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I’m Jenks Farmer, a professional horticulturist who’s been lucky to receive recognition for my passion. Plant People is my way of sharing stories of folks who indulge and immerse themselves in garden for the pure pleasure of it.
These quirky, quiet, self-taught gardeners know their stuff. I’ve learned critical garden and life lessons from them. Often they, we, escape from the harsh world by nursing, cultivation, and loving our plants. Along the way, we learn a lot about life and people.
Here I get to combine my passions. I’m a professional gardener who went to three Universities. But I’m self taught writer.
Join in this journey and community of Plant People.
Reading Plant People You’ll Get
Entertainment
Tailgate Philosophy
Cool Plants
Straight-talk about Garden and Farm Issues and Ethos
Why Should I Subscribe to Plant People
It’s simple; sharing stories is fun but it’s also part of my business. In a way, I’m a teacher and guide to the garden world. I’m bringing you the wisdom I’ve gained from my teachers and others at places like (The University of Washington, Clemson, University of Zambia, Center for Urban Horticulture, Riverbanks Botanical Garden , et al.)
Your support gets you access to tons of knowledge and ideas for your garden as well a a bit of entertainment.
As a self-employed person, I pay employees and interns, insurance and all those sorts of bills.
As a curator, director, volunteer coordinator, nurseryman and plant promoter, I’ve met fascinating people and obscure plants.
As a writer, I’ve shared in Horticulture, Fine Gardening, Greenprints and GardenRant and have three published books.
Paid Subscribers Get
(NOTE: Everything is free till fall 2023 - you can surely pledge support now, but we won’t charge till then)
Exclusive Post
Access to An Entire Archive of Stories, Videos and Links
Monthly Readings and Audio
Annual Subscription is $50 per year or $4 per
Monthly Subscription is $6 per month
Free Subscribers Get
Occasional Public Post including Process: How to Write a Garden Book
Occasional Short Audio Books
Here’s a Sample of Jenks’ Serial Story about Writing a Garden Book.
Who is Jenks Farmer
You can confirm my professional qualifications with a simple google search. What you can’t find much of is much personal information about me.
Like a lot of country kids, when I turned 18 I left a backwoods farm in the Deep South and never looked back. I didn’t have money, resources or connections but I had some creative distant family who encouraged me to go. I used college, co-operative education and internships as a way to travel. Also, being a young, fit gay male connected me to a network of worldly, generous, serious gardeners. I’ve slept in some the most fabulous private gardens in the world.
So like a lot of men of my age, I’m full of contrasts, conflict and confidence. Today, I appreciate my sort of white trash roots and my later more cosmopolitan education. Today, my husband Tom and I run a connoisseurs mail order nursery from that same farm in the non-town of Beech Island, South Carolina. There, we live with my Momma who still heats her house with wood, makes pickled peaches and loves her straight children, gay child and a couple of mixed-race grands.
We’re lucky to have a little place in the city of Columbia nearby and from there, we have easy access to our garden design clients and friends across the South. We do lots of presentations too about gardening and plants and farming, so Columbia gives us easy access to airports and slew of creative friends who do graphics, editing and website stuff for our company. Thirty years in one small city, and more for Tom as he grew up in Columbia, makes for a cozy life of old friends and an easy way to make new friends.
Tom (left), Gloria and Jenks.
For More Information on our Garden Design Work, Presentations or Plant Shop. JenksFarmer.com
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