Sunday, October 01, 2006

Discovery Home Channel

 Aaaaaaaarrrghhh!!! even though it is no longer Talk like a Pirate Day, all I can say is aaaaaaaarrghhh. This morning I caught a show called Garden Police and  all I can say is aaargh.

The premise is that a couple of landscape designers knock on  the door telling the unsuspecting/surprised homeowners their landscaping is busted,  . . . but we are going to fix it in 2 days. This morning the show centered on the homeowners son. He had dug up the front yard over several months attempting to install a putting green . . . never finishing. There were piles of dirt, weeds, and dead grass covering the entire front yard . . . it had apparently been that way for several months, absolutely hideous.

So the Garden Police (along with homeowners, and said son) go about renovating the yard. In another of those cutesy type renovations: impractical, knick-knacky, maintainence nightmare jobs. Aaaaarghh!!!

I was actually asked by my wife to not watch these shows because the threat of where they send my blood pressure. This one about did me in. If they would spend some time on practical information, solid design principles (beyond, oh a nice picket fence here!), and less knick-knacky junk they might have something.

It might also help if the design looked like something beyond what a 3rd grader would draw-it is TV after all . . . shouldn't we be educating besides entertaining . . . . if this is entertainment give me boredom.

Also why do they show before and after in a Sesame Street tone, do the producers think we are 3rd graders??? Discovery Home Channel . . . . you're busted . . . .

Aaaarrrr!!!

8 comments:

Carol Michel said...

I've also given up watching all of these types of TV shows because they are soooo "dumbed down" and provide no information of use. If you watch, you have to laugh!

Unknown said...

I am more stimulated by what I read on the internet concerning horticulture than anything on the tube. The television shoes tend to dumb things down for the mass audience while the real action is on the web right here, right now!

Rick Anderson said...

I agree with both of you about the *dumbed down* thing. The problem is a lot of the consumeing public looks at this info as Gospel and needs re-educated.

This can be really frustrating, and/or very tedious.

Good to see you both remain positive about this!!!

Annie in Austin said...

We've never had cable television, and the more I read about what kind of programming is available for gardeners, the more sensible that decision seems.

The whole surprise factor seems incredible to me ... does anyone ever respond to these intrusions with violence? Like break the camera or anything?


Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Anonymous said...

Just dropped in. Like your stuff. I have to agree that most of the gardening shows have very little "meat" as far as content is concerned.

Garden Police is one of the few garden shows I watch. If you watch some more episodes (if your blood pressure isn't in jeopardy) you'll find the designs are varied and the information useful. The episode you caught was the very first show- they get better.

By the way, one of the designers, Shirley, has an extensive before and after journal of each garden makeover with plant lists and links to other educational sites on her web site. Her parnter, Michael is an award winning designer in Sacramento. They are the real deal. Maybe all of their knowledgeable bites were left on the editing room floor. Too bad for the viewer.

Rick Anderson said...

Okay Anon, I'll give 'em another chance. Before I never tune in again. Even though this is advice from Anon.

This isn't Shirley or Michael is it?

Annie in Austin said...

Rick, although I've never seen the show, I went to that Shirley Bovshow website with the photos of various projects, and descriptions of the whole show and redo process.

On women's appearance & fashion makeover shows, the befores usually look better to me, and there's some of that going on here - sure wish she'd have kept the rose, and left the curly evergreens at the nursery.

Apparently I'm too old-fashioned to appreciate these designs.
Here's the link.

http://www.shirleybovshow.com/

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Rick Anderson said...

Well I am going to have to go and check the website, I did not watch the show this weekend . . . . . . . I was working in my yard :)