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 Explorers Club
Spiders
This month, we will explore the wonderful world of spiders. These incredible animals eat the insects in our gardens, keeping the plants healthy. As a quick fun fact: even though we see spiders more in the fall, they are actually just easier to see then.
During our session, we will be making our very own spiders out of pine cones and pipe cleaners. To fully experience what it must be like to spin a web, we will also be making a giant web from yarn.
Please bring your drawing materials so that we can also capture firsthand these amazing creatures at work and the luscious plant world they call home.
Bring: an unlined journal or sketchbook along with a pencil, colored pencils, or watercolors. We also recommend bringing a water bottle and wearing weather-appropriate clothing for spending time outdoors.
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 and Sandra Moreano.
Please Register
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.
Dahlia Dig-Up at the Heritage Garden
It’s time to tuck the dahlias away for the winter! Join us Wednesday, October 21 at 10:00 AM as the Puget Sound Dahlia Association digs up the dahlia tubers at the Heritage Garden.
Brad Freeman will also give a special talk about all things dahlias- from growing and caring for these beautiful flowers to digging, dividing, and storing the tubers for next year.
Brad has served six years as president of the American Dahlia Society. Currently, Brad is the treasurer of the Puget Sound Dahlia Association. He has worked with universities and scientists regarding the DNA of dahlias. He is an expert dahlia judge and has grown dahlias for years.
Come learn, ask questions, and see how we prepare the garden for winter!
No registration required.
Nature Journaling for Relaxation
Cornucopia: A Celebration of the Harvest
Join us as we celebrate the abundance of the fall harvest! We’ll talk briefly about the harvest season and how people have traditionally stored and preserved food to help keep everyone fed through the winter months. Then it’s time to get creative! We’ll have a variety of fall produce- including squash, gourds, onions, carrots, potatoes, and more- for participants to draw and paint.
Come learn a little, get creative, and celebrate the bounty of the season! All ages welcome.
Bring: an unlined journal or sketchbook along with a pencil, colored pencils, or watercolors.
Class offered by Karen Houlding and Sandra Moreano.
Please Register
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 Members-Only Seed & Feed
Gather with fellow garden members for an afternoon of seed saving, good food, and good company!
We’ll harvest and prepare seeds from this year’s garden to save for next year’s planting season. Then, we’ll gather around the table for a delicious spaghetti dinner and enjoy some time together.
Members Only | Limited to 16 participants
Registration opens in November 2026 for members.
Nature Journaling for Relaxation
Winter Bouquet
Bring a little beauty into the long winter months! We’ll talk about the tradition of bringing dried plants and flowers indoors to add color and beauty when the garden is resting. We’ll also explore pressed leaves and plants and how even simple natural materials can become beautiful works of art.
Using colorful paper, dried plants, and pressed leaves, we’ll create our own winter-inspired bouquets while spending plenty of time practicing our drawing and observation skills.
Come slow down, get creative, and discover how nature can brighten even the simplest winter day! All ages welcome.
Bring: an unlined journal or sketchbook along with a pencil, colored pencils, or watercolors
Class offered by Karen Houlding and Sandra Moreano.
Please Register
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
Early Bloomers
Spring is on its way! Join us as we celebrate some of the first flowers to brighten the garden after winter. We’ll take a look at crocus, paperwhites, pansies, daffodils, and other early bloomers, noticing their colors, shapes, and delicate details. Then we’ll spend most of our time drawing and painting these cheerful signs of spring.
Come enjoy a little early-spring inspiration and plenty of time to practice your nature art skills! All ages welcome.
Bring: an unlined journal or sketchbook along with a pencil, colored pencils, or watercolors.
Class offered by Karen Houlding and Sandra Moreano.
Please Register
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
Wildflower Primer
Get ready for wildflower season! We’ll explore the beauty and variety of wildflowers and talk about growing them from seed. Everyone will go home with wildflower seed packets to plant and enjoy. You can even sketch your seed packet in your nature journal as inspiration! The bulk of our time will be spent drawing and painting wildflowers, practicing observation and capturing their colors, shapes, and details.
Come get inspired, get creative, and bring a little more wildflower beauty home with you! All ages welcome.
Bring: an unlined journal or sketchbook along with a pencil, colored pencils, or watercolors.
Class offered by Karen Houlding and Sandra Moreano.
Please Register
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.
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.
Nature Explorers Club
Basic Herbs Series: Part One
This month, we will explore the wonderful world of culinary herbs right in the garden. These incredible plants add aroma, color, and flavor to our food, and they have been doing so for generations. As a quick fun fact, herbs are found in the leaves or stems of a plant, while spices come from other plant parts, such as bark, roots, seeds, and fruits.
During our session, we will discuss how early settlers transported these herbs and explore which herbs were shared by Indigenous Peoples. All ages and skill levels are welcome, so please come ready with your questions, your taste buds, and your noses.
What to bring: To fully participate in our sketching and exploration, please bring an unlined journal or sketchbook along with a pencil, colored pencils, or watercolors. We also recommend bringing a water bottle and wearing weather-appropriate clothing for spending time outdoors.
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 as we explore and sketch the Heritage Garden's herbs - the culinary, medicinal, and everyday herbs that early settlers relied on. We’ll also demo an easy way to dry herbs for winter using a hanging mesh dryer.
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.
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 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!
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.