Dear Santa,
How are things where you are? I know it’s been a while since I last wrote to you, but I have run out of options and I am turning to you and your elves to make this little gardener’s Christmas wish list become a reality.
I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to keep up with your reading, but a few posts ago, I wrote about the lack of G on HGTV. Far be it from me to tell you how to do your job, but you may want to consider a stocking full of coal for the network’s naughty executives. They have not been kind to the gardening population — and, in fact, they have not responded to my letter requesting more G shows.
But if you would like to avoid coal, might I suggest sprinkling them with some inspiring Christmas magic so they may wake on Christmas morning like a renewed Ebenezer Scrooge? To help you, here are a few ideas for gardening shows that I, for one, would love to watch on a snowy winter morning.
The Secret Garden: There’s nothing I like more than seeing an overgrown garden, its structure well-hidden because of lack of care. Then, with a little TLC and lots of sweat, beds and fencing and stonework reappear until the garden is restored to its former glory.
The Masters: In this reality show, viewers follow a group of gardeners as they pursue their Master Gardener certificates. Each episode will follow the coursework and drama. As an added bonus, viewers can pursue a similar program in an on-line course.
The Big O: Now that Oprah is no longer on network television, maybe the 15th letter of the alphabet can stand for more than just her name. Simply put, there’s a growing interest in organic gardening. This show will educate viewers on the basics, as well as the trials and tribulations of living an organic life.
Little House Off the Grid: This reality show will follow a family as they move off the grid to begin home gardening and farming while reducing their carbon footprint.
Gardening 101: As food prices continue to soar, many families would like to consider home gardening but are too intimidated. This educational show will introduce viewers to the basics of gardening and stewardship.
Landscaping 101: An expert designer will help unravel the mystery of good landscape design, especially for the home gardener who would like to beautify their property while keeping a lid on the expense.
Profiles in Gardening: It’s important to know our history, and here is a show that would recognize gardeners, past and present, who have left their mark on the garden.
Santa, this is only a guide. Feel free to add your own spin to these or any other show suggestions. Please understand that the gardeners of the world are desperate for quality gardening shows that are informative and inspiring.
Have a safe trip next weekend.
Best,
Kevin
Nitty Gritty Dirt Man 
Much to the chagrin of others, I’ve been known to drop a “c bomb” every now and then, but that was pretty darn cute!
Mario, the truth is Joe would have warned everyone with, “Nerd alert.”
oh I second Little House off the Grid. What a great concept. We’ve tried looking into various options to oil and electricity and there’s just not enough accessible info out there on this stuff. Great ideas!
Marguerite, thanks for the support. I think these ideas are definitely do-able — if only the production companies would listen to their potential viewers. Maybe Santa can work some magic!
Marguerite,
Try Mother Earth News, an oldie but goodie filled with “off the grid “ideas. Personally I think they went a bit too far with the last issue which had an article about how to have a do it yourself funeral complete with preparing the body and building the coffin, but that’s just me! It is a great magazine.
Michele, thanks for sharing ideas — I’ll also pass that along to Marguerite. Merry Christmas!
YES!!!! I’m also tired of the total lack of gardening shows. I don’t watch much TV but I would definitely plop my rear on the couch for some great gardening.
Absolutely! It’s a great way to spend some time during this cold, snowy time of year — and what’s so bad about sharing the joy of those who can still garden, either because of a warmer climate or a spring/summer filming schedule. Enjoy the holiday season.
Such great ideas, NGD. Let’s hope Santa is able to accommodate us.
Happy holidays!
Dawn, nice to hear from you. Perhaps if we all leave out some cookies and milk and home-grown flowers and vegetables for Santa. . .
These are all great ideas! I hope the executives of HGTV are reading this! They could have an entire season of new programming using your ideas!
I think a series of gardening ghosts should pay the execs a visit. It worked for old Ebenezer. 🙂
I know how you feel Kevin…I hope Santa is listening…lots of people would be pleased. My fave would be The Little House Off The Grid. Actually friends off mine live off-grid and have recently started a blog: http://www.willowarchway.wordpress.com . Check it out!
Bridget, I will definitely check out your friends’ site. I think it’s quite a commitment to make that decision, and I think it would be so interesting to watch a program about it. Even if people couldn’t go all the way, there are probably many little things we could all do — but we just don’t know where and how to begin.
I’d watch most of these shows if they were available. I still can’t quite fathom the lack of gardening on TV. Have the TV execs not seen the constrant stream of visitors to nurseries every weekend? There has to be a very large potential audience for them.
*Sigh*. Without gardening shows on TV I have to get my “gardening fix” from blogs.
Christine, I scratch my head all the time over the garden show drought. Like you, I look forward to snowy mornings and gardening blogs — especially from those gardeners living in warmer locations. Enjoy the holiday season.
Yes to more gardeing on TV wherever you live. Gardening programmes in the UK are taken off whenever there is an “important” sports event on. Now tennis I don’t mind but football/ soccer?! You can imagine what is going to happen when the London Olympics are on…
Hi Janet. I can almost understand when another show has to take pre-empt another — but here in the States, we have an entire network devoted to home and garden, but they have even lost sight of the garden. Absolutely frustrating. For the record, though, watching the Olympics is one of my guilty pleasures. Enjoy the season!
Kevin, don’t feel guilty about it. I slouch on the sofa for hours watching Wimbledon instead of doing the garden It’s the height of summer too! Shocking!
🙂 That is my dream day!
I so agree. Could they not give up just a couple of hours a week from almost non-stop House Hunters for some good gardening shows? (They actually don’t even show that many home decorating programs anymore.) I remember years ago the wonderful Gardener’s Diary with Erica Glasener. I think they may occasionally show it at 5 a.m.
BBC has produced a very interesting program, Landscape Man, which I’ve been able to watch on our So. African cable service. If you get BBC America, watch for it.
Cindy, thanks for the heads up. I’m going to check my local listings! And as much as I love House Hunters International, I do need some dirt.
From your blog to their ears Kevin. I do not even watch the crazy channel anymore with out the gardening shows.
Maybe Santa can spread the word. I make brief pauses when I channel surf — only to find ANOTHER home remodeling show. Ugh.
Great ideas for shows!!!
Hello amd thanks for your kind words. If only someone from a production company could figure out the formula that gardeners like gardening shows.
Fabulous ideas all, Kevin. If not H_TV, why not some competition for H_TV? Perhaps DIY would bite. Or, better yet, what does it take to start your own production company? I would venture to bet you could find investors 🙂
Have a beautiful Holiday!
Debra, nice to hear from you. Start my own production company? How would I have time to blog — thanks for the vote of confidence. Enjoy the Season.
I’m with Debra. Maybe we should just forget about H_TV and start our own GTV. Like Christine, I would watch all these shows. And thanks to Cindy for the heads-up about the program on BBC America (a network I stopped watching when they eliminated the evening news program that I was addicted to). Happy Holidays, Kevin; I hope Santa listens better than H_TV.
I think with all of our brain power and creativity, we could try our hand at television. Then again, who would tend to our gardens? Hmmmmmm.
I certainly hope you get some of the things on your wish list. The Secret Garden is a fantastic idea, who hasn’t passed an old abandoned farm house and wondered what it looked like, in its glory??
Hi — Glad you liked the ideas. I think it’s so interesting to uncover the past in a garden, to find old footpaths and walls, and to figure out what grew where. We’ll see what 2012 brings. Happy New Year!