“The word fuchsia is the world’s most carefully spelled flower.” – Jimmy Barnes
“To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Why be influenced by another person when you already are one?” – Martin Mull
“The worst part of success is trying to find someone who is happy for you.” – Bette Midler
WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND IN HORTICULTURE?
Thirty years of diggin’ in the dirt is my best credential. I did study botany and plant physiology in college, but chemistry was my thing. I actually won a national award in analytical chemistry. I got my master gardener’s certification in 1983, although I didn’t learn all that much. Back then, gardening was based exclusively on the use of synthetic chemicals, so whenever I tried to discuss organic alternatives, the instructor -- a horticulturist -- basically told me to shut up.
WHEN DID YOU BECOME AN ORGANIC GARDENER?
From day one, although I have to say that I’ve never been a fan of the term “organic.” After all, cobra venom is organic. So is kerosene. For lack of a better term, I guess I prefer natural gardening, even though that term makes me cringe as well. I suppose I could best be described as an organic, natural, biodynamic, French-intensive, fanatical gardener.
WHERE DO YOU BUY YOUR PLANTS?
I buy some plants and supplies from local retailers, but I buy the bulk of my plants and other gardening stuff online. There are all kinds of great plant purveyors online – many of whom are sponsors of this website.
DO YOU HAVE ANY HOBBIES OTHER THAN GARDENING?
I have a lot of interests. I love to cook, and often spend the entire day in the kitchen. I also love wine, especially with food.
I play guitar nearly every day, though I’m not very good at it. My taste in music is varied – from punk to opera -- but I’m a rock n’ roller at heart.
I love to fly fish, mostly for trout and smallmouth bass, and primarily in the Ozark region of northwest Arkansas. It’s beautiful there.
And I’ve been a martial artist for years. I started in college, lost interest for a while, and then began training seriously in 1994. I now hold a third-degree black belt in traditional Tae Kwon Do, and teach and train every week.
WHAT IS YOUR SIGN?
I’m a Virgo, and definitely an analytical type, perhaps to the extreme. However, I don’t believe in astrology. Sorry.
ARE YOU MARRIED?
Yep. Carrie and I got married in 1979. We have three kids: Spencer, Dalton, and Hannah. They’re all smart, funny, and a little weird. They’re great!
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN LIFE?
That’s easy – my family.
GOT ANY SECRETS YOU’D BE WILLING TO SHARE?
I like to sit down when I pee.
My Yard Spring 2009
Please define "Normal"
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW DID YOUR SHOW GET STARTED?
In the late 80s, I was asked to do a gardening segment on the local CBS affiliate in Tulsa, OK. I’d been gardening for ten years at the time, but I had no television experience. Still, I figured it couldn’t be all that difficult. Just look at the camera and talk, right?
The segments became a local hit, and a few years later I read an article about Scripps Howard Broadcasting’s plan to launch a cable network called HGTV. I called them, and they said that if I’d pay my way to their brand-spanking new headquarters in Knoxville, TN, they’d talk to me. So I did. The meeting went well, and I left with an order for my first series of “Gardening by the Yard.”
My pitch was fairly simple: I wanted to do a gardening show that was real (and that was before reality television, most of which I think is truly awful). I’d grown up watching shows in which the soil was always perfect, the plants were always pest and disease free, and the host never broke a sweat. They usually offered good information, but the gardening was too contrived. I wanted to change that. And I wanted the show to be fun.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN GARDENING?
When I was a kid, I visited my mother’s parents now and then on their farm in southern Arkansas. They were dirt poor, but they knew how to make things grow. And it’s a good thing, because otherwise they would have starved.
My grandfather would hitch his plow or manure spreader to an old horse named Maude, and I’d ride her through the fields, keeping an eye out for rattlesnakes.
My grandmother canned everything – beans, corn, squash – you name it. I spent hours on the porch with her, shelling black-eyed peas until my fingers ached, and churning butter – rich, creamy, unforgettable homemade butter.
Grandpa also raised hogs, and I learned early on that if you want to eat pork, you have to kill a pig. I’ll never forget watching him slaughter whole hogs, but I’m glad I witnessed the process, because since then I’ve never taken for granted where meat comes from. About the only thing I didn’t enjoy about farm life was the plumbing system – there wasn’t one!
My father maintained a large suburban vegetable garden, and I learned from watching him. However, by the time I was a teenager I began to lose interest in gardening. I was into baseball and chics.
Only when I got to college did I discover my real knack for making things grow. You see I had a spare closet in the house (dump) that I rented. I lined the walls with aluminum foil, wired in a grow-light, and…well, you get the idea.
DO YOU ACTUALLY DO ALL THE GARDENING?
Yes, I do all the gardening. A few years ago, I hired a company to mow the lawn, because it was taking me six hours to get the job done, and I’ve got better things to do with six hours. Besides, I’m not a lawn fanatic. And I’m not entirely convinced that mowing the lawn is actually a form of gardening.
ARE THE SHOWS REALLY SHOT AT YOUR HOUSE?
They are. In the early days, the entire show was taped at my house, but several years ago we began taking the show on the road. I wanted viewers to see gardens (and gardeners) from all over the country. However, at least one segment in each show is shot at my place.
WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
I live and garden in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was born in 1954 in Little Rock, Arkansas, but my parents moved to Tulsa when I was about a year old, and I’ve been here ever since. I’ve traveled to just about every state in the country, but I keep coming back to Tulsa. It’s one of the greenest cities I’ve ever seen, and it’s a great place to garden.
HOW BIG IS YOUR PROPERTY?
It’s about two acres. And it’s intensively planted. Maintaining it requires a tremendous amount of work and time, but I love the work and I have the time.
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND IN YOUR GARDEN?
It depends on my travel schedule, but lately I’ve been spending nearly every waking hour in the garden – at least 20 hours a week for the past eight weeks. As a result, I spend a fair amount of time in the hot tub too.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO TAPE A SHOW?
If all goes well, about three days. I sometimes envy those who tape in studios, where the lighting is fixed and the weather is always comfortable. Taping outdoors can be a nightmare. Trying to talk when it’s 8-degrees Fahrenheit outside, and trying to look halfway decent when it’s 105 isn’t easy. Still, I’d rather be outside than in. Besides, I don’t really care what I look like.
ARE THE MEMBERS OF YOUR CREW AS CRAZY AS THEY SEEM?
Trust me, they’re even crazier than they seem, but there are limits to what you can get away with on television. One of the greatest experiences of my career has been the opportunity to work with some very talented people. Most of the members of my crew have been with me for at least 10 years, and are like extended members of my family. Esther Ritter, my director of photography, and the woman responsible for the gorgeous images (and goofy faces) you see, has traveled from her home in California to Tulsa for 13 years. She’s a very special and very talented person.
YOU SEEM PRETTY DOWN TO EARTH. ARE YOU, OR IS THAT JUST HOW YOU APPEAR ON TELEVISION?
I think I am. I’m pretty normal. I’m an optimist. And I embrace life in a meaningful way. I’ve met other people in the television world who aren’t what they appear to be once the cameras have stopped rolling. That’s weird to me. In my case, what you see is what you get. And you can take it or leave it.
WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING FAMOUS?
I have no idea. It’s not like I’m Brad Pitt! To be honest, I describe myself as a B-grade cable television celebrity. What that means is that I can go through an airport and only be recognized by a handful of people rather than every single person. I like that. I feel sorry for people who are genuinely famous, because they have to give up a part of their life in exchange for those $20-million movie deals.
WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO WRITE A BOOK?
I’ve been asked that question at least a thousand times, and I’m now pleased to report that a book deal is in the works. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PLANT?
That’s a tough one. My favorite plant group, however, is conifers. I’m absolutely crazy for conifers. I also love succulents. And I plant a lot of ferns, Hydrangeas, Viburnums, Japanese maples, sumac (way underused in the garden, and not as invasive as most people think) – I could go on and on. About the only plant group I’m not all that into is roses, although I have planted the relatively new “Knock Out” roses, and they certainly live up to their name.
