About Jenks

Augustus Jenkins Farmer III is a renaissance plantsman. Born into a family of artists, musicians, and farmers, he fell in love with the natural world early in his childhood and later went on to pursue a formal education in Plant and Environmental Sciences at Clemson University and Botanical Garden Design at the University of Washington.

For the last twenty years Jenks has led teams responsible for establishing two of South Carolina's major botanical gardens. He's presented lectures for groups such as the North Carolina State Agricultural Faculty, the Smithsonian, Wave Hill, Master Gardener clubs, and, of course, his grandmother's Allendale Ladies Afternoon Reading Club. His designs for homes, museums, and businesses have received recognition and awards and have delighted hundreds of thousands of visitors with the joyful, easy exuberance of hand-crafted gardens.

An avid writer, Jenks has been publishing since 1990. His essays have been featured in magazines such as Rodale's Organic Gardening, Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, and The Public Garden. His stories appear in GreenPrints and Bare Essential Wildlife Journal of Australia.

Jenks's books often interweave different facts, lessons, and moments from his life that he combines with the knowledge he's gained over the years.

Deep Rooted Wisdom; Stories and Lessons from Generations of Gardeners. 2014 Timber Press

Funky Little Flower Farm. 2019 Artisan Creative Group. 

Crinum: Unearthing the History and Cultivation of the Worlds Largest Bulb

As the former director of Riverbanks Botanical Garden and founding horticulturist of Moore Farms Garden, Jenks has a true talent and passion for inspiring people of all ages and from all walks of life to go outside and get their hands dirty.