5 min read

The Gift of Gab

Picture of SYNKD Writer SYNKD Writer : Dec 14, 2022 4:04:42 PM

West

Nick Federoff (11) — Nick is host to a weekly 2-hour syndicated radio show and
a daily 90 second short form program

A Chat With Radio & TV Personality Nick Federoff

Nick Federoff likes to talk about landscaping and gardening, so he made it a career. After several years of working as a landscaper, he discovered a passion for public speaking when he filled in for a host on a gardening radio show in southern California.

“I figured that was going to be my 15 minutes of fame, and I was going live on that forever,” he says.

That hosting gig was in 1986.

Nick’s 15 minutes of fame is still going strong after 36 years, and he is still as passionate about it as when he began. He hosts “Nick Federoff on Gardening,” a two-hour, call-in radio show that airs nationwide every weekend. “Things Green Garden Minute” is his daily, 90-second, award-winning program packed with lots of information in a small amount of time.

In addition, Nick is the resident on-air garden expert for the local CBS Los Angeles news station segment “In the Garden.” He also hosts a weekly, 30-minute television show called “Things Green,” broadcasting on PBS|KLCS Los Angeles.

Nick Federoff on KCAL planting veggies KCAL Planting Veggies

The radio audience loved him from his first day on air, and the station program director called him into the office soon after his debut.

“I figured I killed some old ladies' posies, and I was in trouble,” he says. “I walk in, and the program director gives me a big ‘ole bucket of mail and says, ‘You generated more mail in one two-hour show than the (previous host) has done for the last couple of years.’”

Nick resonated with audiences right away because of his storytelling style. Talking about plants and landscapes without a visual can be difficult, but he says his vivid descriptions inform audiences without being patronizing to people in the business and seasoned gardeners.

“There is a fine line there, but I think that's one of the successes I've been blessed with,” he says. “Plus, I don't know how to shut up.”

Nick Federoff, the photographer

Digging Into the Industry
Like many landscapers, Nick got his start mowing lawns. From there, he learned about gardening and built a residential landscaping service. An incident with a potential client may have changed his trajectory.

“I went to one lady's house, and she had, hands down, the most beautiful yard I have ever been in,” he says. “I gave her a bid, and she looked at it and said, ‘Get off my property. You're nothing but a lawn boy.’”

So, he went to college to get a degree in ornamental horticulture and learn everything he could about the industry.

Nick later partnered with his father and brother to build a commercial real estate construction business with a landscape installation and weed abatement branch. The firm became the largest weed abatement contractor in the area, with crews working day and night.

Nick Federoff fertilizing the lawn

He managed the company’s contracts with municipalities and large corporations in southern California. He also worked on his public speaking chops at various industry events.

One of the corporations where they had contracts employed a consultant who was also the host of a gardening radio show. His boss saw Nick in action and asked if he would like to fill in for the consultant. The rest is history.

PBS TV Show Sod Farm

Location, Location, Location
Since 1995, Nick’s radio show is broadcast across the country on 250 affiliates, so his audience comes from areas spanning the U.S., not just in his southern California location.

“One of the questions I get from radio station program directors is ‘how do you know what's going on with the plants in our area?’ I live within a two-hour radius of every growing zone in the U.S.,” he explains.

Nick Federoff (14)

Because of his location, Nick has experience with various growing zones and can answer questions about any area on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. His audience includes people new to gardening who want to know why their tomatoes are dying to landscape professionals needing help finding the right equipment.

With more than 2,500 radio shows under his belt, he has answered thousands of questions and helped with some unique situations, including a call he had from a woman with an unusual problem.

Nick Federoff (5)

The woman told Nick she had mushrooms growing in her car. His first thought was what kind of passengers do you have? “What we figured out was that she likes mushrooms,” he says. “She buys mushrooms (from the farmers market), but they fell out of the bag. When it rained, the water leaked through her windowsill and mushrooms started to grow from the ones left behind in her car.”

From Winner to Host
In 2012, Nick was inducted into the Green Industry Hall of Fame, an award developed in 2005 to honor people who have made significant contributions to the industry. To qualify, inductees need a minimum of 20 years in the industry and must provide education and encouragement to others. He was the first radio and television personality to receive the honor.

Nick Federoff Producing GIHOF Awards Show Nick Producing GIHOF Awards Show

Nick later joined the board of directors and was involved with the annual dinner honoring inductees. During the COVID lockdown, the board was going to cancel the 2020 dinner, but Nick did not want that year’s inductees to miss out, so he organized a live broadcast from the Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona Del Mar as part of his “Things Green” PBS show. The outdoor event allowed the inductees to be honored in a safe setting with prerecorded clips from others who could not travel.

“I don't like doing the same thing over and over,” he says. “Last year, instead of doing a 30-minute show, we took each person inducted and put a bit of their award ceremony into the last three minutes of (my TV) show. So, every single week for 26 weeks, the Green Industry Hall of Fame is on people's minds.”

Nick has recently traveled to industry trade shows to meet inductees and share their achievements on social media.

“This year, I’m not sure what we’ll do, but it’ll be the best yet,” he promises.

Nick Federoff has an Award Winning TV Show Award Winning TV Show

Connecting the Sectors
Nick is always learning, and part of his education is visiting trade shows for various industries. He sees the value in attending to connect landscaping to other sectors, like a recent architecture expo where he learned how architects view landscapes from the perspective of their buildings.

Nick Federoff on 911 Memory Garden Talk 911 Memory Garden Talk

“There were so many things there that are complementary to the world of landscape design and the architecture that they do—from the type of building, the reflection of the windows on the landscape, to what you're going to use for a walkway and how you're going to take the people through that pathway,” he says.

Nick tries to keep his pulse on change in the industry so that he can be a resource for people.

“It's my job to find these things out, and that's why I have an open door for any landscaper because they don't have the time to go to those shows,” he says. “There's got to be communication between the landscaper, the architect, the nursery and the suppliers. That's why it's important (for me) to do all these shows. This way, you're staying fresh and getting information, which benefits the client.”

Nick Federoff (12)