Upcoming Events
Most of our events are open to the public and free to attend, thanks to SBGS membership fees and generous donations. Help us continue offering educational programs by becoming a member today!
Be sure sign up for our newsletter or follow us on socials to hear more about about upcoming events!
Nature Journaling for Relaxation
Botanical Ink from Flowers: Explore the colors of the garden as we turn fresh flowers into richly pigmented botanical inks. We'll paint color swatches using simple modifiers like lemon juice and baking soda to shift the hues, creating samples to use in cards, tags, or your sketchbook. Once you learn the method, you can experiment at home with blooms from your garden- or even kitchen favorites like onion skins, beets, and berries.
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.
Nature Explorers Club
Basic Botany Series (Part One)
Find out how botanists observe, describe, and identify plants! During this lesson, we will compare and contrast two plant families found in the garden to discover what makes them unique. We will also create color swatches to kick off our session, then dive into our journals to capture a beautiful memory. [1, 2]
What to bring: An unlined journal or sketchbook, a pencil, colored pencils or watercolors, a water bottle, and weather-appropriate clothing.
Note: Perfect for learners of all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Bonus: Don’t miss our outdoor outreach box located in the Heritage Garden for sketch samples, prompts, and more!
SBGS Board Meeting
Sammamish Botanical Garden Society Board Meetings are usually held on the second Tuesday of intermittent months - location to be determined.
All members of the SBGS are welcome to attend. Please send attendance requests to info@sammamishbotanical.org for more detailed meeting information.
Nature Explorers Club
Basic Botany Series (Part Two)
Build on your skills as we continue exploring unique plant families! In this session, we will press flowers and leaves to create beautiful, lasting additions to our nature journals.
What to bring: An unlined journal or sketchbook, a pencil, colored pencils or watercolors, a water bottle, and weather-appropriate clothing.
Note: Perfect for learners of all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Bonus: Don’t miss our outdoor outreach box located in the Heritage Garden for sketch samples, prompts, and more!
Nature Journaling for Relaxation
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.
Nature Journaling for Relaxation
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.
Community Event: Lake Wilderness Arboretum Fall Plant Sale
The Lake Wilderness Arboretum will be holding their 2026 Fall Plant Sale on Saturday, September 12 from 10am-4pm.
https://www.lakewildernessarboretum.org/events/plant-sales/
Carnation Farms Event
From a historic pioneering dairy farm to today’s nonprofit regenerative agricultural model, this is a beautiful farm location in the Snoqualmie Valley. Join us to learn about sustainable agriculture, local food and to visit the museum. Bring a sack lunch and we’ll eat together on the grounds. This is a free event. Car pools can be arranged. Our group will be no more than 20, so register soon.
SBGS Board Meeting
Sammamish Botanical Garden Society Board Meetings are usually held on the second Tuesday of intermittent months - location to be determined.
All members of the SBGS are welcome to attend. Please send attendance requests to info@sammamishbotanical.org for more detailed meeting information.
NPA Summer Plant Sale
Our friends at the Northwest Perennial Alliance are hosting a Summer Plant Sale at the Bellevue Botanical Garden.
June is a great time to buy plants from a select group of local small nurseries and specialty growers who sell an amazing collection of hard-to-find and old-time favorite perennials, shrubs, ferns, grasses and more. Your support helps these growers thrive and prosper, and in return they can grow even more special plants for our gardens!
More details on their website: https://northwestperennialalliance.org/event-6558285
Nature Journaling for Relaxation
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.
SBGS Board Meeting
Sammamish Botanical Garden Society Board Meetings are usually held on the second Tuesday of intermittent months - location to be determined.
All members of the SBGS are welcome to attend. Please send attendance requests to info@sammamishbotanical.org for more detailed meeting information.
Community Event: Pollinator Fest Hosted by PPNW
Pollinator Pathway NW will be hosting their 4th Annual Sammamiish Valley Pollinator Fest on May 30th at 21 Acres. Find more details on their website here: https://21acres.org/event/pollinator-fest-2026/
Nature Explorers Club
Drawing Group: Pollinators in the Garden
This month, join us in exploring the beauty of our heritage garden in full bloom! We’ll focus our sketches on the pollinators- bees, butterflies, beetles, and birds- that bring the garden to life. It’s a wonderful opportunity to observe the pollination cycle up close while practicing how to capture movement and nature in real time.
What to bring: Notebooks, pencils, colored pencils, or watercolors.
Come gather with us for this family friendly event and record nature at its finest!
Nature Journaling for Relaxation
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.
Partner Event: WNPS Close to Home Author Presentation
Thor Hanson, Author Presentation and Book Signing
Thor Hanson, acclaimed local author, will give a presentation on his recent book, Close to Home. Focusing on exploring and appreciating backyard biodiversity. The talk explores three themes about the nature in our yards and neighborhoods: what is out there, what is it doing, and what can we do to help it?
Doors will open at 6 pm. Prior to the presentation, Stewart Weschler will be available for plant ID at 6:30pm. Light refreshments will be available.
https://www.wnps.org/cps-events/calendar/thor-hanson,-author-presentation
Community Event: City of Sammamish Earth Day 2026
Celebrate Earth Day with us at Beaver Lake Lodge & Pavilion
Come join us at the annual City of Sammamish Earth Day event. This fun, family-friendly event offers hands-on opportunities to learn about nature, wildlife, and how we can all help the environment.
Enjoy educational booths, a petting zoo, crafts, story time, and face painting. Don’t forget to stop by our very own booth to register for your annual membership and pick up a plant.
https://www.sammamish.us/news/events/events/earth-day/earthday2026/
Community Event: Lake Wilderness Arboretum Plant Sale
The Lake Wilderness Arboretum will be holding their 2026 Spring Plant Sale on Friday, April 24 & Saturday, April 25 from 10am-4pm.
https://www.lakewildernessarboretum.org/events/plant-sales/
Partner Event: WNPS Spring Native Plant Sale
Our friends at the Washington Native Plant society will be holding their annual Western Washington native plant sale at the Bellevue Botanical Garden. Visit their website for more information: https://www.wnps.org/cps-events/central-puget-sound-spring-native-plant-sale-3
Community Event: Lake Wilderness Arboretum Plant Sale
The Lake Wilderness Arboretum will be holding their 2026 Spring Plant Sale on Friday, April 24 & Saturday, April 25 from 10am-4pm.
https://www.lakewildernessarboretum.org/events/plant-sales/
Nature Explorers Club
Join us for a special Nature Explorers Club adventure as we celebrate Earth Day! In this engaging, hands-on session, participants will explore simple yet meaningful ways to care for our environment and give back to our community.
You will enjoy a unique behind-the-scenes look at guest artist Janice King’s art installation as it comes to life- featuring the fabric leaves created during our March program. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see how community contributions transform into a beautiful, collaborative work of art.
Participants will rotate through interactive activity stations, including:
A worm table to discover how worms enrich and support healthy soil
A live art station where March’s community-created leaves are added to the installation
Potting a plant to donate to SBGS’s plant sale area in the Heritage Garden
Planting seeds to take home and grow in your own garden
Come connect with nature, creativity, and community- bring a friend and celebrate Earth Day with us! Registration required.
Heritage Garden Private Tour
Private tour- Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning (RSAR) National Junior Art Honor Society
Nature Journaling for Relaxation
While the Heritage Garden rested under winter’s hush, our nature journaling meet‑ups at the Sammamish Library kept curiosity blooming. We explored how to capture curled leaves of winter on the page with the help of a simple “x‑ray” leaf model, and the efficiency, beauty and strength of branches and spirals in nature.
As the garden wakes, we’re excited to bring our hands‑on practice back outdoors at the Heritage Garden- observing seeds emerging into buds and blooms while noticing the return of bees, butterflies, and birds. It’s a slow, relaxing way to connect with the natural world right here in our community.
Join us each third Thursday of the month. Bring a sketchbook, pencil and your curiosity. Invite a friend!
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.