James Farmer is practically a household name, not only in his native South but from coast to coast. From authoring several best-selling books on design to showing America how to set the perfect holiday table on national television, he has put his trademark style on the map and is considered a fresh voice for an upcoming generation of designers and homeowners.
Yet, for all his fame, James has remained grounded, keeping close to his middle Georgia roots, where he says he got his earliest start as a designer by helping his mother’s friends with their gardening projects. “I’ve had an interest in gardening since childhood,” he said, noting that both of his grandfathers nurtured his love of the land. Later, in high school, he worked part-time at a landscaping company. He pursued that interest in college, where he doubled-majored in art history and landscape design before moving back home and starting his design business in downtown Perry.
Naturally, outdoor spaces play a key role at James’s own home, Farmdale, where he has lived for 10 years. “I treat the outdoors like an architectural floorplan, with places for dining and lounging,” he said. “I think of it as an extension of my house, albeit with a different scale because there’s no ceiling.” He uses structures such as cabanas, walls, and parterres to define areas and add interest.
He admits that because he doesn’t live in a neighborhood—Farmdale sits on acres of wooded family land—he has been able to do things a bit differently than many homeowners. For example, when he added a pool to the property, he decided to place it on the side of the home so that it balances the carport. “Sisters, not twins,” he says. “I wanted the garden to be the backyard feature. When it’s cold and wintry, I like to look out and see a garden, not a pool.”
The overall layout of Farmdale’s garden is that of a Spanish Cross, a garden design with a central focal point and a cross shaped pathway that divides the space into quadrants. On a trip to nearby Macon, James found an old church steeple that he repurposed into his backyard’s focal point. “I love the connection to something local
as well as the meaning and symbolism behind it,” he says.
As for favorite plants, he jokes that he gravitates to those ending in ya. “Camellia and hydrangea are great,” James says. Tea olives are also a a favorite. And he encourages home gardeners to include some tropical plants like old-fashioned ginger in the mix. For color and fragrance in cooler months, he recommends Lenten roses and winter honeysuckle.
He advises homeowners not to overlook their garden’s “secret season”—that period from late summer to early fall when many plants are beginning to look tired from the heat but can be given a second lease on life. “You can cut back your summer blooming annuals in late July,” James says. “And they will come back with fresh foliage and flowers, taking you all the way into fall.”
When it comes to outdoor living and entertaining, southerners have a distinct advantage. “We can enjoy our outdoor spaces almost year-round,” he says, noting that he has hosted 30 people for Thanksgiving dinner in his carport. “From April to November, we put the ‘country’ in ‘club.’”
In fact, the outdoor spaces at Farmdale are as well tended and well used as the indoor rooms. James has hosted engagement parties, book signings, family dinners, and even a wedding outside. “My sister’s wedding was one of the most wonderful events I’ve held outdoors,” he says. “There’s something so special about that Southern hallmark of hospitality where we gather outside. It’s like the church tradition of dinner on the grounds. It’s wonderful to celebrate life’s events in the garden.”
James’s latest design book, Home Again—A Return to Gracious Interiors, is set to be released in September. Preorders and signed copies are available on his website.
This article appears in the Spring 2025 issue of GEORGIA DESIGN.
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