meetings & events calendar
our monthly meetings
NWNARGS meets up to ten times a year at the Bellevue Botanical Garden (12001 Main Street, Bellevue, WA 98005), in addition to periodic online meetings. Meetings feature illustrated presentations by local, national and international experts; plant cultivation tips and demonstrations; and information about Pacific Northwest growing conditions and plant resources. Meetings are usually held the second Thursday of each month (with exceptions, see below). Refreshments and social time start at 7:00 pm, business meeting and program at 7:30 pm. Please s the map below for the exact location. Our meetings are free and open to the public and non-members and guests are welcome! Please check our news page as dates approach for more in-depth information about upcoming meetings and events.
2023 Programs & Events
April 8, 2023 - Spring Plant Sale!
Rare plants from around the world and northwest natives will be on sale at the Bellevue Botanical Garden from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 8th. NWNARGS members' presale is from 9:30 am to 10:00 am. Non-members can join at the sale! Click here for more information!
April 13, 2023 - Linda Cochran, 'A Wildflower Tour of the Pacific Northwest'
Linda Cochran is a long time gardener in this area, most recently living in Port Ludlow. She spends most of her time researching, traveling to view, and trying to grow all the PNW native plants that catch her fancy. She has given many talks on the subject to various rock garden and other groups. Her specialty is growing or attempting to grow many of the more difficult but showy native plants.
May 11, 2023 - Mark Turner, 'Northwest Natural Rock Gardens'
Mark Turner is the photographer and co-author of the award-winning Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest, published by Timber Press in 2006. He travelled over 45,000 miles throughout Washington and Oregon in 2003 and 2004 to find and photograph the flowers which are included in the book. Since then, he’s continued to photograph wildflowers and add them to his library.
June 8, 2023 - David Charlton, 'The Pyrenees'
David Charlton is this year's NARGS National traveling speaker. He hails from Derbyshire, England. He has led mountain flower walks for Collett’s Mountain Holidays in the Dolomites, the Pyrenees and the Picos de Europa. He and Cliff Booker have published pocket field guides to the flowers of those mountains.
July 15, 2023 - Chapter Picnic!
Held at the home of Sandy and Ted Milam, from 12.00 pm on. See the newsletter for more details!
August 10, 2023 - Dr. Ross Bayton, 'School of Rock: Building the Heronswood Rock Garden'
London-born botanist and gardener Dr. Ross Bayton gained his PhD at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, studying the classification of tropical palms. He’s the author of several books on horticulture including New Trees: Introductions to Cultivation (with John Grimshaw), Plant Families: A Guide for Gardeners and Botanists (with Simon Maugham), and most recently The Gardener’s Botanical: An Encyclopedia of Latin Plant Names, as featured in the New York Times. Formerly the Gardening Editor of the UK’s best-selling gardening periodical, BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, he is now the Director of the world-renowned Heronswood Garden in Kingston, and is developing a 5-acre garden at home in nearby Bremerton.
September 27, 2023 (NOTE DIFFERENT DAY AND DATE) - Claire Cockcroft, Tour of Scottish and English Gardens.
From Claire: "After three years of cancelled travel plans and COVID isolation, I jumped at the chance to attend the 4th Czech International Rock Garden Conference in May, 2023. Post-conference, two friends and I flew to Edinburgh to embark on a 12-day jaunt through both public and private gardens in Scotland and England. We ended up visiting 11 Scottish gardens and 6 English gardens.
It is impossible to present a comprehensive tour of all the gardens, so my talk will cover highlights of each of the gardens. Hopefully these will entice you to visit and see for yourselves why I will keep the memory of this tour in my mind for years to come."
October 12, 2023 - José Manuel Álvarez Guerrero, 'Opuntiads!' + Fall Plant Sale
Our October meeting will feature José Manuel Álvarez Guerrero speaking on Opuntiads!
Jose loves plants, especially succulents and cacti. He's in his twenties and lives in Kent but is most often out and about seeking the native cactus, succulents, and other rarities in the PNW. He's self-taught in botany and horticulture, and he enjoys experimenting with different species and conditions. He also volunteers at the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle, where he takes care of the outdoor rock garden. He's not afraid to push the limits of what succulents can endure in the Pacific Northwest. His collection of knowledge, especially on succulents and cacti is impressive and diverse, reflecting his enthusiasm and curiosity for these amazing plants.
The plant sale will begin at 7:15 and end at 7:45. After the presentation and business items, the plant sale will re-open. Members and Guests are invited to bring plants and to buy them. Best to bring a box or flat.
Please have your plants labelled and priced.
maps
pictures from some of our past meetings
One of our members perusing some of Ron Ratko's seeds for sale. A percentage of the profits go to our chapter. Photo by Lynn Schueler
Thanks to our generous donors, we have an extensive collection of garden-related books for sale. Photo by Lynn Schueler
Photo by Lynn Schueler
At our monthly meeting. Photo by Lynn Schueler