“We’ve known each other for a long time, and I’d like to welcome you back to Moss Mountain Farm. You wouldn’t believe how this place has evolved. I’ll still show you how to do things, but together we’ll look closer at why we do them. I think it’s going to be a fascinating journey.”
— P. Allen Smith
A Sense of Place premieres nationwide on Create TV on Friday, October 2, followed by its PBS premiere beginning October 4.
PBS air dates and times vary by location, so be sure to check your local listings.
Click the Buttons to the right to visit Create TV or PBS, or search Google for:
“P. Allen Smith A Sense of Place PBS + [your city]”
to find local airtimes.
Perched high above the Arkansas River Valley, Moss Mountain Farm is more than a home—it is a living expression of Smith’s lifelong dedication to the natural world. Rooted in the tradition of the ferme ornée, or ornamental farm, the 550-acre property seamlessly blends beauty, productivity, and sustainability. Through this new book, Smith shares how thoughtful design and stewardship can foster a meaningful connection between people and the land.
Explore A Sense of Place through our comprehensive directory. Journey with P. Allen Smith as he guides us through rustic heritage, garden craftsmanship, and the beauty of living in harmony with the land.
Allen welcomes us back to the beauty of the farm with the Big Sister Oak, reflects on a Wendell Berry poem & William Turner’s art, and shows how diversity in the garden strengthens everything, before ending in the kitchen with the simplest perfection of summer: a delicious tomato sandwich.
Allen unpacks bee life on the farm from gorgeous pollinator plants to the inside of the bees’ hives with his beekeeper, Ted. Allen then bakes a honey cake using their honey and shares a cup of Moss Mountain Farm “Contentment” tea, brewed from holly grown on the property.
Allen explores how climbing plants stitch structure to sky: sweet potatoes and morning glories tumbling together, cypress vine and roses weaving up tuteurs, pear espaliers forming living walls, Boston ivy gripping brick in close-up, ending in the kitchen with a comforting sweet potato pie.
Allen traces life back to its smallest beginnings: starting seeds in the greenhouse, saving purple coneflowers in the drying house, decorating with okra pods, beauty berries, and more, painting with black walnut ink, then finishing in the kitchen with a simple, nourishing lentil stew.
Allen explores ornament, from living hedges to cherished keepsakes. He walks the ferme ornée at Moss Mountain, talks floral alchemy with Royal Family designer Shane Connolly, shares the gilded rooster saved from a farm fire, then roasts squash as sculptural as any centerpiece.
Allen celebrates trees as kin and resource: a generous display of heritage apples, sheep cleaning up acorns, the Big Sister Oak hiding its lightning rod, a fig tree’s gifts, an apple–brie galette in the kitchen, and delicate art made from pressed botanicals.
Allen invites us into his storybook Pumpkin House, explores heirloom and heritage pumpkin varieties by the armload, builds a gorgeous foyer display then heads to the kitchen for pumpkin crème brûlée. He ends the day beside a crackling bonfire in the crisp autumn air.
Allen explores “painting with plants” in both his studio and his gardens, savoring gorgeous fall color on a walk among luminous trees, silvers and greens in his borders, and vibrant salvias and rainbow chard that turn beds (and plates) into living palettes of shade, tone, and contrast.
At the farm’s iconic ‘Chicken Chat’, discover the joy of raising rare heritage poultry breeds. Understand how these feathered flocks contribute to organic fertilizer and pest management.
On the longest night of the year, Allen welcomes us to a resting farm: hardy sheep and steaming compost, a fallen oak reborn as bonfire, peonies needing cold, winter greenery and simple greens for supper, ending in candlelight and song with friends gathered indoors.
Looking for more from P. Allen Smith? Explore the PBS archives, past shows, and full YouTube playlists below to discover more of Allen’s favorite stories, gardens, design inspiration, and timeless ideas from over the years.
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