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 University as a consumer horticulturist he spends half his year in his celebrated Mississippi cottage garden and the other half in a small terrace herb garden in Lancashire, England.

Felder is a syndicated newspaper columnist, an online contributor for HGTV, and hosts a weekly NPR garden program The Gestalt Gardener.

He has also been a writer, photographer, and editor for over a dozen magazines including Horticulture, Fine Gardening, Better Homes and Gardens, Landscape Architecture, Garden Design, and The National Geographic.

He is the author or co-author of 32 books, including several national award winners.

You will find him regularly lecturing coast to coast and overseas.

The New York Times has featured Felder three times. Most recently for forming and internationally promoting the all-senses, all-seasons approach 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 Writers Association, board officer of the American Horticulture Society and member of the Royal Horticulture Society and the English Cottage Gardening Association.

Time Line

00:00 Introduction to The Garden Question Podcast

00:41 Meet Felder Rushing: The Maverick Gardener

02:31 Defining the Maverick Gardener

05:03 Exploring the Maverick Gardener Book

08:11 Gardening Styles and Personalities

17:50 The Concept of Slow Gardening

20:33 Winter Interest in Southern Gardens

25:54 Native vs. Exotic Plants Debate

31:31 Introduction to Garden Myths

32:06 Debunking Common Gardening Myths

32:46 The Hammerhead Flatworm Hysteria

34:03 The Controversy of Pruning Crape Myrtles

38:37 Horticulture vs. Gardening

43:38 The Simplicity of Gardening

45:23 Influential Figures in Gardening

52:11 Practical Gardening Tips and Stories

55:16 Connecting with Felder Rushing