The Garden Club of St. Petersburg, Inc.
New Meeting Location
Email Address
The Garden Club of St. Petersburg, Inc.
New Meeting Location
Email Address
The mission of the Garden Club of St. Petersburg (GCSP) is to promote an interest in and appreciation for horticulture and gardening, floral and landscape design, and conservation of our natural resources. We achieve this by providing educational, charitable, youth-mentoring, and social activities, for our members and the wider community.
The Garden Club of St. Petersburg, FL Inc was originally organized on November 20, 1928, federated on January 8, 1930, incorporated in 1950, and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) Non-profit in 1971. The Garden Club of St. Petersburg is affiliated with the National Garden Clubs, Inc within its structure as follows: Deep South Region, Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. and District VIII.
The Garden Club is nestled within Coconut Park, which has a number gardens maintained by the club members. In this city park you will find a Japanese Garden, Bromeliad Garden, Tropical Plants Garden, Native Garden, and Wildflower Butterfly Garden as well as the Blue Star Memorial.
Every year, the Garden Club of St Petersburg has over 75 unique activities/events to engage in. Most activities are small group gatherings and range from talks on all types of horticulture topics; to floral design instruction; to field trips to local gardens; to make-and-take art projects; to repurposing flowers for nursing homes. There are evening sessions (a group called the Night Bloomers) and even some weekend events. There’s something for everyone; guests and new members are always welcome.
Our premier event every year is the National Standard Flower Show during the City-sponsored Green Thumb Festival in April at Walter Fuller Park. The Garden Club sponsors floral designs, horticulture, educational exhibits, and creative crafts that are judged by accredited judges. The Flower Show is freely open to the public during the Green Thumb Festival.
In addition to the monthly gatherings, the Garden Club of St. Petersburg has a number of fundraisers that focus on “recycle, reuse” in line with our mission on conservation. Watch for October’s Big Plant Sale which highlights a broad array of plants from many Garden Club members. In November, the Holiday Recycle does just that – recycle holiday items (and yes, a mini plant sale goes along with it). Then, in February we usually have a Home & Garden Market (with donated home items and a mini plant sale). And finally, a mid-summer indoor-only (no plants) Trash to Treasures fundraiser.
The Garden Club of St Petersburg supports a number of environmental projects such as: ECHO World Gardening and the Coral Reef Restoration Project. The local community projects we support include: Camp Wekiva youth scholarships (a camp owned and operated by FFGC in Apopka for students in grades 1-12), S.E.E.K. (Save the Earth’s Environment through Knowledge, a week-long conference for high school students), a horticulture scholarship at USF, and Garden Therapy programs at local nursing homes.
The Garden Club of St. Petersburg is also one of the area’s premiere rental venues. While we are currently in Hurricane Recovery, our facility will return. With an indoor area that can accommodate up to 200 guests surrounded by over 1 acre of tropical plants and native trees, our venue is perfect for Weddings, Receptions, Anniversaries, Reunions, Seminars, Birthdays, Memorials, and more.
State Registration #CH5076: A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling toll-free (800-435-73520 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
President – Bessie Morse
1st Vice President & Programs Chair – Suzanne Bareham
2nd Vice President & Membership Chair – Pat Doyle
3rd Vice President & Rentals Liaison – Karen McKenna
Treasurer – Deb Bibeault