First Meeting of the New Year

 The Monroeville Garden Club had its first meeting of the new year on September 9, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. at the Monroeville Presbyterian Church.

 Holly Tennimon, President, called the meeting to order.  New yearbooks were passed out and there was a brief discussion about the October meeting.  The club is scheduled to tour the gardens at the Grand Hotel and have lunch afterwards.  Patsy requested that members notify her if they planned to attend so that lunch reservations could be made.

 Next Holly briefed members on the various projects around the square that the club would undertake.  Sign up sheets were passed out so that members could choose an area to work in.  This concluded the business session and members then enjoyed a social time with refreshments of Veggie Rollups, Salted Toasted Pecans, and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

 Laura Bodiford was hostess and Holly Tennimon was co-hostess.  Members in attendance included:  Laura Bodiford, Dianne Bond, Evelyn Bond, Elba Bonham, Sara Bradley, Sharon Brewton, Judi Burns, Tonja Carter, Bev Colquett, Sarah Countryman, Carolyn Hutcherson, Sammye Long, Lynne Noah, Ann Pridgen, Jeanne Sewell, Jean Singleton, Holly Tennimon, Patsy Wadlington, and Nancy Ziebach.

 As members left , they were given an aloe vera plant which was donated by Pat Dawson along with a handout on how to care for the plant and some of the medicinal uses of it.

New Yearbook - Photo provided by Melanie Dees Andress

(L to R)  Hostess - Laura Bodiford and Co-Hostess- Holly Tennimon

Aloe Vera Plants given to members

March Outing

 In March, Monroeville Garden Club members traveled to Camden, Alabama with several tours on the agenda. 

The first stop was to Riverbend, owned by Chris Bailey and Ryan Dunagan. They bought the property in 2017 and have completely renovated it, losing none of its historical charm. Pictures absolutely do not do this property justice. Chris guided the tour of the home and the gardens and detailed every project, completed and ongoing. The property was featured in the Wilcox Historical Society 2021 Tour of Homes. You can follow them on Facebook or Instagram to see more pictures and keep up with the progress they are making. 

The next stop was to Camden Jewelry and Gifts, where everyone was sure to find something on their wish list. Check out www.CamdenJewelryandGifts.com to see what lovely things they have!

Afterward members and guests found themselves at Young's Plant Nursery, taking in the beautiful plants and yard decor. They have a lot to offer! Find them online at www.YoungsPlantNursery.com and see if they have what you might be looking for.  

A final stop at the Pecan on Broad (www.PecanOnBroad.com)for lunch, also owned by Chris Bailey and Ryan Dunagan, was perfect for relaxing and refueling. What a beautifully renovated restaurant! Garden Clubbers enjoyed chicken salad, orzo pasta, and broccoli salad, and even did a little more browsing through the market for unique gifts - many of which are from vendors in Alabama - and wines. They also have frozen take-and-bake meals and fabulous desserts.

It was quite a day for the Monroeville Garden Club. And if you think small towns in Alabama don't have much to offer you probably haven't been to Camden!

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Riverbend

Young's Plant Nursery

 

 

April Garden Hop

The Monroeville Garden decided to "Garden Hop" in April, touring the gardens of three members.

They began the tour at 9:30 that morning and traveled to Frisco City to Pat Hendrix's lovely shade garden. Following the tour, members were served muffins and coffee provided by Pat and Bev Colquett. 

Around 11 a.m. members returned to Monroeville to the beautiful blooming garden of Evelyn Bond. Though early in the season, there were blooms of irises, verbena, shasta daisies, viburnum and geraniums to name a few, with other varieties almost ready to bloom. Evelyn and Judi Burns served a brown bag lunch. The bags were decorated with pictures of Evelyn's garden and a packet of seeds was included as a favor.

The final tour was the garden of Vonceil Stringer's which featured interesting hardscape, garden structures, a perfectly manicured lawn and beautiful knockout roses. Vonceil and Sara Bradley served members butter pecan brownies and strawberry cupcakes served in bags Vonceil had made from magazine pages. They also included a packet of seeds as a favor. 

Everyone had a wonderful time!

Pat's patio

Fans for the tour

Pat's patio 

Pat's garden

Pat's garden

Pat's  garden

Pat's garden

Pat's garden

Pat's garden

Admiring Pat's garden

(L-R)Jean Singleton, Carolyn Hutcherson and Ree Smith

Judi Burns and Evelyn Bond 

Lunch from Evelyn's

Evelyn's patio

Evelyn Bond and Judi Burns

Vonceil's Garden

Vonceil's

Vonceil's

Vonceil Stringer and Jean Singleton

Vonceil's

 

May Luncheon

Summer will be here before we know it, and the Monroeville Garden Club knows just how to celebrate the season! Members and guests met at the Monroeville Presbyterian Church on May 13 for a luncheon hosted by Bev Colquett, Nancy Ziebach, Lynne Noah, Margaret Groves, and Dianne Bond. Member Carolyn Hutcherson led the program on making arrangements from grocery store flowers, and a handout was provided detailing the process. Guest Kathryn Taylor AKA Lily Rose Fescue performed a hilarious rendition of her trip to the local garden center.

The hostesses did a wonderful job of decorating each table with lovely bird cages, the larger ones holding fern greenery and hydrangea blooms, and smaller ones with candles inside. There were miniature faux bird nests and speckled eggs to accentuate the centerpieces. The decor was simply stunning and no detail was spared! Each place setting was plated with chicken salad on a bed of greens, crackers, mandarin orange fluff, and a caramel cheesecake mousse topped with toasted coconut and pecans. Sparkling water was also served. Each person left with a small birdhouse keepsake complete with a succulent covered moss roof. 

Garden Club members will enjoy the break and look forward to meeting again in September. We encourage everyone in the community to have a safe and wonderful summer! Let's not despair as the days grow hotter and remember, 

"Gardening requires lots of water, most of it in the form of perspiration." ~Lou Erickson

Entering fellowship hall

 

Centerpiece

Lovely tablescape including birdhouse keepsake

Yum!

Beautiful place setting

Kathryn Taylor as Lily Rose Fescue

Handout

Arrangement supplies

Building the base

Adding filler flowers

Lovely!

Carolyn Hutcherson with her beautiful creation