In Search of the Human Spirit

Home and Garden Television is looking for a few good landscapers and gardeners. HGTV gives them an opportunity to renovate a garden for their show “Landscape Smart”. Each week the show highlights a project. Homeowners work with professionals in landscaping and gardening for each episode.

Matt Akabane, of Tassajara Nursery, got a call from HGTV asking him if he’d like to be featured. He was pretty surprised since he had no idea he was being considered. He accepted the challenge: he had to create a garden for a 30 year old house in Lafayette, California. Akabane had to create the entire design which had to please the homeowners as well as the show’s producers. The homeowners gave their input–a garden that resembled a French country garden. Akabane then had two days to work on the garden.

Since the show provides a step-by-step process as to how the garden is created, Akabane was constantly being filmed. It takes about 24 hours of footage to create one 22 minute episode.

Tassajara Nursery is located in Contra Costa County, California. It’s been family run since 1979.