10/15/2025
Jenks Farmer.
The Board of Governors of the SC Academy of Authors is pleased to announce its 2026 roster of state literary hall of fame inductees, including noted horticulturist Augustus Jenkins Farmer. All four inductees will be honored at an awards dinner to be held at the Etherredge Center for the Performing Arts at USC Aiken on March 21. Additional information will be available on the SCAA website soon.
Augustus Jenkins Farmer (Jenks Farmer) has infused his unique perspective into creating two of the largest botanical gardens in South Carolina. By defying convention he built and elevated the Riverbanks Botanical Gardens in Columbia to national acclaim. A tenth-generation rural farmer, Jenks was a teenager when he left his family’s farm to travel and study around the world. As an adult, Jenks returned to South Carolina to build gardens, write, and inspire plant lovers. With degrees in plant science and museum sciences, Jenks has trained and mentored more than 100 interns and budding horticulturists. Jenks has authored five books, including Deep-Rooted Wisdom: Skills and Stories from Generations of Gardeners (2014), Funky Little Flower Farm (2019), Crinum: Unearthing the History and Culture of the Biggest Bulbs in the World (2022), Garden Disrupters: The Rebel Misfits Who Turned Southern Horticulture on Its Head (2023), and Secrets of Southern Gardening (2025). Jenks also is a highly-rated presenter for organizations ranging from the Smithsonian to the North Carolina State Museum. He designs creative private gardens while also operating a mail-order nursery specializing in the world's biggest bulbs -- crinums. Located on his family’s historic property in Beech Island, S.C., the nursery hosts multiple events, ranging from writers’ workshops and artists’ festivals, to garden club luncheons and midnight gardening experiences.
