loppear's review of African-American gardens and yards in the rural South

loppear reviewed African-American gardens and yards in the rural South by Richard Noble Westmacott

Richard Noble Westmacott: African-American gardens and yards in the rural South (1992, University of Tennessee Press)

of narrow interest but I wish this was an ongoing field of research

3 stars

Oddly satisfying, surveys of outdoor living and gardening space in poor rural south in 1990, detailed planting census and interviews covering aesthetics, materials, goals. Historical analysis of influences of colonizing and slavery and sharecropping and land ownership - throughout, emphasizes the ephemeral nature of gardening as a built environment, always on the cusp of changes in function or technology - indoor plumbing, lawn mowers, big box stores.