African-American Gardens: Yards in Rural South

By Richard Westmacott

Book Overview

Much acclaimed upon its initial publication in 1992, this book was the first extensive survey of African American gardening traditions in the rural South. For this reprinting, author Richard Westmacott has written a new preface in which he describes the traveling exhibit based on the book and compares his original research with his recent observations of   gardening practices in the Cayman Islands. The book remains a valuable and richly illustrated resource for those interested in African American material culture and the history of vernacular gardens. It includes measured drawings and physical inventories of African American gardens in three geographic areas: the low country of South Carolina, the southern piedmont of Georgia, and the black belt of Alabama. The descriptions are enhanced by the author's personal interviews with the gardeners, in which he documents the aesthetic qualities, designs, and purposes of their yards and gardens. Westmacott traces the evolution of African American yards and gardens and over the last two hundred years and discusses the possible African origins of certain traditions, such as the swept yard. He also notes similarities in attitude between rural southern blacks and whites regarding the importance of the agrarian lifestyle, self-reliance, and private ownership. Despite such similarities, he shows, the patterns and practices in which those beliefs are manifested among African Americans are uniquely their own. The Author:  Richard Westmacott is a professor of environmental design at the University of Georgia and lives in rural Georgia.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870497626
• ISBN13: 9780870497629
• Release Date: December 1992
• Publisher: Univ Tennessee Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.0" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

Nancy's Thoughts

This book has brought back a lot of childhood memories that feel all warm and fuzzy. The photography was especially good for me.

Like visiting grandma's garden

My mother and I both really enjoyed this book. The gardens pictures reminded us both of my grandmother's garden. The book doesn't just show garden pictures though. It explains why Black gardens tend to look the way they do. I always thought my grandmother kept a dirt front yard because nothing would grow there. The book explained that this practice was a common method of controlling the bug population. I'd reccomend this book to anyone who loves gardens or has an interest in anthropology.

Wonderful Pros

Richare Westmacott writes this book with love. Not a native of Georgia, you wouldn't know it from his wonderful depth of knowledge about the history of plants and gardening in the state. This book is good for gardeners, good for those who love Georgia and the south, and good for anyone who enjoys a well written book. Informative and entertaining and the perfect book to read in a hammock in the garden!