Cultivating a verdant venue
HGTV star draws crowds to annual expo
By Craig Collier, Special to My Life
September 3, 2009
Commercial Apperal Memphis, Tn
Just one look at the line of people waiting to get an autograph or have a picture taken with the headline speaker at the Southern Home and Garden Show on Aug. 15, and you would be quick to think the slight, graying man seated at the table was a former rock star or even a retired athlete. He was neither -- he is one of the best-known gardeners in America. A gardener with groupies? Not groupies, really, just a large group of very devoted fans.
HGTV host Paul James (seated) signed autographs, posed for photos, and discussed gardening with his fans for over an hour after his question-and-answer session at the recent Southern Home and Garden Show at the Agricenter.
Paul James, host of HGTV's "Gardening by the Yard," the popular gardening show recorded in James' backyard in Tulsa, Okla., had come to town, as he has for many years, to answer questions from gardeners who share his passion for attaining perfection in the garden.
As usual, James dispensed his advice with a liberal dose of humor sprinkled in. Eileen Honaker of Germantown asked, "When is the best time to prune a miniature Japanese maple?"
James' answer, "Mondays ... Mondays are always a good day for pruning a miniature Japanese Maple." Rim shot, please. The crowd laughed along with Honaker who quickly realized she asked the perfect question for the experienced speaker to get a laugh. After that, he answered Honaker's question seriously -- this man is a master gardener.
At one point in his presentation, James delivered some disappointing news: HGTV was not renewing the show for another season because they felt the demographics of gardeners did not meet their target audience. Later on, James explained his frustration, "the last time I looked at the stats from Yahoo, the hits on their Web site for searches under "vegetable gardening" were up 1,200 percent from the previous year. Right now vegetable gardening is the hottest topic in gardening and people are looking for guidance and advice." He is still hopeful his show will be picked up by a media outlet that showcases gardening.
"Today's television shows that feature gardening are all about landscape rehabs," he said. "The 'experts' show up and redo a yard using a $300,000 budget. These are shows for homeowners not gardeners."
Aside from James' two appearances on Aug. 15, this year's well-attended Home and Garden Show was heavy on remodeling and landscaping, as well as floor-care specialists, swimming pool contractors, and creative uses of ornamental iron and concrete.
Judging by the crowded aisles at the weekend show, home remodeling and renovation is a good reason to learn about better and different ways to improve the look of your home.
Craig Collier is a freelance writer and photographer.
