Where Have All The Gardening Shows Gone?

January 25th, 2006

 

A few years ago gardening shows began to change their formats. The informational genre was being phased out, and replaced with the
“how–to-have-it-done-for-you-in-two-days” format. Now, nearly all gardening programs have taken on a game show like quality. You know how they work – the owners go away for a couple of days, and during their absence, a crew comes in and totally renovates the garden. Sometimes the results are spectacular, other times, hideous and impractical. Now I admit I have entertained the fantasy of having a crew come in and do all the heavy work for me, but what would I learn from that? Would I learn the basic principles of landscape design and construction? No. Would I learn how to select, grow and maintain the plants? No. Would I have the pleasure of saying – “Hey, I did this myself!”? Of course not. I would be able to say “See what I had done for me”. Personally I would derive little satisfaction in that.

Perhaps the lack of good gardening information on television programs is merely a reflection of the hectic pace of life we as a society have embraced. Instant results are required and expected in all other areas of our lives, and sadly that is being reflected in our gardening mentality. Creating great gardens is like raising a great child. It takes time, it takes experience learned in time, and it takes nurturing. Gardening programs seem to have forgotten that. Seldom does one learn from these shows anymore. Inspiration is provided, but no real knowledge that will assist the home gardener to grow great gardens. Someday, hopefully, the television producers will figure out that what viewers want are programs that inspire and inform, not just entertain.

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