Crinum by Augustus Jenkins Farmer

Crinum by Augustus Jenkins Farmer

Augustus is better known as the plantsman Jenks Farmer.

This book came out in 2021 - at the very end of December - and the subtitle is Unearthing the History and the Cultivation of the World's Biggest Bulb.

Well, Crinums are a passion for Jenks. In this book, he has collected every possible story and nugget of information about the Crinum species and hybrids that flourish in our gardens. Crinums are classic plants. They're also heirlooms and pass-down plants, and because of that sentimental quality, there are an endless number of stories about Them.

Now, I have to share what Jenks wrote about Crinums in the introduction to this book. He wrote,

Plants that hunker down below ground reveal only a small part of themselves to people. Called geophytes or earth lovers, the below-ground bulbs are the heart of the being.

Down there, a Medusa's tangle of bony, basel plates, armlong roots, and crisp bud tips explode from mother bulbs. Once you see the underground being, you understand why in some cultures Crinums represent connections to the underworld and the dead.

You also understand why people carry them continent to continent and share them friend to friend.

If you've ever had a sourdough starter or overplanted zucchini, then you understand the urge to share a passion, to give parts away. I'm compelled to give Crinums away. I give little bulbs to farm visitors, take them as house gifts, pass them on at conferences, offer them to strangers, or plant them guerrilla-style in parking lots.

Based on my experience, growing and planting hundreds of thousands of Crinum, this book becomes comprehensive with the advice of generous Crinum professionals and enthusiasts.

You'll fall for the hidden stories, the hidden plant parts in a few years you'll share too. Then you'll leave a happy trail of Crinum lilies marking your travels, telling your stories, and sharing your passion too.

This book is 100 pages of a passion for Crinums by one of our modern plantsmen.

You can get a copy of Crinum by Augustus Jenkins Farmer and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for $25.