Garden-Lou Spotlights Kathie Soehngen
Oakville, Missouri
Garden-Lou had the recent pleasure of meeting with Kathie Soehngen in the Oakville Garden she’s created, nurtured, and enjoyed with her husband, Jim for over 49 years. The Soehngen Garden will be featured on this year’s East Central District of the Garden Clubs of Missouri, Vignette Tour on June 7th, and St. Louis Water Garden Society’s, Pond-O-Rama on June 21st and 22nd. (See ticket details below!)
- Kathie, what is your first plant-based or garden-based memory?
I’ve always had a fascination for flowers. Even as a child, I often brought wildflowers home to my mother. Of course, they were usually wilted by the time I proudly presented them to her. So, when Jim and I married and bought our first home, I quickly planted a small flower garden. We lived there for five years until baby number two arrived, and we outgrew it.
- How long have you lived here, and when did you start on the garden?
Next February, we will be in our current home for 50 years. I’ve had various garden spaces through the years, and it’s been a long learning curve to determine what works and what doesn’t. Our home was new construction, so we had nothing but rocks and clay. After all these years, I’m still digging rocks and amending the soil. I’ve had the best luck by building berms. If I had it to do over, I would have had tons of topsoil brought in from the beginning. It would have saved me lots of backbreaking work. Another challenge is the location of our home. We sit higher than our neighbors, and the wind is cold and relentless in the Winter and Spring, sometimes delaying the emergence of plants, and the soil dries out so fast because of the hill in the summer months.
Over time, I’ve added one garden after another because I run out of space. I love trying new plants, and sometimes they thrive, and sometimes they don’t. When I realized that lilies, hydrangeas, and coral bells do well, I kept planting more, so I’d have to add another section.
- Do you have a favorite plant?
A few years ago, I got hooked on Hosta- which is a very addictive hobby! I added a small berm under a large tulip poplar. Every time I’d make a visit to Hostas on the Bluff or buy a few new plants online, I’d dig out another curve and haul in more topsoil and compost to make room. Now, I have about 50 plants in that garden alone. Add to that a second Hosta Garden and about forty more potted plants. I’m not going to say I’m finished… new Hosta are coming out every year.
Then I decided I wanted to “go native” and plant pollinators. You guessed it, another garden!
- Tell us about maintaining your garden. How many hours per week, or of any special once a year tasks? Do you have help?
In the Spring, I probably spend up to ten hours a day gardening. The last thing on the list is opening and cleaning the pond. The tulip tree drops thousands of flower petals in May, so we keep it covered with the net until about June 1st. After that, I spend 2-4 hours a day maintaining. By August, there isn’t much left to do, so I have time to work on my other hobbies.
I do all of the gardening chores, and my husband is my maintenance engineer and head carpenter. He is so good at complying with my (sometimes odd) requests to “repurpose this,” “build this,” or “fix this.” I see him grimace every time I say, “I have an idea,” but the next thing I know, he’s in his shop making it happen
- What is your favorite time of day in the garden?
My favorite time to be in the yard is in the morning. I love the way the light makes everything look so lush and green. After a rain, the large leaf Hostas have raindrops on them that catch the light and look like they’ve been scattered with diamonds.
Our home faces northeast, so when it’s chilly in the Spring, I start working in the front, where it’s sunny and warmer. In the Summer, I start the day in the front before it gets hot and work in the back, under the shade trees, in the afternoon.
- Do other family or friends enjoy the garden?
My family and friends enjoy walking through the yard to look at and talk about the various plants. Through the years, the main garden has been the backdrop for numerous Prom, Christmas cards, and formal family photos.
Since I retired, I’ve hosted several tours for local garden clubs, as well as a few fundraiser tours. Two years ago, we were on the Pond-o-Rama tour. This year, we are one of ten gardens on the East Central District of the Garden Clubs of Missouri tour, along with the Pond-o-Rama and the Hosta Society, which will be coming for a tour and Social. June is going to be a busy month.
- Any special plants or features in the garden with special or sentimental meaning?
About thirty years ago, commercials on TV advertised a hand-held tilling tool called the Garden Weasel. It was a hot item and sold millions. That year, for Mother’s Day, my daughter and son-in-law presented me with a little concrete figurine of a weasel with a silly grin on its face. It’s my “garden weasel”. I put it out every year and smile every time I look at it.
Quick Facts;
-Size of Garden-5000 sq ft.
-When garden was created-It’s been a work in progress for over 49 yrs.
-Favorite Garden Tool; A few years ago, I bought a shovel with a scoop a bit bigger than a hand trowel but smaller than an average shovel. The handle was too long for me, so he shortened it, and now I use it all day long. It makes the perfect size holes for planting in the Spring, and I don’t have to bend over to dig.
-Other passions or interests;
After gardening settles down for the season, I fill my time with my other hobbies. I love to paint found objects, such as old table legs and spindles, rocks, and birdhouses. Last Winter, I completed two miniatures from kits: a greenhouse and a flower shop. They kept me busy for several weeks! In between time, I am an avid jigsaw puzzler, and work on them for a few hours a day.
-Is there any other garden or gardener that inspires you?
My friend, Gene Pulliam, has a gorgeous garden, and I love his style. We think alike in many of our gardening choices but have totally different yards to work with. I tell people that when I grow up, I want a garden as pristine as his.
-If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only have ONE plant to keep you company, what would it be? (It doesn’t have to be a food bearing plant since this island has a free buffet!)
If I was stranded on a desert island, I would want a hydrangea to look at. They are so beautiful, and each flower can have a different color or multi-toned bloom. The color lasts for weeks of enjoyment.
For the East Central District of the Garden Clubs of Missouri tour Vignette Tour on June 7th, tickets are still available and can be purchased up to the day of the event by contacting Jackie Reynolds at jreynolds452@charter.net.
For the Pond-O-Rama Tour, see Pond-O-Rama – St. Louis Water Garden Society (SLWGS) to purchase tickets online or find a local ticket vendor.
-Comments or questions? Email Garden-Lou at gardenloustl@gmail.com
Words and photos by Jo Batzer
© Jo Batzer, garden-lou.com-2025, All rights reserved.
