Posts by Jenks Farmer
Sharing The Soul of the Place
We had our last Crinum Field Party this past weekend. Now, the place can get a little messy and we’ll focus on production crinum to ship next summer. We get to put our hands in the rich dirt, to pull up some of those deep rooted plants and strengthen our own roots too. And…
Read MoreLux Light
Diversity
I picked up a glossy book of gardens designed by Miami guy — spectacular things; theatrical sets full of creativity. And I thought, wow, I could never have a book on my garden designs like this. They are too diverse, they’d look silly in a book —- a little tiny yard, a parking lot, a…
Read MorePic’s from the Lily Farm
Morning Break? Is Re-shooting Photos a Break?
For a number of days of the last ten, I’ve been sequestered inside. Re writing. The editor at Timber Press sent back my manuscript for a final edit. Well, 32 pages and about 40 hours of edits. Done. Great edits. He said, ‘I’m trying to help you say what you want to say, more clearly.’ …
Read MoreWe Built a Barn with Daddy’s Wood
Daddy left barns full of wood. Last night, I slept on the screen porch, totally surround by him. The barns are a source of frustration for me. Messy, sliding, tumbling, old boards might have been stacked one day. Now they’re an inefficiently, stored reminder that he’s not here for them and that I can’t do…
Read MoreThe Mechanics of Life
There’s a term I remember from the putty-green workrooms of Clemson’s agricultural building. I overheard from the hall, a professor, teaching floral design say something like, ‘You get it right with wire and tape and picks and then you hide those things, you hide the mechanics of flower arranging. He should have used a different…
Read MoreBeauty Inside
In downtown New Orleans we’ve seen lots of real life. And walking the garden district is an amazing mix of ultra swank, fluffed-up places, cute renovated cottages and seriously poor shacks on the edges. But we had an agenda — figure out what fits in my friend’s front pots. To avoid the too, too trendy,…
Read MoreStone & Cob Floor in the Farm Studio-barn
Why make a stone using cob mixture as mortar? Part of our “barn/studio” walls are made from cob. We liked the process of mixing. We have fine, sticky red clay, lots of it, so we didn’t have to buy mortar mix. We wanted a natural, low cost floor. So instead of mortar or wood, we…
Read MoreBreeders
I’m not a good breeder. That requires a forsite and planning that my mind doesn’t do well. So, my crinum selections are all happenstance and simply noticing something cool that’s happened in the field. But I am a good gardener and part of being a good gardener is remember connections between plants and people. Sometimes…
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