Deep-Rooted Wisdom by Jenks Farmer (Signed!)

Description

A Long-Awaited Book from a Well-Loved Plantsman

Known internationally for his pioneering work as designer of both the Moore Farms Botanical Garden in Lake City, SC, and the Riverbanks Botanical Garden in Columbia, SC, Jenks Farmer is celebrated widely in gardening and landscape design circles for using tried-and-true plants in new ways. He incorporates innovative building materials, discovers uncommonly skilled artisans and tradesmen, and integrates traditional techniques with organic and sustainability-minded concepts.

Preserving the Old Ways = Returning to Green

With Deep-Rooted Wisdom, Farmer’s goal is to bring back some of the old ways – time-honored horticultural techniques that are right in line with the modern green movement – through rich, oral histories with illustrations, images, and practical instructions for gardeners of all levels.

“It can be read as a complete book, or each chapter can be read individually,” notes Farmer. “Lots of sidebars, charts, and guest authors make it a great bedside or front porch read.”

An Emotional Voyage

Farmer took a physical and emotional journey around the Southeast and Midwestern US, interviewing scientists, gardeners, farmers, and country folk alike, to reconnect gardening with caring for the earth. The resulting book is a heartfelt guide for both the new and experienced gardener who wishes to create a modern, appealing garden while maintaining a gentle approach toward the earth.  But it’s also great for the non-gardener: people seeking to understand environmental, agricultural, and health issues.

“The book has over 200 of my loyal friends’ photographs and roughly 50 great horticulturists and a dozen talented writer friends helped create it,” notes Farmer.

A Gardening Who’s Who

Each chapter includes a unique oral history, a lesson, and a description of how Farmer merges old and new on his family-owned crinum lily farm in Beech Island, SC, as well as an insight by a nationally known peer gardener. Deep-Rooted Wisdom features a foreword by Felder Rushing, as well as insights from expert contributors such as Kelly Holderbrooks, Ruth Knopf, Francis Parker, David Haskell, Linda Proffitt, Jim Martin, and Ryan Gainey, among several others. Each chapter can be read on its own or as a series in the book.

“Don’t just pick this up as a gardening guide; as you pick this man’s amazing brain, and read between the lines for glimpses of his wry humor… feel his loving heart as well,”

– Felder Rushing, founder of the Slow Gardening movement

Check out advance reviews:

Publisher’s Weekly

The Book Learning blog