The Monroeville Garden Club had its monthly meeting , March 12, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church. Laura York, Vice President, brought the meeting to order.
New business consisted of Bev Colquett informing the members of a monetary donation from the Hornady Foundation to help with the upkeep of the Katherine Lee Rose Garden at the courthouse, with the objective to keep the weeds at bay. Also, part of the donation will be used to install sod at the Monroe County Public Library.
June Herring, representing the Friends of the LIbrary, asked that the Garden Club donate a floral arrangement to use April 22, 2026, for the Lucy Greer presentation for the library.
Two new members were welcomed into the fold: Grace Johnston and Claudia Swift. We are so happy to have these new members.
Following the business agenda, Charlotte Hamm, gave an inspiring program on irises. Charlotte discussed the origin of the iris in our culture and presented a beautiful slide show of many different kinds of irises. She discussed irises of yesterday and today and how the iris has blossomed into a gorgeous array of colors and styles -There was a discussion concerning how to plant and when, and members learned about rhizomes and their role in propagation. Charlotte listed a few sources from which to order irises: Rocky Top, Iris City, Schreiners, Sutton, Lauer’s Flowers, and Winterberry Gardens.
After a lovely table of refreshments from Laura Bodiford and Scarlet Strom, which consisted of cheese straws, petit fours, fruit, chicken salad and pimento cheese sandwiches, crackers, and pepper jelly/cream cheese, and tea or water, all served on St. Patrick’s Day plates and napkins, we adjourned. (Submitted by Sammye Long)
The Monroeville Garden Club met on February 12, 2026, at the Presbyterian Church at 1:30 p.m. Sixteen members attended.
Charlotte Lambert, President, opened the meeting. Business of the day included the need for cutting the flax lilies at the library, at the steps at the rose garden, and the area around the Sheriff’s Office, pruning bushes in the rose garden and how to kill weeds in the garden. Members were informed of promised monies from Main Street and Mockingbird Company. These expected monies could help pay for planting sod at the library and trellis’ needed in the rose garden.
Another order of business was the need to elect a new president for next year. A vote from the group determined that the time of meetings would be changed to 1:00 p.m. and that hostesses would only serve one dessert and drinks at the meetings, starting in September.
There was a discussion about the care of orchids, and June Herring reminded us about Friends of the Library membership drive.
Ann Pridgen gave a delightful program demonstrating books on gardening. Members perused the books and discussed how helpful they would be in solving gardening problems. Ann closed out the program with an entertaining skit: “We Do Not Care Club”. After much needed humor and laughter, we were given book markers and plant labels depicting what “we do not care about”.
After Charlotte blessed the food, hostesses Jean Singleton, Laura York, and Sammye Long offered members a delicious menu of heart shaped chicken salad sandwiches, pickles, cheese cookies, assorted nuts, strawberries, and beautiful cupcakes decorated with white or red icing. A Valentine’s Day theme adorned the food table, with a vase of Rainbow Roses used as a centerpiece. Individual tables also represented Valentine’s Day. Tea and water were drinks.
After eating, the meeting was adjourned.
Sammye Long
Secretary
Hostesses - Jean Singleton, Sammye Long and Laura York
Ann Pridgen presents program
The Monroeville Garden Club met on January 8, 2026, at the home of Charlotte Lambert. Sherri Eubanks served as her co-hostess.
Under new business, it was reported that Sky Pencil Hollies for the pots around the square have been ordered from Frisco City Co-Op. Flax lily will be used as a filler along with seasonal flowers. Bev bought metal Christmas stakes to add to the pots next year. These were purchased from Hobby Lobby at 80% off.
Wanda Martin, Baldwin County Master Gardener, presented a program on orchids.
Following the program, members enjoyed the following refreshments: Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Key Lime Desserts, and roasted pecans.
Thirteen ladies attended the meeting.
(Notes taken by Dianne Bond)
Hostesses - Sherri Eubanks and Charlotte Lambert
Wanda Martin
Each table was beautiful decorated with a Christmas motif with a bag of Christmas favors to be taken home by each member. A beautiful Christmas tree adorned one corner of the dining room making the feel of Christmas that much more exciting!
Lance Britt presented a wonderful program on decorating with natural and live greenery, flowers, and evergreens. He also discussed the upcoming tour of homes in Wilcox County. A delightful slide show gave numerous examples of Lance’s design work and how to arrange and exhibit plants and decor.
We all left with a delightful holiday attitude ready to go home to practice our decorating skills.
The Monroeville Garden Club met on November 13, 2025, at the Presbyterian Church at 1:30 p.m. Charlotte Lambert, president, opened the meeting. New and old business were discussed. Club members were advised of a $500.00 donation to the club by Tonja Carter and The Mockingbird Company. We also discussed the upcoming Christmas luncheon to be held at the Vanity Fair Golf and Tennis Club on December 11th, at 11:30 a.m. Those attending were asked to pay $25.00 for cost of Club facilities and food. Faye Estes and Judi Burns are hostesses. The program will be given by Lance Britt, owner of Brittany House Antiques.
Charlotte then introduced our speaker, Chester Vrocher, Master Gardener in lieu of Jack Leroy, who gave a very informative program on planting and maintenance for outside plants. Mr. Vrocher was very thorough and interesting in sharing the needs of plants. The first three outstanding recommendations for success were - soil, water, and sunshine. He explained that the best road to success is to first get a soil sample for the area you intend to cultivate. This can be done through the Auburn Extension Service. Knowing what type of fertilizer is needed is crucial for growth success. Next, members were reminded that proper watering is a must. Most plants need 2 inches of water per week. And of course, knowing how much sunshine the type of plant needs is crucial. He gave us instructions on how to determine the amount of sunshine each area of the yard receives . Another point of note, is to know the mature size of your plant before deciding where to plant. He strongly encouraged making a plan before taking action. He suggested researching in the winter months and planting in the spring.
After the program, we all enjoyed a delicious array of cookies and Fall appetizers. Special punch or water were drinks of choice. Thanks go to Ann Pridgen and June Herring for our delicious refreshments. (Submitted by Sammye Long)
Our speaker, Chester Vrocher, Master Gardener from Clarke County
The Monroeville Garden Club met on October 9, 2025, at the Monroeville Presbyterian Church. Hostesses were Tonja Carter, Brenda Gardner, and Jeanne Sewell.
The program was presented by our own Carolyn Hutcherson with assistance by Vicki Sims. Carolyn showed table settings from formal to casual occasions.
Two special nature projects that could be enjoyed with grandchildren were shown. One was a turkey made from nuts and artificial leaves and a nature bracelet. The bracelet was made from tape with the sticky side up so that objects found in nature could be attached.
Next Carolyn passed out supplies for each member to make a flower frog. Using dry clay and cookie cutters, members made the basic flower frog shape. A straw was used to make holes for flower stems and different leaves were used to make designs on the "frog".
After completing the project, members enjoyed the following refreshments: Strawberry Lemonade, Slow Cooker Crab Dip and Crackers, Relish and Nut Tray, Cheese Tray, Brownies and Sausage Pinwheels.
SAUSAGE PINWHEELS
extra-virgin olive oil
ground Italian sausage
finely chopped red bell pepper
cream cheese, softened
sharp white cheddar, grated
cloves garlic, grated
kosher salt
(8-oz.) cans crescent roll dough
(8-oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened
shredded cheddar, divided
freshly grated Parmesan, divided
mayonnaise
green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
cloves garlic, minced
dijon mustard
Worcestershire sauce
hot sauce, such as Tabasco
paprika
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
lump crab meat
Crackers for Serving
The new sod at the library is coming along nicely. The purchase of the sod was made possible by a generous donation from Chris and Pat Horn...
