Our Vision, Mission and Values

Our Gardens

MISSION

The mission of the Westhampton Garden Club is to stimulate love for and knowledge of horticulture, floral design, gardening, and photography through educational meetings and shared experience, as well as to enhance and protect the beauty of the community and to promote the conservation of native plants, woodlands, open spaces and waterways.

 VISION

To be recognized for the beautification of our towns and stewardship of the environment.

VALUES

 Respect: We cultivate positive relationships and value the differences in our members.

 Integrity:  We are committed to acting honestly, respectfully and authentically.

 Collaboration: We believe in working together internally and externally, and building relationships based on trust and cooperation

 Stewardship: We believe in the responsible and ethical management of resources for the benefit of future generations.

 Excellence:  We set high standards for our own performance, and strive to improve.

 Learning:  We are committed to lifelong learning and sharing our knowledge.

 Inclusion: We strive to create a sense of belonging and focus on accepting and celebrating differences.

 Fun: We enjoy each other’s company, nurture friendships, and work to bring joy to all we do.

 

 

Since 1928, members of the Westhampton Garden Club have dedicated themselves to promoting horticulture, floral design, and environmental conservation in the Westhampton Beach area.

As affiliates of National Garden Clubs, Inc, Federated Garden Clubs of New York State and Garden Club of America, members share a love for gardening and floral design through study at workshops, seminars, plant exchanges and field trips.

Our community projects include the maintenance of a number of public gardens, conservation initiatives, educational lectures, topiary arrangements and outdoor potted plants for East End Hospice patients, and an annual scholarship for a local high school senior interested in furthering his/her education in a related field. These activities and others are funded by the WGC House & Garden Tour.

The Westhampton Garden Club provides hands-on maintenance and financial support to public gardens in the community. From spring through autumn, WGC teams maintain two gardens at the Quogue Library as well as the Native Lily Pond Garden in Quogue, and the Garden of Remembrance at the Quogue Firehouse. The WGC also oversees and funds maintenance through Dragonfly Landscaping of “An English Garden by the Sea” at the Westhampton Beach Village Green.

The Quogue Library Gardens

With the opening of the beautifully renovated Quogue Library come two magnificent new gardens, one reflecting the sensibilities of the original Library Garden created in 1976, and the second embodying our current focus on conservation and protecting the environment.

The Historical Garden at the Old Quogue Schoolhouse, is now situated in front of the Schoolhouse, having formerly been located between the back of the Library and the original Schoolhouse location. It combines a reproduction of the original herb gardens planted in 2011, with the brick and parterre formation of four sections, and has been planted with a combination of traditional plants and others that have been cultivated to thrive in changing conditions.

The Pollinator Garden, born out of concern over the ongoing loss of bees, birds, butterflies and insects worldwide, was spearheaded by a number of Provisionals with the help of several other members, thereafter collectively known as the Pollinator Team. When Covid 19 forced the cancellation of the House and Garden Tour for two years, the Club needed a different means of generating revenue. The Provisionals immediately rose to the occasion and came up with the idea of selling plants. Over six months the Team organized and managed the sale of Amaryllis plants during the December 2020 Holidays, and Orchids in February 2021. Both sales were successful and generated sufficient funds to allow the creation of the Pollinator Garden. The Team designed and laid out the space, chose the plants and herbs, and planted and maintained the Garden. Everyone was thrilled to see the plants thrive, and many were blooming in time for the Grand Opening of the renovated Library in June 2021.

Quogue Garden of Remembrance

This miniature garden is the result of a 3+ - year initiative to plant a garden at the base of the Fire House’s 6-foot I-beam memorial to those lost on 9/11. That memorial was donated to Quogue following the police and firefighters’ support at Ground Zero. The garden is a collaborative effort between The Battery Conservancy in lower Manhattan and the Westhampton Garden Club. A partnership between the Garden Club and the Conservancy (led by Warrie Price), came about when Mary Kelberg arranged for the Club to assist in planting 5,000 crocuses at the Conservancy. Inger Mejean, after becoming President of the WGC in 2018, approached Ms. Price about getting plants from the NYC Garden of Remembrance (designed by renown Dutch landscape artist Piet Oudolf), for the Fire House to plant near the existing I-beam to create the Quogue Garden of Remembrance. Inger subsequently applied for and received $1,000 Plant America grant from the National Garden Clubs, which financed the necessary work to prepare for the new garden. In Spring 2021, following a one-year delay due to CoVid 19, 68 plants were transported from Battery Park to Quogue, where Dragonfly Landscaping donated their services in planting them.

The Native Gardens, Quogue Lily Pond

Located on Jessup Avenue, the Lily Pond Garden was planted with native perennials selected for their beauty, bloom time, deer resistance, and support for pollinators. The garden provides an inviting and restful spot for visitors to sit with a cup of coffee or read the paper while enjoying the natural surroundings. In Fall of 2020, the Garden hosted a WGC Seed and Plant Exchange; members exchanged seeds and cuttings brought from their own gardens, and harvested milkweed seeds and pods, among other plants, from the Lily Pond Garden

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“An English Garden by the Sea,” Westhampton Beach Village Green

A typical English cottage garden with gazebo and benches and colorful summer perennials, this gathering spot near the post office is the setting for exhibitions, art shows, and concerts. The plantings provide splashes of color year-round and include Burning Bush, Ligularia, Hydrangea, Peony, Spirea and Fairy Rose; providing interest throughout all seasons. The WGC was instrumental in designing the Garden with Dragonfly’s support. With the financial support of the WGC, Dragonfly continues to maintain this garden.

The Provisional Class of 2023 used a Human Centered Design methodolgy to research, design and and create 3 Historically accurate gardens at The Westhampton Museum site in Westhampton Beach. This was the first step in a successful and ongoing collaboration with the Museum and our club.

The Westhampton Museum Gardens at The Foster Meeker House and The Tuttle House

Meet Our Board

  • Alicia Whitiker

    President

  • Peggy Vesiris

    First Vice President

  • Joyce Bromberg

    Second Vice President

  • Chris Tiberg

    Treasurer

  • Anne Algeri

    Recording Secretary

  • Nada Eisler

    Coresponding Secretary

  • Lynda Confessore

    Communication

  • Mary Ann Hill

    Design

  • Susanne Jannson

    Conservation

  • Donna Levy

    Photography

  • Nancy Lombardi

    Programs

  • Elizabeth Plate

    Gardening Skills

  • Roberta Young

    Horticulture

Our Scholarship Program

Each year The Westhampton Garden Club awards a Westhampton Beach High School or Hampton Bays High School graduating senior a $3000 scholarship. Applicants should demonstrate an ongoing interest by active participation in any of the below fields:

  • environmental science

  • conservation

  • botanical fields, including agriculture, horticulture and landscape designby active participation in, for example, clubs, classes, paid or volunteer work.

Please see application below

Contact us

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