Felder Rushing and the William Faulkner Literary Garden Anniversary

 

 

Felder Rushing is coming to New Albany, Thursday, Sept, 25, 2025, 5:30. He is helping celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of the William Faulkner Literary Garden at the Union County Heritage Museum.

He is the guest speaker for the event, which will begin in the fellowship hall of the Cleveland Street Community Church (200 Cleveland Street)  next door to the museum. His topic is Gardening Away The Blues”.  

The New Albany Garden Club partnered with the museum 20 plus years ago to create this garden that allows visitors to learn more about the work of Mississippi’s only Nobel Prize winner, William Faulkner and a native of New Albany.

Through much hard work and sweat equity, garden club members have created a public green space that recognizes the use of the landscape in Faulkner’s work, and is the only such garden  in the world. Faulkner fans and scholars come from all over the world to visit the garden.

The event will conclude as guests walk across the street to the Faulkner Garden with the rededication of the garden, refreshments, music and other celebrations on the birthday of William Faulkner and the garden.

Rushing who is a 10th- generation Southern gardener is also the radio personality The Gestalt Gardener heard weekly statewide on Mississippi Public Broadcasting.  His encouraging approach to gardening earned him a celebration by Southern Living Magazine as one of “25 people most likely to change the South.”

For 45 years the retired MSU Horticulturist continues to write his state-wide syndicated newspaper columns, and for 23 years remains the host MPB’s live Gestalt Gardener program, one of National Public Radio’s most popular gardening programs.

He has written or contributed to 33 gardening books, including national award winners, and was HGTV’s original online Q&A person. His garden exploits and philosophy have been featured three times in the New York Times.

The contributing editor at Fine Gardening, Horticulture, and Garden Design magazines has had his articles and photographs published in dozens of other publications including Organic Gardening, Landscape Architecture, Better Homes and Gardens, and the National Geographic.

Felder served as a board member of the American Horticulture Society, member of the Royal Horticulture Society, British Cottage Gardening Society, British Cactus and Succulent Society, and national director of the Garden Writers’ Association.

For the past 15 years he has spent six months a year traveling, lecturing, and reporting from both his celebrated Mississippi cottage garden and a Victorian terrace herb and succulent garden in Lancashire, England.

The New Albany event is free and is sponsored by the Mississippi Arts Commission and is part of the community’s Literary Fest held annually.  For more information call the museum at 662-538-0014. The museum is located at 114 Cleveland Street, New Albany 38652.

 

Jill Smith, Director

Union County Heritage Museum

114 Cleveland Street

New Albany, MS 38652

662-538-0014