Who We Are and What We Do

We enhance the appearance and beauty of the Coupeville community and promote interest, understanding, education and participation in horticulture.

Today the garden club meets the first Thursday of the month at 9:30 am at the Coupeville Recreation Hall with many work parties happening on Tuesdays. We help keep Coupeville looking beautiful by landscaping Cooks Corner, Coupeville Recreation Hall, Captain Thomas Coupe Park, place and maintain barrels full of flowers throughout the city, maintain the "Welcome to Coupeville" signs, grow and sell plants for the community, etc. If you have questions about the Coupeville Garden Club or would like to join, email info@coupevillegardenclub.org.

Our History

The Coupeville Garden Club was formed on April 13, 1961 with 28 persons attending. The first year was spent in organizational work, joining the Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs and commencing work on the club's first beautification project - the plantings at the West Coast Telephone Building on the corner of North Main and Coveland Streets.

Other early projects included:

1962

The club starts maintaining Triangle Park. When the diagonal road is removed, it becomes Cooks Corner Park. It is named for Kathleen Cook, a very active early member.

1962-1964

Preservation of the historic Block House on Alexander Street in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce.

1963-1964

Planting of the banks for erosion control along Front Street in cooperation with the Coupeville Development Club's restoration efforts.

1965

Additional plantings at City Park and Island County Court House.

1968

First plant sale is held at Methodist Church using home grown plants, making $157.01. 

1969-1970

Plantings at the Fire House; landscaping of the Hospital grounds; cleaning up around the Museum.

1970

Plant Sale moves to the Rec Hall

1971

Sewer treatment area plantings (Captain Coupe's Park).

1975

Court House Annex plantings.

1982

A garden at Coupeville Elementary School is started. It struggles for a lot of years but is a precursor to Farm to School.

1997

Planting of 60 Flower Barrels in Coupeville.

2000-2001

Bronze statues of "Randy" and "Sally" installed in Cook's Corner presented to the Town.

2002

The club purchases and sets-up a greenhouse at the Coupeville High School as a result of a campaign led by science teacher, Terry Welch and club member, Roberta Piercy. In Welch's honor, it is named "Terry Welch's Instructional Greenhouse," aka. T.W.I.G. It provides year-round space for school science class projects and space for the garden club to plant seeds and cuttings for the annual fund raising plant sale. The students in the science classes also start vegetable seeds to grow produce in their external raised beds for the local Help House. This is the year the club expands training efforts to include more time and resources for students.

2006

The Coupeville Elementary School Garden Club (ESGC) becomes a funded/budgeted project. Each of the students in the ESGC have a 2' by 2' garden plot to till, plant and maintain under the guidance of Coupeville Garden Club members. At the end of the season the students harvest their produce to take home to show their accomplishments to their families. The ownership of the plot gives the students great pride in their gardening abilities.

2007

Joined highway cleanup project with a one mile stretch north of Coupeville. Took over a two mile stretch from NAS (away on duty in Iraq).
Because of a high school addition, the greenhouse is cut in half and moves to new location. Football team assists.

2008

Second cold frame purchased and installed.

2020-2021

Plant Sale orders were done online and picked up at the greenhouse due to Covid 19. Membership meetings were completed via Zoom.

2023

$15,000 was given to the community through grants:
$2,500 was presented to The Girls and Boys Club to help landscape their new Coupeville location, $1,000 for Historic Whidbey for the Haller House landscaping, $1,000 for Ryan's House for Youth to use toward new barrels full of  flowers to cheer up their space, $500 for The Pacific NorthWest Art School for their landscaped area.
$5,000 in scholarships was given to 2023 Coupeville High School seniors and $5,000 for Farm-to-School.

2025

Plant Sale moves to the Coupeville High School Gym to provide additional space.

 

To finance the projects, the club made memorial donations, participated in Federation events, and held plant sales. The first of these was held in the clubroom of the Methodist Church using home-grown plants. In 1967, bedding plants were purchased and by 1970 the Plant Sale was moved to the town Recreation Hall. Because of the increase of plants and the popularity of the sale, in 2025 it was moved to the Coupeville High School gym to provide a larger space.

The club's efforts were recognized by "Horticulture" magazine in 1964, won the Richfield Award for Town Beautification in 1965 and the Sears Award in 1969, 1975 and 1979. In addition to gardening projects, money has been donated for floodlights for the High School football field and to various organizations working to improve our town and island. In September 1972, the club members voted to withdraw from the Washington Federation of Garden Clubs in order to "stay home" to devote more efforts to community service. A review of early minutes demonstrates how busy they were: holiday gifts for the residents of area nursing homes, gardening assistance to youth groups, spruce-up activities and on-going beautification projects, granting of scholarships and financial support of non-profit organizations such as 4H and Meerkerk Gardens. Social events included special Christmas parties and, beginning in 1962, a summertime potluck picnic to attract new members. Early tours were of local gardens.

The Coupeville Garden Club has been active since its inception and continues to gain satisfaction from working together with students and town maintenance to conserve and enhance this lovely community.