The Unreality of "Reality" TV II

In The Unreality of “Reality TV" I wrote how these shows, while they are no doubt great for the landscape industry—specifically the design side of the industry—tend to, at times, give a rather distorted view of the overall time a project can take from start to finish. In our “fast food” way of life these days that can pose a challenge.

Recently on a business networking web site I follow a fellow landscape industry professional asked the question, “What is the consensus among the landscape professionals here about TV Landscaping, such as found on HGTV and DIY networks?”

The answers were wide and varied and reflected both the positive and negative aspects of these shows. Here is a small sampling of some of the comments:

Bill from Texas wrote, “Don't get me going on this one. My wife leaves the room when I watch these shows. She cannot stand my reaction to some of the things that are done. Poor construction methods, poor planning, poor material choices. It would be very interesting to revisit some of these projects 4-5 years after they are built to see how they are aging.”

Kyle from Arkansas wrote, “I would like to see more water management, storm water run off to efficient irrigation. More native plants. Promotion of sustainable practices. Our approach to landscaping should be changing and these shows should be educating the general public to encourage these changes.”

Douglas from Minnesota wrote, “Here is my reality in MN these days: people expect you are in the mood to slash your prices to meet their budget if you want to win their project. I am not buying this. I can only lose money if I "win" as low bidder in this kind of war. Frankly, I'd rather lose to someone who can do it for less. Then I am losing less money by running around with my crew, equipment and materials only to be NOT making my expenses. Customers seem motivated by how little they can pay a contractor to get their project installed.” He went on to say that, “ We have a client in one of our Twin Cities metro suburbs that is quite exclusive. They are obviously quite successful with careers that provide them with substantial income to just afford the taxes on this property. We came in with a small project to install some stone steps and path and patio, plus some native ground cover plants to reduce their frustration with trying to grow lawn on the dry, sandy soil their home is surrounded with. so, what happened? We prepared a simple plan, at no charge, to show how to address their concerns, with a projected budget. They asked for prices for materials vs. labor. At that point, I knew they were looking for the option of doing it themselves.”

Angela, a designer from Orange County stated, “Guys - I have to say that selling the viewing public on the idea that big landscape differences can be executed on a landscape for practically a song and dance with help from your friends is simply misleading. On the job, we all meet with clients and EVERY time they have a reaction of 'surprise' to learn what real projects actually cost, and how much time they actually take.

Can I also add that there is not enough time taken, or interest invested with who the project is for - the client.”

Interestingly there were also some positive comments including Walter from Richmond, Virginia who wrote, “Taking a positive from a negative I like that these shows spark so much interest in landscaping. No different then having to fight all of my non profit competitors in the area I have to spend a lot of time modifying folks initial thoughts in order to put together a plan that falls within their budget.

As much as I found myself in shock while watching these shows, for most of the reasons already listed, I must admit though that I have taken a lot of ideas from them.
Have fun with it !! They are doing a good job of making us look like experts.”

Andy from Philadelphia wrote, “You have to take the good with the bad. These shows get some people thinking they can do a huge project over the weekend with a few friends HA!. I agree with Walter, the shows do provide some ideas and they do, in most cases, talk about this industry as a profession which many still do not consider it. Angela's comments about the lack of the "customer" interaction is right on.

Whether a project is successful or not goes to how well we listened to our clients and what kinds of questions we ask to draw out the real truth.
We all make decisions in business. Do we agree to landscape the model house while chasing the carrot to get the rest of the development? Do we put on our own build a back yard room in two to three days? Do we begin to compete on price? Do we let anyone, or any show, tell us how to run our business? There are a lot of decisions to make and questions to be answered. I am sticking to my business plan and not worrying about carrots and sticks.”

Gregg from Columbus noted, “The set up for the shows is all about good intentions. However, they cannot address the many concerns the property owner can't even begin to understand unless they have been trained and schooled in the industry as we all have. He goes on to say that, “...we (THE INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS) have to raise the expectations of the industry and understand (AND EDUCATE) the fact that there are consequences for the money we spend or don't spend. Do it right the first time! Will it turn a 100% switch, probably not, but the turnaround is all about quality in the long run. Manage expectations!!”

Jen from the Chicago area was very succinct in her comments saying, “I watch them for fun. I don't consider these shows as sources of information, just entertainment.”

Brian also from the Columbus, Ohio area commented: “They do get people to start thinking about landscaping or outdoor living and sometimes that's nice to get the ball rolling for them to call. However, I have been called out to several homes to fix something because "that's how they did it on TV". But I do like how it generates interest for the industry.”

I was actually quite glad that this question was asked of other landscape professionals beside just designers. It gave me a chance to see just exactly how others in our profession view these shows. It gave me a chance to learn about the challenges these shows can present to others which surprisingly aren’t too much different from my own.

As I previously mentioned I find these shows to almost be a necessary evil for the landscape industry as a whole and designers specifically. These shows can introduce new concepts and ideas in landscaping as well as new installation techniques that we can all learn from.

Home and garden shows highlight our craft and industry and inform serious clients that their personal space has a tremendous potential.
There are many ways these “reality” TV shows can be looked at kind of like a glass half-full/half-empty approach. I’m confident that this is one of the main points I took away most from this conversation.

I think it is important to focus on the fact that home and garden shows can be wonderful tools in introducing potential clients to a whole host of ideas and techniques that will eventually benefit not only the client, and the landscape industry but our individual businesses as well.

I do have one major request when it comes to most of these home and garden shows and that would be if they could somehow find a way to remind folks designers don’t work for free!