The Gardenettes named the beautiful oak tree in the front yard of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Roussel at 255 East Hickory which entirely covers the home site with enormous limbs. It is named “The Sentinel.” Current owners are Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Pusey, of the Roussel family.
Gardenettes, 1942 to Present
Gardenettes - a Civic Leader - For over seventy years, the Gardenettes have made their civic presence known in their town of Ponchatoula. Begun in 1942 as a “younger” alternative to the Community Garden Club to which many of the member’s mothers belonged, our club has aged gracefully.
Federated by the Louisiana Garden Club Federation Inc. (LGCF) in 1943, we have had three LGCF District VI Directors - Ruth Fannaly (1949 1950), Kathy Bedenbaugh (2005 2006) more recently who also served as 1st vice president of the LGCF and Diane Dufour (2011 2012). We have won Cleanest City in 1974, an Interclub Relations awards to an individual for Violet Collier who maintained all the city flower beds, Garnett Bedenbaugh for Rotary Club projects, and Mayor Bob Zabbia for his civic assistance in our projects. We received a Maude Viskell and Horticulture Paper first place for Vicky Fannaly, the Interclub Relations Club Award and the Sara Gladney Landscape Design Award for Kathy Bedenbaugh’s projects. A once in a lifetime award for Kathy Bedenbaugh’s impressive service to the club and community. With the Ponchatoula Times and The Hammond Daily Star, our press books are first place winners!
Many of our civic projects have become memories, like the ladies who funded and planted them. An avenue of oleanders lined the main street of the cemetery courtesy of the Gardenettes of the 50’s - the trees and the ladies are gone. A lot of donations were solicited and matched by member Ruth Fannaly. Some projects survived if you know where to spot them, like the lovely twin Magnolias in front of the former post office, the Bradford pear trees at the library, the Cypress stand on Hickory...
Consider the garden at the Collinswood Museum, a focal tourist attraction on our main street. The Gardenettes were set with a task of starting a garden where a concrete building slab rested. Our civic chairman Terry Herrick and her children were often seen wrestling with dirt and shovels along with the rest of the ladies. The beds had to be raised and laid on top. Landscaping was done by member Peggy Austin. Many fundraisers like Cinda Richardson’s wine and cheese events -and raffles were held to get it started.
Then came the gargantuan task of turning a dangerous obsolete swimming pool into a Butterfly Garden! This took broad shoulders and dedicated leadership on the part of our president Kathy Bedenbaugh to accept this challenge. Again with the fundraisers - fish fries, solicitations... Hard years later, we now have another tourist attraction continually maintained by Gardenette work.
In the mid 1980’s, the club set up an award for the local businesses called the Genesis Award, for new or redone commercial landscaping. The Garden of the Month award goes back much farther in time. For decades we sponsored a home Christmas Lighting Contest which has been retired.
Over the years, we have established a good working relationship with the city government. The mayors often attend our Arbor Day events as well as an occasional club meeting. They have helped with city labor when the tasks were too hard for us to handle.
A participant in the annual Make a Difference Day, we have worked to assist in Breast Cancer Awareness, by planting pink Knock-Out roses at the butterfly garden and another year at the Collinswood Museum. Our then president Diane Dufour and her crew passed out pamphlets to town visitors at the planting dedication.
This year’s Make a Difference Day was particularly significant as it impacted the lives of the those staying at House of Serenity, a homeless shelter in Ponchatoula. Civic groups, merchants and individuals were asked to donate materials to help improve the living conditions there. On October 24, the mayor, some civic club leaders and the Gardenettes delivered the supplies and building materials from the shelter’s wish list.
Through the years, the Gardenettes have worked with city officials and civic groups to make this city a finer place to live. Whether it was donating to Katrina victims or helping tourists to see what a pretty town we have in our dedicated gardens spots. It has taken hands in the dirt, and hands united in friendship, but we feel that we have done our part.
Federated by the Louisiana Garden Club Federation Inc. (LGCF) in 1943, we have had three LGCF District VI Directors - Ruth Fannaly (1949 1950), Kathy Bedenbaugh (2005 2006) more recently who also served as 1st vice president of the LGCF and Diane Dufour (2011 2012). We have won Cleanest City in 1974, an Interclub Relations awards to an individual for Violet Collier who maintained all the city flower beds, Garnett Bedenbaugh for Rotary Club projects, and Mayor Bob Zabbia for his civic assistance in our projects. We received a Maude Viskell and Horticulture Paper first place for Vicky Fannaly, the Interclub Relations Club Award and the Sara Gladney Landscape Design Award for Kathy Bedenbaugh’s projects. A once in a lifetime award for Kathy Bedenbaugh’s impressive service to the club and community. With the Ponchatoula Times and The Hammond Daily Star, our press books are first place winners!
Many of our civic projects have become memories, like the ladies who funded and planted them. An avenue of oleanders lined the main street of the cemetery courtesy of the Gardenettes of the 50’s - the trees and the ladies are gone. A lot of donations were solicited and matched by member Ruth Fannaly. Some projects survived if you know where to spot them, like the lovely twin Magnolias in front of the former post office, the Bradford pear trees at the library, the Cypress stand on Hickory...
Consider the garden at the Collinswood Museum, a focal tourist attraction on our main street. The Gardenettes were set with a task of starting a garden where a concrete building slab rested. Our civic chairman Terry Herrick and her children were often seen wrestling with dirt and shovels along with the rest of the ladies. The beds had to be raised and laid on top. Landscaping was done by member Peggy Austin. Many fundraisers like Cinda Richardson’s wine and cheese events -and raffles were held to get it started.
Then came the gargantuan task of turning a dangerous obsolete swimming pool into a Butterfly Garden! This took broad shoulders and dedicated leadership on the part of our president Kathy Bedenbaugh to accept this challenge. Again with the fundraisers - fish fries, solicitations... Hard years later, we now have another tourist attraction continually maintained by Gardenette work.
In the mid 1980’s, the club set up an award for the local businesses called the Genesis Award, for new or redone commercial landscaping. The Garden of the Month award goes back much farther in time. For decades we sponsored a home Christmas Lighting Contest which has been retired.
Over the years, we have established a good working relationship with the city government. The mayors often attend our Arbor Day events as well as an occasional club meeting. They have helped with city labor when the tasks were too hard for us to handle.
A participant in the annual Make a Difference Day, we have worked to assist in Breast Cancer Awareness, by planting pink Knock-Out roses at the butterfly garden and another year at the Collinswood Museum. Our then president Diane Dufour and her crew passed out pamphlets to town visitors at the planting dedication.
This year’s Make a Difference Day was particularly significant as it impacted the lives of the those staying at House of Serenity, a homeless shelter in Ponchatoula. Civic groups, merchants and individuals were asked to donate materials to help improve the living conditions there. On October 24, the mayor, some civic club leaders and the Gardenettes delivered the supplies and building materials from the shelter’s wish list.
Through the years, the Gardenettes have worked with city officials and civic groups to make this city a finer place to live. Whether it was donating to Katrina victims or helping tourists to see what a pretty town we have in our dedicated gardens spots. It has taken hands in the dirt, and hands united in friendship, but we feel that we have done our part.