Art, Plants and Community: Fall ArtFest at Evergreen Nursery, Sept. 26 and 27

Two San Leandro institutions are sharing the same ground this fall, and it is a genuinely good match. On September 26 and 27, Evergreen Nursery is hosting the San Leandro Art Association's Fall ArtFest, a free two-day outdoor art fair set right among our fall plant selection. Local artists will sell original paintings, photography, and handmade work directly to visitors, and the nursery stays open for regular shopping the whole time.

Both days run from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at 350 San Leandro Blvd, about a mile north of the San Leandro BART station. Admission is free, parking is free, and it is a relaxed enough event to bring the kids along.

Two Organizations, One Shared History

Evergreen Nursery has been in business for more than 40 years, serving gardeners across San Leandro and the East Bay. The San Leandro Art Association has been doing similar work for local artists since 1957, giving them a way to reach the public and get their work in front of people who actually want to buy it. Put those two histories side by side and Fall ArtFest starts to make sense. Both groups grew out of the same instinct: that a community is better off when people can make things, grow things, and share them with their neighbors.

Browse Art, Then Walk the Fall Plant Selection

Artists will be set up throughout the nursery grounds, so plan to walk, not just browse from one spot. Talk to the people who made the work. Ask questions. Fall ArtFest tends to draw people looking for one-of-a-kind holiday gifts early, so if that is on your list, this is a good weekend to knock a few names off it.

Fall is also, honestly, one of the best times of year to plant. Our Japanese maple trees are starting to color up, and cooler weather means less transplant shock for anything you put in the ground now, since roots get the whole mild East Bay winter to settle in before next summer's heat shows up.

That is especially true if you are thinking about a California native garden. Fall planting gives California native plants a head start most people do not realize they need. Roots establish while the soil is still warm and rain is on the way, so by spring the plant is already anchored instead of struggling through its first hot season. If you have been meaning to swap out a thirsty lawn strip or a few tired ornamentals for something built for our climate, this is the window. We carry a solid range of California native plants and other drought tolerant options, and staff on site can help you figure out what actually fits your yard's sun and soil, not just what looks good on a nursery bench.

We are also stocked for fall vegetable plants and other edible garden plants, so your kitchen garden does not have to go dormant just because summer is over. September is also peak monarch migration through the East Bay, which makes it a smart time to tuck in milkweed plants or other nectar plants. Butterflies passing through need somewhere to refuel, and a few well placed plants can turn a yard into a rest stop.

Why This Kind of Weekend Is Actually Good for You

There is a reason people leave the nursery looking less wound up than when they walked in. Gardening lowers stress hormones and forces a kind of patience that most of our lives do not ask for anymore. You cannot rush a root system. Making art works on something similar. Whether you are the one painting or just standing in front of someone else's canvas, the brain settles into a state that therapists call flow and everyone else just calls losing track of time.

Then there is the plain fact of being around other people who care about the same things you do. That is not a minor benefit. A lot of research on loneliness points to exactly this kind of low stakes, shared interest gathering as one of the better antidotes available. We see it constantly at the nursery. Someone comes in for a six pack of annuals and ends up in a twenty minute conversation about soil drainage. Fall ArtFest is that same energy, spread across a whole weekend instead of one lucky Tuesday.

Event Details

• Dates: Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 2026

• Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM both days

• Location: Evergreen Nursery, 350 San Leandro Blvd, San Leandro, CA 94577

• Cost: Free admission, free parking

• Good to know: Artists sell their work directly, so bring a mix of cash and card

About the San Leandro Art Association

The San Leandro Art Association has operated as a nonprofit since 1957, supporting local artists and bringing visual art into the community, including partnerships with students in the San Leandro Unified School District. More information is available at sanleandroart.org.

Read More: Art, Plants & Community: Fall ArtFest at the Nursery Sept 26 & 27

FAQ

Is there an admission fee? No. Fall ArtFest is free both days.

How do I pay for artwork? Artists handle their own sales, so payment options vary by vendor. Bringing both cash and a card is the safest bet.

Is parking available? Yes, free parking is available on site.

Will the nursery be open for regular shopping during the event? Yes. It is business as usual at the nursery alongside the art fair, including our full fall selection of Japanese maple trees, California native plants, and fall vegetable plants.

Is this a good event to bring kids to? Yes. It is family friendly, all ages, and easy to move through at your own pace.

Come for the art, stay for the plants. Stop by Evergreen Nursery in San Leandro on September 26 and 27 for Fall ArtFest, and let our staff help you plan out a California native garden, or whatever else you have been putting off. Happy Growing!