Welcome to Felder Rushing's Website

Well, well!

Glad you're here!

I am a Southern gardener with way too much book learning and travel experiences to suit my laid-back style, so when I am not on the road lecturing, I'm knocking around the celebrated garden surrounding my little backyard cabin in Mississippi with my brown dog named Rusty, where I work hard at relaxing and having as much fun as possible - with as little effort as practical.

When it comes to the "left brain" of horticulture science, I have my bases covered (see the Biostuff link). Plus, I had renowned landscape architect Rick Griffin guide me through developing my garden spaces, and progressive architect Jeff Seabold design large "green" construction projects, so I can enjoy my efforts year-round without a lot of huffing and puffing and off-site resources. It's an overstuffed cottage garden with plants both common and rare, and plenty of, er, "accessories."

But when it comes to the "right brain" of just having a fun, pretty, and productive garden - with as little effort as possible - I am a charter member of the scattered tribe called "dirt gardeners" who plant what we like, where we like, and for whatever reason we like. Because we are opinionated REAL gardeners, some folks like us and our approach, others do not. (SHRUG)

Take a few minutes to browse around. E-mail me if you have some comments (keep 'em clean). Here's hoping you have fun in your own "guarded area" - your garden.

Here is a small daffodil maze, and a larger daffodil labyrinth designed by Felder

Here're some shots of my new kitchen addition, which I call the Cornbread Chapel (Praise heaven and pass the butter!)

Before kitchen

After kitchen addition

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Listen to Felder Rushing and guests on MPB Radio every Friday at 9 a.m., and rebroadcast Saturday at 10 a.m., on

Here are a few shots I took in early September between my lectures at the National Heirloom Exposition in Santa Rosa, California, including gourds, tomatoes (including a variety-tasting I conducted), and a vegetable-carving chef...

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While spending my usual summer in a Crown cottage farm in the western Midlands of England,

I made a side trip to Germany to photograph a stunning forest of trees made entirely of glass

(with some supporting metal and fasteners). I had read about this for years, and finally just "up and

went" - rented a car out of Munich, and headed off into the Bavarian Alps to the little medieval

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in return for anything mentioned on this site or on MPB's Gestalt Gardener program.

based on his honest, unbiased experience or observations - with no strings attached. Really.

GOOD GESTALT GARDEN WORD: Terroir - French word used in wine and coffee, denotes how

characteristics of a place (soil, climate, etc.) impart themselves onto something...

It's what gives something (gardeners, gardens, garden styles) our special "Sense of Place"

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"Doesn't matter what you do, or how you do it, your neighbors are gonna talk about you ANYWAY." (this quoted aloud and credited to Felder by Martha Stewart)

"Life already has so many boundaries and pressures - why add more in the garden?"

"Salsa is good for your body; tomato gravy is for your Southern SOUL." (Plus, a little grease in the diet helps you slide through the humidity better.)

There are tens of thousands of highly intelligent, well-raised, educated young men and women - their names are not important here - who are real heros because of what they suffer day after day overseas in our military.

Few can imagine what they are going through, especially considering that they are there as volunteers.

I am asking that you think about them as unique and beloved, individuals as real as any son, daughter, father, mother, husband, or wife.

And please - perform whatever ritual you have at your heart's and soul's command to bless all these young men and women at their job, and wish them - and their loved ones - comfort as well as strength.

And remember: They are real people. They are not numbers. Who they are, and what they are doing right now, is precious.