165 - Maverick Gardeners Breaking Garden Rules - Felder Rushing

In this episode of The Garden Question podcast, host Craig McManus interviews Felder Rushing, a celebrated horticulturalist and garden communicator.  The episode delves into the concept of 'Maverick Gardeners'—those who follow their own unique gardening practices regardless of trends.  Felder shares insights on slow gardening, planting under oak trees, and the psychology behind gardening.  He also discusses his book and the importance of connecting with nature through unconventional gardening methods. Listen for inspiring stories and practical tips for both novice and expert gardeners. Mississippi native Felder Rushing is an 11th-generation Southerner.After retiring from Mississippi State Universityas a consumer horticulturist he spends half his year in his celebratedMississippi cottage garden and the other half in a small terrace herb garden inLancashire, England.  Felder is a syndicated newspaper columnist, an online contributorfor HGTV, and hosts a weekly NPR garden program The Gestalt Gardener. He has also been a writer, photographer, and editor for over adozen magazines including Horticulture, Fine Gardening, Better Homes andGardens, Landscape Architecture, Garden Design, and The National Geographic. He is the author or co-author of 32 books, including severalnational award winners.You will find him regularly lecturing coast to coast and overseas. The New York Times has featured Felder three times. Mostrecently for forming and internationally promoting the all-senses, all-seasonsapproach of Slow Gardening. Southern Living Magazine featured Felder as one of“twenty-five people most likely to change the South.”Felder has served as a national director of the Garden WritersAssociation, board officer of the American Horticulture Society and member ofthe Royal Horticulture Society and the English Cottage GardeningAssociation.  Time Line00:00 Introduction to The Garden Question Podcast00:41 Meet Felder Rushing: The Maverick Gardener02:31 Defining the Maverick Gardener05:03 Exploring the Maverick Gardener Book08:11 Gardening Styles and Personalities17:50 The Concept of Slow Gardening20:33 Winter Interest in Southern Gardens25:54 Native vs. Exotic Plants Debate31:31 Introduction to Garden Myths32:06 Debunking Common Gardening Myths32:46 The Hammerhead Flatworm Hysteria34:03 The Controversy of Pruning Crape Myrtles38:37 Horticulture vs. Gardening43:38 The Simplicity of Gardening45:23 Influential Figures in Gardening52:11 Practical Gardening Tips and Stories55:16 Connecting with Felder Rushing