Looking for a great garden / landscape show on TV? Good luck.
They’re about as rare as a lawn without gophers.
Even the “G” in HGTV has largely become a misnomer in recent years. And that kills a lot of horticultural enthusiasts, including Gary Gragg from the Bay Area, who used to host a series on the cable channel called Superscapes.
“These shows have become an endangered species,” he says. “Now it’s mostly all about renovation programs.”
Somewhere along the way, a network suit clearly determined that a wall torn to pieces made for more eye-catching, dramatic television than watching tulip bulbs planted in beautiful, neat rows. Imagine that.
Gragg suggests that viewers go to YouTube instead, where many green thumb experts offer how-to videos. In fact, Gragg runs a series called “True Plant Stories”.
“You get better depth of content,” he says. “And you can find out exactly what you want instead of watching a 30-minute show and hoping they’ll talk about a topic you’re interested in.”
It makes an excellent point, but we still wanted to investigate the television and streaming options to see what exactly is landscaping and / or landscaping these days. Here are five that caught our eye:
“The great flower fight”
If you think flower and plant related activities should be blissfully Zen-like avoid this quirky British reality series. But if you want to watch a group of eccentric flower sculptors step into a massive thunder dome and prostrate themselves in a stressful, breakneck, totally insane competition then you definitely have it.
In each episode, teams of two are challenged to create stunning works of art – including colossal bugs and marine animals – from flowers, shrubs, grasses and other materials.
It adds a lot of moody and visual glare, but it’s not all flowery fun. While the winners of the challenge are classified as the “best in full bloom”, the losers who are eliminated are unfortunately relegated to the “compost heap”.
Where to see: The first season of eight episodes is currently streamed on Netflix. www.netflix.com/title/81046153.
Chris Lambton and Sara Bendrick from Lawn & Order. (DIY)
“Lawn & Order”
This series, which wins our trophy for all-time best title, features landscape architects Sara Bendrick and Chris Lambton giving some love to neglected front gardens in hopes of increasing property values.
“Sometimes when a house can’t be sold, the reason is right in front of you,” is the mantra of the series.
And so you call the tractors, chainsaws and other noisy devices when driveways are improved, trees are sheared and overgrown lawns are torn out. Then bring the improvements with you – such as garage doors, flagstone walkways and “calming” water features. And, oh yes, some lovely flowers and trees.
The result? Homeowners love it. The attractiveness of the curb is increased. And Lambton tries his best to resist the urge to remind us that he finished second in season 6 of “The Bachelorette”.
Where to see: HGTV, DIY, and Hulu; www.hgtv.com/shows/lawn-and-order
Jamie Durie, host of “Backyard Takeover”. (HGTV)
“Backyard Takeover”
The sympathetic Australian Jamie Durie hosts this series, which basically takes the “Lawn & Order” concept and moves it to the hideous areas behind the houses.
Sure, things get a little hokey when Durie does Crocodile Dundee, cutting his way through overgrown weeds and bushes with a huge machete with a completely straight face like he’s piercing the outback. (Come on, buddy!).
On the other hand, we admire the way he does his own stunt work. By the way: In one episode, Durie falls from a tree with a chainsaw. In another, he deals with a pushy alligator – yikes! – In a Florida courtyard.
We also admire how he deeply engages the homeowners and their children in the four day facelift projects. For example, they have to camp overnight in their yards to reconnect with the environment. But not the alligators.
Where to see: HGTV, Discovery +, and Hulu; www.hgtv.com/shows/backyard-takeover
The landscapers from “Backyard Envy”. (Bravo)
“Backyard envy”
Leave it to Bravo, the cable network that put America under the Real Housewives franchise, to find a way to add soapy drama and conflict to a garden show.
The series follows long-time friends James DeSantis, Garrett Magee, and Melissa Brasier, the founders of a New York exterior design and landscaping company called Manscapers (no kidding. That’s the real name).
They transform “backyards from hell” into wondrous rooms. But they also invite us into their personal lives (Melissa is afraid of cancer), into the tensions over the future of the company (with many heated arguments) and even into some romantic problems.
Our opinion? We appreciate the way the show educated us about Arborvitae trees, but it also waited for us to pick up needles and pens to see if Garrett’s longtime partner would accept his proposal.
Where to see it: Bravo and Hulu; www.bravotv.com/backyard-envy
“Love your garden”
By now, you’ve surely figured out that most TV gardening shows don’t delve that deep into actual gardening.
When this legendary British series launched in 2011, it did just that. Scotsman Alan Titchmarsh visited beautiful locations across the UK and shared tips on planting, watering, fertilizing and pruning while teaching viewers how to “get real flower power in brings the garden ”.
The show eventually succumbed to the makeover and began reinterpreting not only gardens but structural landscape features as well.
However, “Love Your Garden” brings a tearful, lovable twist to the genre – it directs its transformation efforts towards needy and deserving people. (For example, in one episode, Titchmarsh and his team helped a family cope with the sudden loss of their son.)
So the program has a feel-good atmosphere that others may lack. Even Titchmarsh’s dulcet tones put us in a mild mood and ready to smell the roses.
Where to see: Selected episodes are available on Amazon Prime. Also BritBox and ITV.com.
