Do you remember “A Gardener’s Diary” on HGTV? I sure as hell do. It was and is my favorite gardening show of all time.
Nothing comes close.
A show that focuses mostly on the plants (including their botanical names) and the unique story behind the owner of the garden is a recipe for perfection. I also loved the casual pacing of the show. It was like a peak in at a gentle stroll between visitor and garden owner. All we get today on TV is 22 minutes of a hyper makeover aimed at the coveted younger demographic.
Color me not interested.
Take a look at an old episode of the show here:
Ahhh, the good old days of HGTV.
Anyway, I was incredibly fortunate to interview the show’s host, Erica Glasener, on a recent podcast. She gave a ton of background on how she became the host of “A Gardener’s Diary”, the behind the scenes workings of the show, her path to becoming an esteemed horitculturalist and what she is up to now.
Awesome stuff.
To listen to our conversation, click here.
Enjoy.
I never got to see A Gardener’s Diary, but I loved Gardening by the Yard with Paul James and the older Curb Appeal shows.
Thank you for sharing the clip of Erica Glasener’s show and for the wonderful interview! I too miss that show and regret the current direction of HGTV. In fact, I’ve been watching whatever I can find of the British garden shows on YouTube in lieu of viewing yet more episodes on construction projects masquerading as gardening. With so many great bloggers expressing their love for gardening, I can’t fathom why HGTV doesn’t get that there’s an unserved market out there – in my own case, I wouldn’t be surprised to find I that my annual plant and gardening expenses are second only to my grocery expenses.
I totally remember A Gardener’s Diary, and miss it as well. I loved the tone & the pacing of it. It seems that now, the rare times there is a garden show, it’s got to include a cooking segment. I guess there are just not enough cooking shows on tv.
A Gardener’s Diary was a wonderful show. A Garden Journal aired on HGTV at around the same time. Those two together with Paul James’ Gardening by the Yard were the best garden shows HGTV ever offered. I’ve been getting my fix from Gardeners World on BBC via YouTube. I love Monty Don’s accent and his golden retriever, Nigel.
I was heart broken when they took her show off the line up on that station , it was the beginning of the end for all of us I believe. I still look for Erica and any news of her return , as for any of her older shows , we all lost out when they discontinued her show !! I even loved the theme music to ” A Gardener’s Diary” Does anyone know the name or any info on where I could find it ? Please let it be known to us all ,,,, Thank you Erica and to all the Gardner’s of the world !!