Bonnie Siepp: The Garden Club President
PRESIDENT, CORAL GABLES GARDEN CLUB
Bonnie Siepp grew up on the eastern shore on Maryland in a rural farming community, which is where she learned to love nature. Despite feeling drawn to “the big city” – she moved to Miami in the early ‘80s to attend UM law school – Siepp has always carried a special place in her heart for the earth. “I just love [it],” she says.
Joining the Garden Club just two years ago, Siepp’s rise has been quick. Recently retired, she had more time to devote to personal projects “I thought that now that I had more time, I would like to learn more about my garden,” says Siepp, who admits that she was, at the time, still planting the same plants she had back home in Maryland. “They weren’t really very happy here,” she confesses. Being a part of the Club introduced her to native South Florida plants as well as local environmental issues. Now, as president of the almost 200-person club, she hopes to introduce others to gardening – and the rewarding work the Club does in the community.
LATEST ACHIEVEMENT
Siepp was inducted as president of the Garden Club in May of this year. She’s particularly excited about her term since it also falls during the city and the club’s centennial year. “This is probably the most exciting year to be president,” she says. Among the projects Siepp and the Club are overseeing this year are the commission of an artwork centered around pollinators, to be placed in the Coral Gables Library’s Butterfly Garden, and a house and garden tour that features her own home.
WHAT SHE SAYS
“[The Garden Club] is an amazingly rewarding and interesting club to join and there’s opportunity for involvement in so many things,” Seipp says. “We have 25 different committees. [You can] do garden therapy…. You can plant things with the Girl Scouts. You can be involved in our meetings. You can learn to make [flower] arrangements. You can raise money. There’s just such depth to it. It’s not just a garden club.” As for herself, she says, “I love flowers and plants. I enjoy the beauty of it. I feel more spiritual in nature.”