Frances was looking for Santa!!

Gwen was jingling all the way....

There was great conversation, laughter, and garden talk.

The food was yummy!!!!

Deanna was decking the halls!!!

While Linda sang Fa lalalala la la la la!

Margaret had visions of sugar plums ....

Carol was ready to deck the Halls

Christmas Breakfast and SOS Party

There were no little Christmas Elves to be seen but we had a grand time at the SOS Christmas Party!

The brunch was delicious!!!

Margaret made a Ham and Cheese Strata with deviled eggs, cheesey cornbread and a yummy Apple Cake for Dessert. We had a lovely day . I wish I had taken pictures of the gardens but you all would have been so amazed!! She said her friends had given her many of the plants and that her friend Velma and Margie have been especially helpful and generous. She has some wonderful friends.

The cottage and the craft room with projects.

Some of her mosaic work .

The craft room. She has been working with silverware. A nifty key ring.

A family sized shower with a huge window looking out into the veranda where the potting station is.

Yes that is the living room and check out the murphy bed standing behind the couch.

She calls it an apartment but I call it a cottage. The door to get in is right past the Potting Station and here's a look at the lovely cottage.

The window is huge and its in the shower! I love it.

Check out the bottles on the kitchen back splash . I see a bottle tree in the future :)

A romp through the garden

Shhhh The secret garden. It's cool and inviting.

Checking out the potting station. It is so roomy.

Margaret's Potting Station

Margaret showing us a neat plant holder she got from Overstock .com How about this neat retractable water hose???

No this doesn't belong to Martha Stewart...It's Margaret Butler's I love it!!!

Sweet Garden Fairies

Ready for a wreath maker~~

Ava and Laila on the Butterfly Chairs.

You just wouldn't believe your eyes!!

We were small this month in more than one way . Gwen brought two of her little grand daughters with her to the meeting and they were excited to go to a
"Garden Party". I don't know if it's what they had in mind. But they were lovely little garden helpers. We worked, toured and visited the home of Margaret Butler this month. She even had craft ideas and the ever growing flowerpot wreath to work on if time permitted.
Margaret had beautiful gardens and we saw many different kinds of gardens in her spacious yard. Margaret had water features , water gardens, a rose garden, a tropical garden, a hidden garden,a cottage garden and perennials galore! Margaret's potting Station was a dream come true! I took several pictures for the inspiration it can give others. She has a lovely little cottage off the potting station and a nice roomy craftroom we may get to use someday.

I made my flowerpot wreath!!! Now where to put it???

The day after our last meeting I sat outside and made my wreath!!! I was quite pleased with myself! Now I will have to fill it but I think I'll wait until spring or maybe not. What do you think? I have some left over pots if any other Sirens want to make one. In a few days I may post another picture of it filled with plants that love the winter.

I want a flowerpot wreath.

Everybody wanted to play in the mud so I have to make the flowerpot wreath by myself! Boo hoo! I gave the girls that wanted them red spiderlily bulbs . My hubby dug them up in prep for the potting shed he is making me in the background. I also had sweetpea and poppy seends for the girls. Now is the time to plant them ladies. You can plant them anytime between now and December.

If you plant some now and some later they will bloom for a longer period.

Yummy things to eat....

Mischelle and Linda getting a plate full of delectable delights!!!----->>>>>>>>
Vicky, Deborah, Carol, Margaret and Francis enjoying the brunch and the good conversation.

Hypertufa

Here is Gwen's just made planter.

All the projects ready to cure!!!! We can't wait to open our projects but will check them next week!

Our October 11th Meeting.

We met at Gwen's house for our October 11th meeting because Maxine is unable to participate in the club. We had a great time playing in the mud! We made Hypertufa planters and troughs! We got started at 8a.m. and were finished playing before 10:00. We made balls, planters troughs, mushrooms, rocks, and Linda Hoosier even made what looks like a butterfly drinking station. We had two visiters who are thinking about joining our group Deborah and Vicky. We had a brunch following our Hypertufa session. We have lots of great cooks in our group. We had chicken salad sandwiches, tuna salad with celery and crackers, tortilla pinwheels,kolanches, ham and cheese crossiants,deviled eggs, freash apple pie, coconut banana nut bread,and apple dumplings. The best part of our morning was the visiting and conversation.

Intresting Website

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/index.php

Sept Work Day Pictures

While working at Mischelle's we took about 100 (at least it seemed like 100) pups off her Seago Palm. We cleaned out her vegetable and strawberry beds and planted some herb seeds. As well as helped Mischelle make the pot wreath. We weeded her other beds as well.

Pictures from Sept Work Meeting

SOS By-Laws

Sirens of the Soil By-laws
Our Group will meet at least 13 times per year. Sept-Oct-Nov-Dec-Jan One time per month. (plus field trips) On the second Tuesday of each of these months
Feb- Mar-Apr-May two times per month (plus field trips) On the second and fourth Tuesday of these months
We will meet at a different garden each 2nd Tuesday of the Month and work from 8am-10am then eat a light brunch
which will be provided by the hostess (workers feel free to bring anything to add to the brunch if you desire.)
We will celebrate each birthday by bringing a small plant ,or seeds, or a similar small token to the birthday girl on the Month of their birthday.
We will have a Christmas Party in December.
June - July - August we will not meet unless we want to go on a field trip or do an activity together as it is too hot.
Each Siren will be responsible for the brunch inside or outside on the day we work at her home. She will also give a short For Your Information (FYI)

on a topic of her choice. (if you need Ideas contact Gwen/Larice.)
The hostess will be responsible to have the materials needed for the workday at her home when we arrive. (supplies such as landscape timbers, mulch, soil, etc)

If you need the other Siren workers to bring something such as loppers, wheellbarrows , newspaper etc please email them as to what you would like them to bring.
Sirens of the Soil need to be dependable and plan on being sportive of working in the Gardens on Workday .

If you feel you are unable to be consistent you may withdraw from the club to allow others who would like to join our group.

Please be sure to let me know if you can't be there or are ill on the workday. Strive not to be absent often if at all.

(I know we all get sick and since I wrote this I'll probably come down with something terrible.)
Bring your Gardening Bag to every Workday
If you have any questions or problems don't hesitate to call Gwen and discuss it with her.(769-4317)

Our first Sirens of the Soil Meeting was a big success even though our numbers were few. We had 8 members at our first meeting and missed those of you who weren't there. Carol Parsley, Larice Ochoa, Martha Kirk, Francis Conner, Linda? , Linda Hoosier, Margaret Butler and Mischelle Holland were there.
Mischelle Holland hosted our meeting. Mischelle had a list of things she wanted done. We divided and conquered her list. A few Sirens planted herb seeds for the wreath we made. We clean up her Sego Palm and gathered 100 pups. (It seemed like a 100.) Call Gwen if you want some pups. 769-4317. We cleaned her cucumber and strawberry bed. We planted tomatoes. Weeded her tropical beds around her beckoning pool and in the front yard. A few of us helped her make a very cute terra cotta pot wreath.
She shared a cute idea for a plant stake made from shish kabob skewers with a cork on top . (Forgot to take a picture.) You write the name of the plant on the cork.
We finished a little before 10 am and visited until the yummy Quiches were ready! We had asparagus,bacon quiches, a cranberry, goat cheese and walnut salad, Pudding Parfaits, Blueberry Crunch Pound cake. (This spelling is getting hard so overlook my misspelling I am too lazy to go get a dictionary.) It was a lovely day and the weather was good to us, so were the misquitoes as they stayed away.
Written by Gwen Ochoa

13th Annual Southwest Louisiana Garden Festival

13th AnnualSouthwest Louisiana Garden Festival

2012Louisiana's Premier Garden Show & Plant Sale
March 23 & March 24
Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Burton Coliseum - 7001 Gulf Hwy., Lake Charles, Louisiana 70607
337-562-4040
- 7001 Gulf Hwy - Lake Charles, LA 70607, USA

Start of a New Group

Today we started Sirens of the Soil Gardening Club (SOS). We have about 15 members. In our first meeting we decided that we would meet once or twice a month, depending on the month, and we will rotate to different members homes and have a gardening work day. This work day will be two hours long with a brunch to follow. Any member that has any gardening information, please email me the information and I will post it on the blog. Remember to put SOS in the subject line of your emails to me and I will post them on the blog ASAP.