A nonprofit TN organization supporting horticulture education in TN, the use of perennial plants and effective gardening techniques
2026 Society Meetings & Events
PLANT SOCIETY MEETING 2026
Date: Tuesday, Sep 15, 2026
Time: Social Hospitality: 6:00 pm Meeting at 6:30 pm
Location: Ed Jones Auditorium at Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville
Topic: Getting a Meadow Is Like Getting a Puppy — Debunking Trendy Myths of Modern Gardening
Is a lecture that promises to pull back the curtain on the lawn-and-meadow craze that’s swept the gardening world. Jenks’ new book pulls no punches. Over more than three decades, he’s ridden the tide of hype, stumbled in his own beds, and watched as flashy simplifications promised paradise but delivered more confusion than clarity. Now, with candor and a lot of practical experience, he aims to help Southerners and aspiring gardeners actually succeed by understanding the real interplay of plants, soil, climate, and even the often-forgotten role of fungi.
What makes this presentation different is its grounded, no-nonsense approach. Jenks isn’t here to sell you a one-size-fits-all miracle; he’s here to lay out the fundamentals. When you know how soil chemistry works, how moisture moves through your landscape, and how different organisms interact below the surface, you gain the tools to tackle any gardening project whether you’re growing vegetables, nurturing flowers, shaping shrubs, maintaining a lawn, or attempting a meadow that looks effortless but isn’t. Get ready for a fast-paced, informative, and occasionally candid exploration of modern gardening. Join Jenks as he shares the realities behind the meadow craze and helps you cultivate a landscape that stands the test of time and climate. This isn’t just a lecture; it’s a roadmap to building a garden that reflects your values, your climate, and your patience.
Speaker: Augustus Jenkins Farmer (Jenks Farmer)
Bio: Brought a vision to life while creating the two largest botanical gardens in South Carolina. Born and raised on a rural farm, he left at 18 to travel and study around the world. But as an adult, Jenks returned to build gardens, write, and inspire plant lovers in his home state. Although he holds degrees in plant science and museum sciences, Jenks most values lessons from self-taught gardeners. He has written 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).
He has also written many professional articles and travelled the lecture circuit, giving lively and thought-provoking presentations to organizations ranging from the Smithsonian and the Master Gardeners International Conference. In 2026 he was the first garden writer ever to be inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors along side such luminaries as Pat Conroy and James Dickey.
Jenks current runs a design and gardening business and his specialty nursery of the genus Crinum - the rennoceiance of which he has worked endlessly on for 35 years. He’s recently created the master plan for South Carolina’s newest botanical garden. Jenks, a 10th-generation South Carolinian, and his husband Tom live with their very extended family on a 1750s farm in Beech Island, South Carolina.
New Perennial Plant Society Meeting Place
In response to a membership survey and feedback, the PPS board has decided to relocate our meetings to the Ed Jones Auditorium at Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville. The auditorium has been recently renovated, and there is ample parking. Time for meetings remains the same. We will also continue the plant swap. We would also like to encourage anyone who wishes to bring a treat to share. Social hospitality will still begin at 6:00 p.m., with the formal meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Directions on how to reach Ed Jones are below. Any questions, please email mariwynevans @att.net.
From Franklin Road: Turn east onto Hogan Road and continue on Hogan.
From Harding Place: Turn south onto Trousdale Drive by CVS. Continue on Trousdale and then turn left onto Hogan Road (by Crieve Elementary)
Hogan Road will end at entrance of Ellington Agriculture (Marchant Drive is the cross street - do not turn here for Ed Jones) Go through gates into Ellington and then turn right. Follow road through Ellington following signs to Ed Jones at the top of the hill passing the museum. There is parking on both sides of the auditorium.
From I-65:
Take Exit #78-A east on Harding Place. Take a right at the second light onto Trousdale Drive. Travel south on Trousdale for approximately 1.5 miles. Turn left on to Hogan Road at the four-way stop. Hogan Road ends at the front gates of the Ellington Agricultural Center. Note: all buildings have identifying lawn signs for your convenience.
From I-24:
Take exit #56 west on Harding Place to the Nolensville Road intersection at Harding Mall. Turn left onto Nolensville Road and travel south 1/10 mile and turn right onto Edmondson Pike. Travel 1 1/2 miles on Edmondson Pike. The west entrance to Ellington Agricultural Center is on the right