Posts by Jenks Farmer
Top 5 Crinum Lilies to Plant Now for Hot and Humid Southern Gardens – 2025
Some Southern gardeners start hibernating in the a/c now. Plants can’t do and I see lots of perennials burn up, sprawl, flag, or rot from the summer swelter. So many perennials, like so many snowbirds, just don’t want to be here. But some of us love it — and some plants thrive in it. Why…
Read MoreHandout for Florida Master Gardeners 2024
1. Botanical Garden Development: Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, Columbia, SC Winter Flowering Poker Plant Kniphofia sarmentosa ‘Riverbanks Shining Sceptre’ 2. Private Garden Renovation: Fountain Plants for Flowing Water Note: The complete plant list for the naturalistic ‘meadow’ is available on Plantpeople at Substack.com 3. Our Farm and Garden
Read MoreEVENTS 2024
Join our very special guest in a cozy setting. Janisse Ray has inspired people across the world to look and connect with their place. This workshop focuses on writing journals, letters, even photo descriptions as a way to train and convey your connections to a places. March 16. More Information. Young local artist share their…
Read MoreHistoric Columbia Members Only Plant Sale Sept. 28 4-6 p.m.
The crew will be on hand to share our love of these special plants. We’ve tried to pick plants with South Carolina connections and of course, plants that thrive in our zone. This is a members-only sale but you can join now and get to come. Our plants are priced at a great value. We…
Read MorePineapple Lily, New York Times, and A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach
You can skip to various links in this story. 1. NY Times article on Pineapple Lily. 2. Our podcast discussion of pineapple lily or 3. Our shopping page for pineapple lily bulbs. Even as a teenager, I had penpals. Some of them, I still know. One became a famous horror writer. After adulthood and emails…
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Spend a morning with a band of young artists on the lily farm. We’ve asked these local, Augusta high school artists to share their works and vision. They’ll be all over the farm, showing, selling, talking, and learning. We’re also pairing them with renowned ‘mentors’ from Columbia — so they can build networks and have…
Read MoreSnowflakes or Snowdrops Bulbs that Outlast Us and Pretty Things Up for Folks that Come Later
I imagine he wore a fedora. One passed on or left accidentally by some traveler. His wife, the cook, the kitchen manager asked him to do it. Her kitchen, 100 yards from the house, revolved around a roaring fire. Like other outbuildings on the farm, it’s a practical, white, box of a building designed to…
Read MorePlants make our medicine, our arts, our breath and our utilities…..
This story was published in Augusta Magazine, May 2022.
Read More5 Seeds to Plant Now To Feed Your Soil & Soul in the Fall
Anticipation steeps on the farm. We, or maybe just me, are drawn to watching over our new seedlings as they mature into strong plants. I keep watch under the moonlight. I lend a helping hand to secure the grappling tendrils of a young Hyacinth Bean vine. Sometimes I go to this dark and mysterious place…
Read MoreProtozoa, nematodes, micro-arthropods, worms, and oh, by the way, I’m Kevin, the new guy on the farm…..
Do you remember the first time you grew a plant from seed? Maybe it was a veggie, a flower, even a tree! Maybe its shape, size, color, texture, or smell might ring a bell. Or the memory of seeing the whites of your Mother’s eyes when you pulled what you thought was a weed…
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