Laugh a little, learn a little with Gestalt Gardener Felder Rushing at Beaver Creek event

Popular gardening expert Felder Rushing will be letting down his tailgate to showcase his mobile garden Saturday during a talk about botanicals at Beaver Creek Distillery in Bassfield.

Also known as the Gestalt Gardener , Rushing has been making gardening fun for year with his MPB radio show and podcast as well as guest appearances at a variety of events.

"We always have a great time," Rushing said. "Basically I just pull my truck up to a place where I can sit on the back or stand on it or just walk around and talk about gardening in general. There's usually some question-and-answer and a good bit of laughter."

Rushing's appearance will be part of Beaver Creek's Botanical Bonanza, said Rhonda Phillips, who owns the distillery with her brother, Greg Phillips.

"It will be a fun way to celebrate spring," Phillips said. "This month we're all about the gardening, the flowers and botanicals. I'm just super excited about having Felder come down."

Rushing will talk about botanicals, like the ones used in the making of distilled spirits, are plants or parts of plants that have medicinal or therapeutic properties or are valued for their flavor or scent, according to the National Institutes of Health .

"A lot of botanical things are plants we grow in our own gardens," he said. "A lot of people just don't think about how gin, for example, is made from juniper berries and a lot of us grow juniper."

Beaver Creek Distillery uses a variety of native botanicals in the making of its handcrafted spirits, including gin, moonshine and bourbon.

Rushing likes engaging his audience, making his presentations interactive so people can have fun while they are learning something new.

"I like to make connections where people feel like they've got a more of a personal experience where people can relate to what's going on," Rushing said.

The event at Beaver Creek Distillery is two days before Earth Day, an event that Rushing has been part of since its inception in the 1970s.

"Everything I talk about relates to Earth Day," Rushing said. "It's sort of like when people talk about permaculture gardening — that's just good gardening. They quantify something that people do without realizing it."

But since Earth Day is just good gardening on any other day, Rushing said he likes to work in things that might be useful to gardeners.

"I try to work in things like, 'Let's do things for pollinators,' or 'Let's do things for birds or wildlife,' but it's also about being responsible," he said. "Gardeners should be doing things that are sustainable."

Phillips said she wanted to plan an event that is fun and celebrates nature in Mississippi.

"We're doing this in a way to connect back to the Earth and celebrate botanicals and spring," Phillips said.

If you go

Felder Rushing will talk about botanicals and gardening at Beaver Creek Distillery around 2 p.m. Saturday during the distillery's Botanical Bonanza, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The event will feature special treats, handcrafted cocktails, small-batch spirits, food and more.

In May, the distillery will host authors Dori Lowe and Brandi Perry, who will talk about and sign copies of their book, "100 Things to Do in Mississippi Before You Die."

Beaver Creek Distillery is at 96B George W. King Road, Bassfield. For more information, visit beavercreek-distillery.com or call 769-239-0410. To book a tasting experience and tour, call 601-943-8000.

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com . Follow her on X  @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge .

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Laugh a little, learn a little with Gestalt Gardener Felder Rushing at Beaver Creek event