MEMBER PROFILE
MARY ANN NEWCOMER
JAMES AUGUSTUS BAGGETT — CHARMING , DISARMING , ENGAGING EDITOR
James Augustus Baggett ’ s first words to a newbie , “ Tell me about you .” That ’ s what people remember about him — his interest in them . Genuine interest . Then comes the rapid-fire engagement and the contagious sense of wonder people share when they ’ re around him . Show and tell , note taking , book lists , kindness and more kindness .
People repeatedly describe James to me as a man with an enormous open heart . His colleague and former GWA President Debra Prinzing said , “ His accolades are many as a generous editor and mentor . But these accolades pale when measuring him as a human being . He treats everyone he meets with utmost dignity and a true curiosity about who they are and what interests them . That is a gift to our entire profession and to those who call him a friend .”
Fellow writer and editor Susan Appleget Hurst was struck by his kind and gregarious nature when they traveled together in England . She said , “ We were touring in London , often by cab or bus . James always made an effort to engage the driver — someone he had never met — and made them feel valuable . He has an enormous open heart and so much compassion .”
GARDENING AT GRANDMOTHER ’ S KNEE
From his start in his grandmother ’ s garden , dusting roses and whitewashing the birdbath to his current position as editor of Country Gardens magazine for Meredith Corporation , he has covered a lot of territory . Fresh out of college , he landed a job as editor at Science World , a classroom magazine with a readership of some eight million students . He described the job , “ It was an invaluable education , writing about carnivorous plants and dinosaurs and bioluminescence and Chernobyl for an audience of young people .”
And what about garden writing ? James said , “ Garden writing , is , after all , science writing . I
James Baggett at St . Paul ’ s Cathedral during a recent trip to London .
like to say that garden writing is science writing with jazz hands .”
MAN OF PASSION It ’ s as hard to keep up with James as it is to list his passions . I ’ ve followed along with him in Vancouver , British Columbia ; Tucson , Arizona ; Quebec City , Canada and most recently , Pasadena , California . We sought out good food , good people , Frank Lloyd Wright houses , bookstores and The Gamble House by Green and Green .
“ I ’ m a dog-bird-plant guy ,” he said . “ But my interests and passions are wide and varied , and include Maxfield Parrish , vintage dog books , art pottery , J . D . Salinger , Frank Lloyd Wright , baking , “ Harold and Maude ,” girl music , field guides , Beverley Nichols , Arts & Crafts design , the Yankees , Ironstone , birds of prey , agitprop , Roycroft , Jeopardy , Hal Borland , terriers great and small , “ Food 52 ” and Paul Smith floral shirts .”
James and I are trading book lists . On his nightstand right now : Lab Girl by Hope Jahren , On Dogs by E . B . White , and anything by Hal Borland . ( At this point , James suggested that I write down these titles so I don ’ t forget them .
I promise to send him a list of the stack on my own nightstand ).
He has Eudora Welty ’ s rake above his fireplace . James reminisced , “ A few years ago , while producing a story on Eudora Welty ’ s modest garden in Jackson , Mississippi , I came home with an awesome souvenir : a rusty , wrought iron rake head from her garage . I didn ’ t steal it . A curator asked me if I wanted it , since it wasn ’ t going to be archived . It now holds a place of honor on my mantle . I suspect it was actually Eudora Welty ’ s mother ’ s , since she was the real gardener in that household .”
When asked what makes him giddy , filled with joy , he said , “ Peony shoots in spring . Gabrielle Hamilton ’ s grilled shrimp in anchovy butter . Sleeping with dogs . Derek Jeter .” Did I mention he has Eudora Welty ’ s rake above his fireplace ?
GWA member Mary Ann Newcomer , a native daughter of Idaho , is deeply rooted in the soil of the American West . As a scribe-scout-and-speaker , she blogs at Gardens of the Wild West . The American Horticulture Society profiled her as “ A member making a difference ” in American Gardener magazine .
PHOTO COURTESY SUSAN APPLEGET HURST
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