HGTV has two shows that I always try to catch, The City Gardener and Urban Outsiders. Both of these shows are hosted by a British guy named Matt James. What I love about his shows is that he always takes a decidedly modern approach and aesthetic to his garden solutions. Both shows center around urban/suburban yards and the results are consistently inspiring.
The City Gardener, is an import from the UK (all the homes featured are in London.) While watching these episodes, in the back of my mind, there was always that "Why does the UK always get the good stuff!?" but then came Urban Outsiders. Urban Outsiders found Matt James coming stateside and tackling small gardens in our very own Los Angeles area and some in New York. This series ran last fall, and one of the episodes was actually shot very close to me, here in Orange County, which is shown below.
The yard in question was a typical small rectangular one that you find in a majority of new developments. They called it a "mud pit." Matt James provided a great solution by adding pavers on a diagonal, which created a visual pathway and made the space feel larger. It also created little resting areas to place a barbeque and a small bench. Read more about the whole process with slideshow here.
Also: One of the homeowners who had their home on the show blogged about the whole experience. It's a lot of fun to see how it all went down from an insiders point of view. Read about the entire process here.
Has anyone ever seen this show?
All images from HGTV.com
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I was a loyal viewer but thought the show had gone off the air. I also garden and the thing that impressed me about Matt James is that he seems to know a LOT about dirt. Dirt is so under rated. The secret to a lush garden is dirt. It's not just about making things look pretty.
view HP's profile
I'm so glad this is being aired again. Matt seemed to understand each household's specific needs and designed for them, rather than thrust his agenda onto them. (And he's a pleasure to watch.)
view krister's profile
I enjoyed his show very much.
Not afraid to get down and dirty, his enthusiasm for - and knowledge about - gardening was often noted by his clients, who liked him more for this.
He worked on urban gardens with a range of problems and constraints, and his designs worked really well. The pictures above don't really do them justice, IMO.
view Flora's profile
Its funny, I've never watched any of these shows and it wasn't until I read this blog, that I am now considering watching. I work with HGTV and we have several shows on the network and its almost impossible to catch everyone of them. Lately, I have been really hooked on "Bought and Sold", I have always been interested in real estate and have always felt I would make a great agent! Its definitely exciting to see how crazy it is in the world of real estate. I am in the process of buying a bigger house with much more land to finally create a garden. I am now make the effort to tune in to Matt's shows and see what I can gain from them. For all of you who have ever considered real estate, check out "Bought and Sold" Sunday nights at 10pm on HGTV. Again I work with HGTV, and its all about Homes and Gardens 24/7, you gotta love it!!!
view faithfulfriend16's profile
We actually applied to the Urban Outsiders show, and the interesting fine print to the application is that you actually have to pay to be on the show! It says something to the effect of having $10,000 available to redecorate. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I always thought that cost to the participants was always free if you're lucky enough to be chosen on one of these shows?
view Rog's profile
Another Matt James fan here. His designs are always effective, original and ingenious. Loved the English original, loved the LA version too. If anyone at HGTV reads this: more Matt James, please!
view katlia's profile