!

Bring a pencil/pen and sketchbook/paper to work on techniques.

Class offered by Karen Houlding.  

Board meetings are usually held on the second Tuesday of intermittent months at noon with location to be determined. All members of the SBGS are welcome to attend.

Please send attendance requests to info@sammamishbotanical.org for more details .

Session 3: Family Ties - Meet the Plants!

In this session we will be exploring plant families. Learn how to recognize, observe, and sketch 10 common plant families found right in the garden.

This hands-on art and science adventure in the garden is suitable for ages 5 and up! Explore nature through journaling, botany, and sketching in a fun, relaxed setting for kids, teens, and adults. Perfect for learners of all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Each session includes:

• Guided nature journaling and sketching

• Time to explore and observe

• Prompts and demos from experienced instructors

Bring: Unlined journal or sketchbook, pencil, colored pencils, water bottle, and weather-appropriate clothing.

To learn more about our new programming, please visit our website.

Next session: September 24, 2025 Nature Explorers Club — SBGS