THE GOSPEL OF ASA SIMS, A GARDEN HISTORY LOVE STORY
Happy Autumn! Cultivating Place is proud to launch an occasional series from host Abra Lee, delving into our Garden past in order to more fully understand and illuminate our Garden present and future. Sometimes we have to look back to grow forward!
This week, Abra shares with Jennifer Jewell her passion and admiration for, as well as research into, an intrepid and unflagging cultivator of place from our past in Virginia’s Tidewater Region: Asa Sims. A businessman, educator, floral grower, and designer, Asa was also a cofounder, in 1932, of the Historic Black Garden Clubs of Virginia, at the time known as the Negro Garden Clubs of Virginia.
From Abra: This week, we’re in conversation about Asa Sims, a horticulturist I
found through research on black garden clubs in Virginia. His life and work offer us a window into the history of American gardening and the people who have shaped it.
Together, we explore Asa Sims’ work in horticulture, the places and communities that shaped his life, and the legacy he left behind. We talk about the plants, gardens, and relationships that help us understand his story and the broader history of horticulture.
Through the story of Asa Sims, Jennifer and I consider the ways the lives of horticulturists can connect us to the past, deepen our understanding of place, and remind us of the many stories still waiting to be cultivated.
Conversations like this remind us that Cultivating Place is about more than growing plants or tending gardens. It’s about understanding the people and histories connected to those gardens, learning from those who came before us, and finding ways to carry that knowledge forward.
Through our conversation about Asa Sims, we’re reminded of the lasting impact horticulturist’s can have. From his work with the Negro Garden Club of Virginia, to his small horticulture classes and six decades as a professor, Asa Sims dedicated his life to teaching and sharing the gospel of horticulture. His work as a state advisor and his commitment to gardeners remind us that
knowledge can take root in unexpected places and continue to grow through the people who carry it forward.
Asa Sims’ life is proof that gardeners really are a keystone species. They connect plants to people, knowledge to place, and the past to the future. In learning more about Asa Sims, we’re reminded of just how much there is to cultivate, and how much there is to pass along.
Listen in!
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Photos of Abra Lee taken by Myriam Nicodemus; All other images sourced from historic, open-source archives.
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JOIN US again next week: As we continue in our seedy season theme, Cultivating Place Host Ben Futa is joined by Colleen Raney, owner of Songbird Seed Company, specializing in thoughtfully grown, exceptional sweet pea seeds from the Washington State’s Skagit Valley. Chosen for fragrance, beauty and ease, the 2026 selections go on sale October 3rd. That's right here, next week. Listen in!
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Ethel Clark, center, judges a garden club flower show. Mrs. Clark was the only woman among the 1932
Thinking out loud this week...
Hey, y'all, it's Abra—
I want to invite you to join us this September 25th through the 27th in South Bend, Indiana, for the inaugural Cultivating Place Symposium, presented by the Cultivating Place Foundation and Botany & CO.
We’re bringing the Cultivating Place family together for a weekend centered around people, plants, and place. Friday will feature a full day of lectures, followed by an evening reception with the Cultivating Place team. On Saturday, we’ll head out for place-based garden tours and experiences.
If this sounds like your kind of gathering, head over HERE for all the details and to learn more about joining us in South Bend. We’d love to see you there!
One thing that stays with me from my conversation with Jennifer Jewell about Asa Sims is the power of a teacher. Asa spent decades sharing his knowledge of horticulture, but what really struck me is the idea that what we learn from one another can continue to grow long after the lesson itself is over.
So this week, I want to encourage you to think about the gardeners and teachers who have shaped the way you garden. Maybe it was a professor, a neighbor, a family member, or someone who simply took the time to show you how to grow something. Reach out to them if you can, thank them, and if you
have the opportunity, pass something you've learned along to someone else.
Because gardeners are a kind of keystone species - we connect people to plants, knowledge to place, and one generation to the next. And when we share what we know, we help make sure those lessons continue to take root.
WAYS TO SUPPORT CULTIVATING PLACE
Cultivating Place is a co-production of North State Public Radio, licensed to Chico State Enterprises. Cultivating Place is made possible in part listeners just like you through the support button at the top right-hand corner of every page at Cultivating Place.org
The CP team includes producer and engineer Matt Fidler, with weekly tech and web support from Angel Huracha, weekly communications support by Sheila Stern and Carley Bruckner, and regular hosting by Founder, Jennifer Jewell, as well as Abra Lee in Atlanta, Georgia, and Ben Futa in South Bend, Indiana. We’re based on the traditional and present homelands of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of the Chico Rancheria. Original theme music is by Ma Muse..
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