October Meeting—2026

October Meeting—2026

Event: October Meeting—2026

Topic: Bringing the Beauty of California To Your Garden

Speaker: Matthew Ampersand

Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026  •  7 p.m.

Location: Shepard Garden & Arts Center
3330 McKinley Blvd, Sacramento

How can we incorporate where we live into our gardens? California is one of the most beautifully biodiverse places in the world! In this presentation, you’ll learn some basics about gardening with California native plant species. We will discuss timing, sourcing, and starting plants from seeds. Get some insight into growing blooms that will attract local birds, pollinators, and beneficial insects to your yard.  

Matthew Ampersand suffers from insatiable curiosity. With an informal educational background and a passion for ecology, food and community, he founded find out farms, where he curates educational programming and runs a native plant nursery. He produces events around food and ecology, maintains dozens of native plant gardens in Sacramento County, and gets easily distracted trying to identify insects.

A man wearing green in the mountains.
September Meeting—2026

September Meeting—2026

Event: September Meeting—2026

Topic: River-Friendly Landscaping and the City of Sacramento’s Newly Expanded Plant List

Speaker: William Granger

Date: Thursday, September 24, 2026  •  7 p.m.

Location: Shepard Garden & Arts Center
3330 McKinley Blvd, Sacramento

Our speaker for September, William Granger, has been the water conservation coordinator for the city of Sacramento for 13 years. Among other things, he is certified as a qualified water efficient landscaper (QWEL) and has been working in water efficiency jobs throughout the state for 32 years.

He’s coming to speak to our group about the city’s newly expanded plant list, which uses information from the water use classification of landscape species (WUCOLS), and often focuses on native species. The list is used as an educational outreach tool, as well as to qualify people for the turf replacement rebate.

It should be a very useful and informative evening, with plenty of time for questions.

Granger standing outside. Plants, a walkway, and a building are in the background.
Members’ Salad Potluck—2026

Members’ Salad Potluck—2026

Event: Members’ Salad Potluck—2026

Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026  •  6:30 p.m.

Location: Shepard Garden & Arts Center
3330 McKinley Blvd, Sacramento

Don’t miss our annual June potluck! Please bring a salad or dessert of your choice.

A daisy salad with yogurt, olives, and beets.

May Meeting—2026

Event: May Meeting—2026

Topic: “These are a few of my favorite things . . .”

Speakers: Perennial Plant Club members

Date: Thursday, May 28, 2026  •  7 p.m.

Location: Shepard Garden & Arts Center
3330 McKinley Blvd, Sacramento

May’s meeting will be an inspiring “Show & Tell” from 10 of our members. Each will share a favorite garden book or plant from their gardening journey. There will likely be an opportunity to ask each one a question or two. 

We will also have an informal book/plant exchange table, where anyone with something to share can participate. Bring a book or a plant (or several) and feel free to collect something you want from the table!

April Meeting—2026

April Meeting—2026

Event: April Meeting—2026

Speaker: Pat Smith

Topic: Famous, Fabulous, Free-Spirited, Fetching–French Gardens in All Their Glory

Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026  •  7 p.m.

Location: Shepard Garden & Arts Center
3330 McKinley Blvd, Sacramento

Patricia Beach Smith, a retired journalist and opera singer, an avid traveler who gets great pleasure tromping in and around gardens, wherever she may find them!

Her April program will take us to some pretty amazing French gardens, from eclectic and off the beaten track to some we will likely all recognize.

A photo of Pat Smith.