Slow Gardening: Gardening on the EZ Side

February 16, 2013 

Program Descriptions

Slow Gardening  

 Felder Rushing

For a description of Slow Gardening, see  http://www.slowgardening.net/

Also, you can hear Felder Rushing discuss Slow Gardening on at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5EalVXieLE

Simplifying Your Garden without Diminishing Your Joy 

Debra Knapke

There are many reasons to simplify your garden: moving to a smaller home and yard, physically not being able to maintain a larger garden or just making the choice to define what you want from your garden instead of trying to have it all. True success in simplifying your life and subsequently your garden, depends on understanding its parts, and how they fit within the bigger picture. And, the way to find joy in your garden is to know what you want from it and not going crazy trying to achieve it. Debra will use her own garden and others’ to provide inspiration for the creation of a simpler, blissful garden.

Getting Green in the Garden

Felder Rushing

Rising Stars: New Plants Shine in 2013

Maria Zampini, new plant guru, will roll out the red carpet and introduce you to the hottest new plant introductions to hit the horticultural runway. She’ll discuss how to integrate these prodigies with costars and legends to steal the show and be the next ‘IT’ plant in your landscape.

Program Bios

Felder Rushing

Felder is the author of Slow Gardening: A No-Stress Philosophy for All Senses and All Seasons.   Slow Garden has its roots in the Slow Food movement, dedicated to recognizing and celebrating traditional, seasonal, and sustainably locally grown foods.  According to Felder, “the Slow Gardening approach can help us enjoy our gardens year in and year out…” and “…savoring what you are doing.”

Believing that too many would-be gardeners are intimidated by a crush of “how-to” experts, Felder uses an offbeat, “down home” approach, rife with humorous anecdotes and garden-irreverent metaphors, zany observations, and stunning photography to help gardeners get past the “stinkin’ rules” of horticulture.

Rushing has served many years as a distinctly non-stuffy board member of the American Horticulture Society, national director of the Garden Writers Association, and member of the National Youth Gardening Committee. A rare male honorary member of Federated Garden Clubs of Mississippi and twice past president of his state's only chapter of the Mens' Garden Club (now Gardeners of America), Felder gives many dozens of lectures and workshops every year, coast to coast and overseas, at flower shows, horticultural and plant society meetings, and Master Gardener conference As 10^th generation American gardener, he considers himself as a Southern gardener with way too much book learning and travel experience to suit his laid-back style.  Felder has written thousands of columns in syndicated publications in addition to the 17 gardening books (including several award winners) he has authored or co-authored. 

Felder also has a connection with Ohio, having family in Cleveland.  So, it's not surprising that one of his earliest books is Tough Plants for Northern Gardens: Low Care, Tried, and True Care, No Care, Tried, and True Winners.  In this book he highlights a wealth of perennials, bulbs, annuals, trees, shrubs, and climbers that will survive Ohio winters.  Hundreds of useful tips and unique planting combinations are included. 

Debra Knapke

Debra Knapke has loved plants as long as she can remember, from helping in her father's vegetable garden as a child, to filling her college apartments with plants, and now gardening at her own home on almost an acre of land.  After two other carrers, in 1992 Debra turned her avocation of plant study and gardening into her full-time career. 

Debra is passionate about gardening and the natural world and enjoys sharing knowledge through her books, magazine and newsletter articles, guest appearances on the radio program All Sides with Ann Fisher, and teaching in the Landscape Design/Build Program at Columbus State Community College.  She also has just embarked on a new venture as one of the founding members of the Friends of Metro Parks; an organization that supports the mission and work of the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District.

Another passion is sustainable garden design and the history of gardening.  In addition to her many private clients, Debra has been involved in public garden design in the Central Ohio area.  She was on the Design Committee for The Sister’s Garden at Inniswood Metro Gardens, which is a children’s garden that combines cultivated gardens with natural spaces. Currently she is involved with the design of Flint Cemetery in Worthington, Ohio. 

Known as “The Garden Sage,” Debra is a popular speaker at professional symposia as well as gardening events throughout the Midwest. Debra boasts an eclectic garden, three adult children, one grandchild, three garden cats and an exceptionally tolerant husband. 

She is the author of several books: Perennials for Ohio, Annuals for Ohio , Gardening Month by Month in Ohio , Best Garden Plants for Ohio , and Herb Gardening for the Midwest

Maria Zampini

 Maria Zampini is a fourth generation nurseryman and proud of it! Horticulture flows deep in her veins. After graduating from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture, she managed the families one thousand acre wholesale nursery, destination attraction garden center and new plant research and development division.

In 2009 she formed UpShoot LLC, a boutique business focusing on sales, marketing and licensing of new plant introductions.  In 2012 Maria was also named Director of Plant Development for the HGTV HOME Plant Collection.

Maria writes for horticultural trade journals and consumer magazines. Most notable is her ‘Nursery Insight’ column in American Nurseryman. She is also a Contributing Editor for Garden Center Magazine and Horticulture Magazine

Maria was the first female President of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association and International Ornamental Crabapple Society. She serves on the National Association of Plant Patent Owners Board of Director and is a Regional Director for the Garden Writer’s Association.

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