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Native Plant Photo Guide, courtesy of
West Baton Rouge Garden & Civic Club, District VI
​Guide compiled by Elisa Tubbs and Leigh Prather
who are available as speakers for their Geaux Native Project​

January 2026

December 2025

Christmas Tea - Home of Steele Loubiere
December 9, 2025

On December 9, 2025 the West Baton Rouge Garden and Civic Club held a Christmas Coffee at the historic home of friend Steele Loubiere in Plaquemine, Louisiana. The hostesses worked hard to decorate his beautiful home and prepared all of the food. The hostesses were Chair Ruth Stanley, Co-Chair Kim Callegan, Dena Culpepper, Dana Fairchild, Beth Kleinpeter, Kali Marionneaux, JoAnn Newchurch, and Nancy Jones Perkins. Of course, our good friend Steele Loubiere was the ultimate host. It was a refined, quiet event with lots of time to catch up with old friends and talk about our spring gardens. Also in attendance were Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc. President Carla Gauthier, President-Elect Kyle Martin, District VI Director Vicky Fannaly, and Past District VI Director Donna Moran. We had a great time ushering in the holiday season!
The WBR Garden and Civic Club is affiliated with the Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc., Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Baton Rouge Orthopedic Clinic - December 9

November 2025

October 2025

Beauty of Life - Breast Cancer Awareness Garden
​October 1, 2025

On October 1, 2025 the West Baton Rouge (WBR) Garden and Civic Club held a public dedication of their Beauty of Life Garden. This project began in January 2025 with planning, cleaning, pruning, amending soil, watering, seeding, and propagating that culminated in a beautiful all pink blooming garden to honor those  with cancer in our prayers and raise awareness of breast cancer during October’s Breast Cancer Month.

It was a beautiful day to celebrate, and our program began with President Kim Callegan describing this and some of the Club’s other projects. Holy Family Catholic Church’s Fr. Jerry Martin gave a beautifully relevant benediction followed by a short dedication by Parish President Jason Manola. After this Circle of Roses Member Ruth Stanley read the names of the West Baton Rouge connected cancer victims to whom the garden is dedicated and, finally, the ceremony was closed with an invocation by Shiloh Baptist Church Pastor Terry Swanson.

The WBR LSU Agricultural Center staff were a huge help and live-streamed the ceremony on their Face Book page. All of the plants were labelled appropriately in pink with their common names and symbology, i.e. Love Grass renewal and Crape Myrtle grace, gratitude, and joy. Many of the plants were selected for their names, i.e. Angel Veil Rose, Sensitive Plant, and Angel Wing Caladiums. The complete plant list will soon be available on the Club’s website.

It was truly a labor of love as several our members suffer, or have suffered with, breast and other cancers. Twenty-five (25) pink-clad members (50% of our membership) of the WBR Garden & Civic Club attended, as well as approximately fifty members of the general public and ten local firemen. The firemen brought the parish’s hot pink rescue vehicle (see pictures) and were proud to wear their pink breast cancer t-shirts. In addition, Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc. President Carla Gauthier, President-Elect Kyle Martin, District VI Director Vicky Fannaly, and Landscape Design School Chair Clara Earl attended.

It was a touching event and the club plans to maintain the public bed for the future. The West Baton Rouge Garden & Civic Club is a member of District VI of the Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc., Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc.

September 2025

August 2025

West Baton Rouge Goes to Class!

West Baton Rouge (WBR) Garden & Civic Club members Elisa Tubbs and Leigh Prather attended LGCF Gardening School, Course 4 on August 26-27 in Lafayette, Louisiana hosted by the Lafayette and Abbeville Garden Clubs. This is the fourth class in a series of four.  Topics included garden tours at the Ira Nelson Horticultural Center in Lafayette, nomenclature, pruning techniques, succulents, growing woody ornamentals and medicinal gardens. Each section included a brief exam and we’re happy to report both students passed. The topics were interesting and the company was fabulous! We highly recommend the LGCF sponsored educational courses to everyone.
The West Baton Rouge Garden & Civic Club is a member of District VI of the Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc., Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Gardenettes Tour LA Certified Native Plant Garden

Invited to tour Leigh Prather, West Baton Rouge Garden and Civic Club's beautiful triple honored garden which has achieved LA Certified Native Plant, NGC Pollinator, and NGC Wildlife Habitat status with signage to acknowledge this. Gardenettes Vicky Fannaly and Virginia Hawkins with Cindy Fannaly toured the impressive gardens which Leigh created in a record two-year period. All garden club ladies are members of District VI, Louisiana Garden Club Federation Inc., Deep South Garden Clubs Inc. and National Garden Clubs Inc. (NGC).

June 2025

Summer Board Meeting - July 7, 2025

From le to right: LGCF District VI Director Vickie Fannaly, WBR Club members Ada Hebert, Leigh Prather, and Kim Callagan, and LGCF President Karla Gauthier with NGC Certificates of Appreciation. 
On July 7, 2025 three members of the West Baton Rouge (WBR) Garden and Civic Club attended the Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc. Summer Board meeting at the Baton Rouge Garden Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Not only did these members attend the meeting they helped put it on with WBR President Kim Callagan serving as LGCF Summer Board Registrar and Members Ada Hebert and Leigh Prather filling in for LGCF Credentials and Summer Board Chair Elisa Tubbs. The meeting was fun, informative, and social. The WBR Garden and Civic Club received four certificates from National Garden Clubs, Inc. (NGC) for all their hard work and efforts in the fields of Conservation Activities, Wildlife Survival Education, Garden Therapy, and Native Plants and Wildflowers Venue. The club was also recognized at the NGC for having the highest number of NGC certified pollinator gardens in the entire country. LGCF President Gauthier recognized the club for the creation of its “Photo Guide to Native Plants” and encouraged club members to check it out. The WBR Garden & Civic Club is a member of the Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc., Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc. 

Native Plant and Pollinator Field Day, Saturday, June 14th
West Baton Rouge Ext. Office - Port Allen, La

On June 14 the West Baton Rouge Garden and Civic Club partnered with the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center Extension Service to hold a Native Plant and Pollinator Field Day at the WBR Agricultural Center in Port Allen, Louisiana. The event was open to the public and over sixty people from many different areas and organizations attended.
​                       
Representatives of LGCF member clubs the Gardenettes, Gonzales Garden Club, and Plaquemine Garden Club, as well as LGCF District VI Director Vickie Fannaly attended. The speakers and topics were Dr. Morgan Christman - Pollinator Ecology; Botanist Layla Tagert – LDWF Wildlife Diversity Program; Instructor Jennifer Blanchard – Medicinal Plants; La. Native Plant Society Representative Heather Blanchard – La. Certified Habitat Program; WBR Garden and Civic Club members – tours of their public native plant, pollinator, and bird gardens. Club members worked dozens of hours over the past six months to make this event a reality – planting gardens, planning, cooking, communicating, stuffing swag bags, setting up, and hosting.  For the event various club members crafted outdoor plant labels, organic soaps, seed bombs, and native plant mix seed packets. It was a huge success and helped participants Geaux Native! The WBR Garden & Civic Club is a member of the Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc., Deep South Garden Club s, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc.

May 2025

District VI President's Meeting - May 28, 2025
Middendorf's Seafood Restaurant at Manchac

Good start-up meeting for new and continuing presidents of District VI. We had 60 in attendance which included Louisiana Garden Club Federation Inc. Convention 2026 Chairmen from Houma Wanda Dishman and Gail Aycock. Guest Speakers were Geaux Native team of Elisa Tubbs and Leigh Prather who have been acknowledged by National Garden Clubs Inc. for their crusade to certify native plant and pollinator gardens in the West Baton Rouge Garden and Civic Club area. Gardenettes had one more member in attendance than than West Baton Rouge who traveled farther. All clubs are also members of Deep South Garden Clubs Inc. Eleven clubs were represented.

Circle of Roses: Ann Dugas, Rumiko Bourg

ANN DUGAS
RUMIKO BOURG

Installation Banquet May 13, 2025

Memorial Tree Planting, Honoring Katherine Mouch

On May 13, 2025 the West Baton Rouge (WBR) Garden and Civic Club honored one of its own by plant a Sweet Bay Magnolia in front of the WBR Agricultural Center in Port Allen, Louisiana - home to its public educational gardens. Twenty-three people attended the ceremonial tree planting in honor of Ms. Katherine Mouch, Past President and Garden Club Club Member for forty-two years. Included in that number are five of Ms. Katherine’s children, District VI Director Vicky Fannaly, sixteen club members, and two Agricultural Center employees. Ruth Stanley began with a short biography of her relationship with Ms. Katherine, Elisa Tubbs talked about how the Sweet Bay Magnolia was Ms. Mouch’s favorite tree and President Kim Callegan, assisted by the Mouch children, planted the tree. Afterwards the family placed roses at the base of the tree. It was a touching ceremony and the beautiful native tree is a wonderful addition to the grounds. The WBR Agricultural Center recently earned a gold Louisiana Certified Habitat certification and the new tree is a welcome addition to that effort. The WBR Garden and Civic Club presented this tree to honor Ms. Katherine Mouch, plant a tree for Arbor Day, and add to our native flora on the grounds. The WBR Garden & Civic Club is a member of the Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc., Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc.
 
List of people present: Carolyn Bonadano, Trudy Millard, Carol Neusetzer, Joy Hobbins, Paula Soniat, Kim Callegan, Elisa Tubbs, Leigh Prather, Ada Hebert, Penny Saia, Diana LeBlanc, Pam Walsh, Ruth Stanley, Beth Kleinpeter, Riette LeBlanc, Vicky Fannaly - District VI Director, Allison Decell - WBR LSU Ag. Ext. Agt., Roxie Hotard - WBR Ag. Ctr. Administrator, Roy Mouch, Jr.- son, Wendy Daniel - daughter, Angelle Soniat - daughter, Mark Mouch -son, Randy Mouch - son.

April 2025

March 2025

"Brighten Your Day" - March 18, 2025

On March 18, 2025 West Baton Rouge (WBR) Garden & Civic Club member Joann Newchurch (right)  delivered a plant to local business owner Bucky Landry (left) in Port Allen, Louisiana as part of the club's "Brighten Your Day" public relations effort. The WBR Garden & Civic Club is in District VI of the LGCF and affiliated to Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc. & National Garden Clubs, Inc.

LSU Center for River Studies - March 13, 2025

Pictured above are Julie Prejean, Terry Guidry Rumiko Bourg, Kim Callegan, Kerry Callegan, Iris Bonano, Mary Niestler and President Ada Hebert.

On March 13, 2025 twenty-eight members of the West Baton Rouge (WBR) Garden & Civic Club toured the LSU Center for River Studies on the Baton Rouge Water Campus and the Oxbow Rum Distillery. They learned about how the Mississippi River shapes our environment and different uses of local agricultural products. The WBR Garden & Civic Club is in District VI of the LGCF and affiliated to Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc. & National Garden Clubs, Inc.

4-H Club Activities - March 5, 2025

WBR Garden Club members Leigh Prather and Riette LeBlanc (center) with the 24 4-H Club attendees. On March 5, 2025 the West Baton Rouge (WBR) Garden & Civic club helped our parish 4-H organization at their gardening workshop for 24 kids where the kids learned about pollination, gardening, and composting. The WBR Garden & Civic Club is in District VI of the LGCF and affiliated to Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc. & National Garden Clubs, Inc.

February 2025

Native Plant Road Trip! - February 25

On February 25, 2025 four members of the West Baton Rouge (WBR) Garden and Civic Club’s Geaux Native team traveled to Arnaudville, Louisiana to purchase native plants for spring planting from the Acadiana Native Plant Project. Afterwards, they lunched at the famous "little BIG Cup" restaurant. The WBR Garden & Civic Club is in District VI of the Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc., and affiliated to Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Great Iris Rhizome Give-Away - February 9, 2025

BASKETS OF BAGS!
On February 9, 2025 members of the West Baton Rouge (WBR) Garden and Civic Club worked in their educational native plant garden at the WBR Agricultural Center. The task was to thin out the irises and crinum lilies to make room for other plants.  Our regularly scheduled meeting was in two days so we decided to give away the excess rizomes and bulbs at the meeting. The rizomes and bulbs were cleaned, trimmed, and bagged for giveaway – making 150 bags in all! These 150 bags were given away on February 11, 2025; half went to WBR Garden Club members and the other half were given to the WBR Agricultural Center for distribution to the general public. They put an announcement on their Facebook page inviting the general public to pick up the Louisiana 
WBR AgCenter post about rizome giveaway
iris rizomes as Valentine flowers for loved ones. This project was great fun and beneficial to our club, our community, and our natives! The WBR Garden & Civic Club is in District VI of the Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc., and affiliated with Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Monthly Meeting - February 11, 2025

Peggy Coats, retired Director of Hilltop Arboretum in Baton Rouge
The West Baton Rouge (WBR) Garden & Civic Club held its monthly meeting on February 11, 2025 at the WBR Agricultural Center in Port Allen, Louisiana. Mardi Gras was the theme and the room was decorated appropriately; king cakes and other refreshments were served and members wore their Mardi Gras outfits. Hostesses were Kali Marionneaux, Julie Millard, Dena Culpepper, Peggy Parsons, Alena Prejean, and Debra Salvadras. Peggy Coats, retired Director of Hilltop Arboretum in Baton Rouge, was the guest speaker and presented members with native plant options for pollinator gardens. Her presentation was amazing and included photos of her amazing gardens. The importance of including multiple species of native plants was stressed and her talk inspired us to plant more natives! The WBR Garden & Civic Club is in District VI of the Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc., and affiliated to Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc.

January 2025

Arbor Day - January 17, 2025

West Baton Rouge (WBR) Garden and Civic Club members attended Louisiana Arbor Day Tree Giveaway on January 18, 2025 at the Barton Arboretum at the LSU Agricultural Center Botanic Gardens. This event was sponsored by Baton Rouge Green and is always held on the third Friday in January. One thousand native trees, all of which were grown by staff and volunteers, were given away with hundreds of people attending. The WBR Garden and Civic Club is affiliated with the District VI - Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc., Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc. 

January 14, 2025 Meeting

The West Baton Rouge (WBR) Garden & Civic Club held its monthly meeting on January 14, 2025 at the WBR Agricultural Center in Port Allen, Louisiana. Speakers on the “State of the Parish” were Jason Manola, Parish President and Jeff Bergeron, Sheriff. Pictured from left to right are President Ada Hebert, and Hostesses Judy Whitaker, Karen Cordell, Debra Eidson, Paula Soniat, Alice Tullier, and Andrea Normand.  The WBR Garden & Civic Club is affiliated with the District VI - Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc., Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc.