Tom and I had the pleasure of going to this amazing, formerly private estate that’s been set up as a botanical garden. Elegant. Sublime. Designed with the spirit of the place. Fit into nature, Southern Highland Reserve is open once a month but you could see it on Nov. 12 for their very cool sounding… Read More
Author Archive | Jenks Farmer
On Recycling (which often means downcycling)
“Blindly adopting superficial environmental approaches without fully understanding their effects can be no better—and even worse—than doing nothing.” from Cradle to Cradle: Rethinking the Way We Make Things, by William McDonough & Micheal Braungart
Thanks for Planting Pecan Trees
Dusk and a light rain. I’m on Sunday rounds, checking out weekend work; what got planted, moved, nailed, or tuned-up over the weekend of work. Someone left a beer in the cooler; still cold enough so I’ll sit and observe from a chair and indulge in a breakfast porter. Under my feet, protein. Tasty protein… Read More
Plants without Plastic Pots
Worried about all those plastic water bottles? Think about your gardening life too and ask, why do new plants have to come in plastic pots? They don’t. Some plants don’t even like plastic pots — so you can’t even buy them in nurseries. I love potless-plants because they’re easy, cheap, they have stories and because… Read More
Like It Rough? Rustic Touches for Modern Gardens
One of the most overlooked design elements in modern gardens is the rustic touch. Sleek lined furniture, fine crew-cut turf, solid hedges….if everything is planned and primped, then it’s all boring. Dunaway Gardens has the coolest water feature — gentle streams channeled down a hillside. Sometimes, in formal octagon shaped gardens. Sometimes coursing through carved… Read More
Bigger Than a Pizza Oven — Building a Wall from Mud & Cob
I See Dead People — Cemetery Gardening
The first place I ever collected plants was in the dump of the local cemetery. Momma and Nanna cleaned up the graves of grandparents and I pulled stuff out the trash. Mums, Azaleas, Ivy. Who’d throw all these great plants away? I never stopped. Whenever Tom and I travel, we check out the local cemetery…. Read More