Whidbey Island Garden Tour Celebrates 30 Years
an island in bloom
By Sharon Heiber • Photos by David Welton
One day each summer, island residents and visitors alike get a rare glimpse into private gardens while supporting local nonprofit organizations during the annual Whidbey Island Garden Tour, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2026.
Whidbey has long had a strong gardening community, with active regional clubs throughout the island. But there was no official tour of South Whidbey gardens until 1996, when a group of gardeners created the first Whidbey Island Garden Tour to help fund “Save the Woods on Saratoga,” a campaign to prevent 118 acres of forested land in Langley from being developed into a large resort.
In the first year of the tour, a small group of volunteers identified gardens, printed tickets and posters, and conducted outreach—including to The Seattle Times, whose garden columnist, Val Easton, wrote an article promoting the tour after visiting the gardens. “They were such an enthusiastic group of gardeners. I was warmly
