Felder Rushing

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Learn2Grow Head Gardener
Course Content Expert, Southeast

Extras

“F” is for “Felder” and “Fun-loving gardener.”

Felder, whose grasp of horticulture apparently doesn’t keep him from having fun, has overstuffed his quirky cottage garden with unkillable plants, as well as festooned it with collected and homemade “yard art.” He’s a syndicated columnist, radio and TV host, and the author of 15 garden books. His articles and photography have appeared in countless magazines, from Horticulture and Garden Design to Organic Gardening and National Geographic, and his tiny garden and offbeat philosophy have been celebrated in dozens of magazine articles as well (even The New York Times). A distinctly nonstuffy board member of the American Horticulture Society, Felder started the Master Gardener program in his home state of Mississippi. He recently retired as one of the few male Extension horticulturists with wild, shoulder-length hair – and attitude to match. Felder strongly promoted the idea that too many horticultural rules get in the way of good gardening. (“We are daunted, not dumb,” he insists). As he delivers over 100 lectures a year across the country, using down-home anecdotes rife with garden-irreverent humor, Felder constantly seeks out unkillable plants grown in accidental, but eye-catching, combinations by other fun-loving gardeners.

Tips

“Consider planting hardy perennials such as lantana, artemisia and yarrow (Achillea) around bulbs, to hide the falling, fading foliage of bulbs in spring.”
“In the summer, dark-colored plastic pots can overheat to the point where roots get cooked. Try grouping them with other (smaller) plants that shade the sides of the pots or paint the pots – or even wrap them in burlap ‘diapers’ that look artsy, while protecting the plants.”

Facts

Some of Felder’s yard art includes bottle trees, tire planters and plastic flamingos autographed by the man who patented them half a century ago.

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David L. Morgan Ph.D.
David had to put up with cattle, journalism and law school to finally find his happy professional niche: horticulture. Today he’s a respected horticulture professor, a published author, Spanish-speaker and proud grandpa! He loves fishing, and his favorite movie is “¡Viva Zapata!”