Garden columns

**"Jessie Stephens" j*@texoma.net**

RE: "Almost every single newspaper in North America has a garden
column/section that is
a cliché.--i.e. crap."

I don't know how often you get a chance to carefully read almost every
single newspaper in North America, but it's clearly been a while since you
found your way to those in the North Texas area. Several papers here,
including the Sherman Democrat, which carries my column, and the Dallas
Morning News, which carries columns by Neil Sperry, Howard Garrett and H.R.
Stevens, are run by clearminded editors whose mandate directs them to
provide their readers with reliable and usable information. They don't
reward bad writing. They have little patience with old wives' tales or
anecdotes. "Essence of nature"...well, sure. Why not, once or twice a year?
They have a thumb on the reader's pulse.

Other North Texas papers, like the Wichita Falls Times and the Fort Worth
Star Telegram, often carry columns written by Cooperative Extension Agents
with university training in agriculture or horticulture, who, while they may
not call themselves "garden writers," can rarely be accused of turning out
sentimental cliches instead of hard information. They are accomplished at
"translating" scientific material into terms their audience can take to the
Home Depot with them. They are quietly filling the shoes of would-be garden
writers who are not able to figure out how to do the same or are waiting for
GWA to fill in the blanks for them.

Around here, the media--not only newspapers, but radio and television--take
gardening seriously. Gardening gurus are local heroes. Among us, we exercise
considerable power over the retail markets within our venues. We couldn't do
that if our columns were crap.

Jessie Gunn Stephens
Touring Texas Gardens
When to Do What in Your Texoma Yard and Garden
The Book Lover's Tour of Texas
Columnist, "In Your Backyard," Sherman Herald-Democrat

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeff Lowenfels" <jeff@gardener.com>
To: <gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 21, 2003 1:52 PM
Subject: [GWL] Re: gardenwriters Digest, Vol 8, Issue 30

Someone noted the obvious: most garden writing is crap. It sure is when it
comes to Newspapers and Magazines, that is for sure. .IMHO it is far too
often a mixture of "Old wives' tales "(is that term PC?) and ancetedotal
experiences. This is in part because so many of us garden writers are simply
folks who like to garden and fancy that we can write. That doesn't mean we
KNOW anything. It is also because many of us write about the "spirit" or
"the essence of nature and gardening." Toss in the editor's need for cute
headlines and the need for beautiful and tasteful, color pictures. Almost
every single newspaper in North America has a garden column/section that is
a cliché.--i.e. crap.

IMHO we need more science sessions at our GWA meets.

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