Kim and I visited the “Yard Crashers” Tampa renovation this morning, where work got underway about 8:30. It’s easy to see how they can completely transform a yard in 48 hours. They have their own folks, but they also hire local companies and tell the homeowners to invite friends and family to provide manual labor.
With all that muscle, they can do in a few hours what would take me weeks!
That’s show host Ahmed Hassan in the center, with homeowner Brooke Iarossi’s mom, Colleen Keane next to him and Brooke in the pink top facing the camera to the right.
Kim and I were both impressed with how much Ahmed throws himself into the job. He works! He also barks orders (a friendly bark, but by no means a gentle invitation), and he seems to really get into the job at hand.
But what impressed me the most? He recognized me! Our brief lap encounter on Sunday must have made an impression. Lesson here: If you want someone to remember you, blather, stutter and, as a last resort, show him the scratches on your arms from pruning. Gross is always memorable. And if you’re perched on his/her thigh all the better.
Not long after we arrived, we heard a scream and shouts from behind the big camphor tree (not an oak as I originally thought) in the middle of the yard. People went running in all directions and Ahmed, dangling what looked like a small snake, chased Brooke (screaming) across the yard with it.
“What IS that?” I asked as he held it up for the cameras. On close inspection, it sure didn’t look like a snake.
“Earthworm,” he said. “Want to hold it?”
Of course I wanted to. The rare, anemic little earthworms I unearth in my sandy garden are pure treasure. I love worms! So yup, here I am holding Ahmed Hassan’s giant worm while the DIY cameras roll. (Didn’t Kim get a great shot? And why is it I always find myself in compromising positions without even trying!)
On to the details that y’all really want to know! We learned today that the show’s producers research local companies on-line before they come here and hire them to do a lot of the nitty-gritty planning and work. So for all of you wondering where the plants are coming from, that’s TropicScapes Landscape Design & Installation. It was their guy, Mac Garner, who produced the detailed plan.
The lead contractor is Jason Smith from Outdoor Impressions, which specializes in hardscape—pavers, outdoor kitchens, that sort of thing. He used a free on-line program SketchUp, to produce 3-D illustrations of the different elements. He says you can use this for plant planning, too. It has a whole database of plant images. (I will definitely give it a try!)
This is the water feature they’ll be installing. The black, looped lines indicate the fountains’ spray.
Because the big camphor tree in the middle of the yard provides a lot of shade, there won’t be a lot of turf. But there will be plants many of us know well. Bird of paradise, some of them 8 feet tall, will be focal points in some clusters, surrounded by Hawaiian tis, including varieties called Bolero bicolor and Auntie Lou. (I didn’t know there were varieties of ti!)
The existing tangerine tree will be encircled with rocks from the yard and recycled concrete and Super Blue Liriope. The existing chain-link fence will be covered with wood panels and Confederate jasmine. Variegated flax lily (big favorite among Dirt readers), purple impatiens, Chinese fan palms, Asian jasmine and arboricola are among the other plants being used. Bromeliads will go under the camphor tree. And it will all be covered with 108 bags of mulch. (Darn it, I didn’t look to see what kind of mulch!) But they’re not adding compost or other soil amendments, which I found interesting. I guess the giant earthworms indicate it’s good dirt?
(Ahmed said that worm was so big because there was a ton of dog poop in the yard. Do I need a dog? Or two?)
Here’s the mulch and everything else, including what’s left of the tin shed that was the yard’s main feature, all sitting in the front yard.
The yard will also get an outdoor kitchen and big grill.
An interesting note: The Iarossis had told the “Yard Crashers” crew they’ve been in their home for five years and hadn’t done anything in the yard. That’s understandable—young couple and now they have a 9-month-old baby. But watching Brooke and her friends “raking,” I wondered if they might be just posing for the cameras. They were tapping the ground with the rakes. Literally. Tap, tap, tap.
I looked around and, no, the cameras were all on the other side of the yard. So what were they doing?
As I was watching, apparently Ahmed was, too. He appeared out of nowhere, took Brooke’s rake, and gave her a quick lesson in raking.
Which makes me wonder—how long will the landscape portion of this makeover last?
On a last, personal note, Kim is a longtime fan of this show, so I had to get a picture of her interviewing Ahmed. (She’ll have something in the Tribune on Sunday.) I think it’s important to note that she did not wear the dress (unusual attire for her) in anticipation of meeting one of her favorite gardeners. She was wearing it, and she won’t like me sharing this, because she was going to a Gordon Lightfoot concert tonight.
“For my husband!!”
(That was what she said to everyone at work today who asked why she was wearing a dress—and then, why a Gordon Lightfoot concert?)
Ahmed thought she was Janna, who went with me to Lowe’s on Sunday when they were searching for the makeover winner. Kim was very flattered, Janna.
He can’t say I didn’t warn him.
When I asked my husband to trim the bougainvillea on Saturday, he didn’t hesitate to get up on the ladder and start hacking away.
He didn’t seem to notice that the bougainvillea was hacking back.
“You might want to change into a long-sleeve shirt,” I said, having done battle with the bougie many times before.
But he didn’t want to take the time. And so …
That’s what he looks like today. Ouch.
Right after he finished, Rick ran up to Lowe’s to get me several bags of mulch (yes, he really is a great husband), and two customers kidded him about the scratches. They recognized the culprit right away—he didn’t even have to tell them it was a bougainvillea.
One guy suggested he try welders gloves because they have a long protective cuff, or gauntlet. I started looking online and came across these Bionic Rose Gauntlet gloves for both men and women at http://www.therosegardener.com.
They’re on sale right now for $38 (usually $45). That’s kind of pricey, I know, but come on. Look at those arms!
I’m already hearing from some of the people who had SO hoped they’d win the “Yard Crashers” landscape makeover today. They are truly disappointed.
The one family that’s not is the Iarossis of Ballast Point Boulevard. For their very long day, they’re going to get their big, empty yard transformed. This is Tom, Brooke and Isabella (on the right) in their yard. The woman on the left is part of the “Yard Crashers” team.
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Here’s what DIY Network program director Ross Babbit emailed about them tonight.
“Brooke works in medical sales. Tom is a project manager for commercial construction. Daughter is Isabella, 9 months old. Been in the house almost 5 years. Have done a lot of indoor projects, but the yard is a MESS!! Nasty grass, shed and patio in shambles. Dog poop everywhere.
“They’re fans of the show, and heard we were coming a few days ago.”
I’m really curious about what they’ll come up with for the yard, which is pretty big. It has a beautiful oak tree, and apparently a citrus tree or two. In the back, you can see a metal shed.
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Here’s another view. It’s definitely what show host Ahmed Hassan said he was looking for—something pretty bare, a blank canvas, that could produce some startling before-and-after images.
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The couple showed up at Lowe’s on South Dale Mabry at 8 this morning. I’m betting they had one long day, because when I left about 10 a.m., there was a long, long line of people, and Ahmed and the producers had promised them that someone would speak to every single one. Ross says, all totaled, 400 to 500 people came out.
Usually, the “Crashers” crew—Ahmed and the producers—find their winner in about three hours, then head to the person’s home in the afternoon. Ross said he’d let me know when they had that winner, so I could meet them at the house.
But it all took a lot longer than usual because they switched up how they usually operate. Ahmed usually pops into a home-improvement store and “ambushes” unsuspecting shoppers. As it plays on TV, he has trouble talking any of them into letting him into their yard. Definitely not the case today!
The “Yard Crashers” folks didn’t have a plan for dealing with this twist, and it seemed like they really wanted to show everyone some appreciation for showing up. They finally picked the Iarossis at about 6 p.m.—- a half-hour before I was due at Mom’s for Sunday night dinner with the clan. So, yeah, I didn’t go to the Iarossis. When Mom says “Dinner at 6:30,” she’s not fooling around.
Monday and Tuesday are planning days for the “Crashers.” Wednesday and Thursday are work days. I’m hoping to get an idea of what they plan to do on Tuesday, and I’ll visit the house Wednesday and Thursday.
That yard looks like it has lots of potential. Anyone want to guess at what they’ll put in it? And what do you want to know when I follow up with them this week?
Don’t forget to turn us on at 6 p.m. tonite for the Oscar fashion low down. It’s going to be a snarky good time as we provide a run down on all the red carpet fashion. It’s supposed to rain, so you know there’s going to be some wacked-out fashion on the red carpet. Who will be best-dressed? Who will be worst-dressed? Who shouldn’t of even gotten dressed? We’ll give it all to you—so grab your Oscar beverage, some snacks and tune in for the fun starting at 6 p.m. SEE YOU AT TBO.com Keyword OSCARS!
I’m just gonna put it right out there: Ahmed Hassan is one hot landscape architect. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.
He utterly charmed the crowed at the South Tampa Lowe’s during his “Yard Crashers” visit this morning—even as he struggled to figure out how to handle a major twist in his show’s format.
“He’s so cute! So bubbly!” I overheard Ami Cameron telling her friend Caryn Magherusan. “He’s as adorable as he is on TV.”
“Tell me he doesn’t look like the president,” the Lowe’s greeter said.
“Yard Crashers” (view it here) usually is filmed in California. The show has the energetic landscape architect ambushing unsuspecting shoppers at a home improvement store. He chats them up and tries to persuade them to let him come home with them. A few days later, he does a major yard renovation in 48 hours, with help from the homeowners.
But for the Tampa visit, there were no unsuspecting shoppers. The show’s producers advertised Ahmed’s appearance ahead of time—an experiment, said DIY Network’s program director, Ross Babbit—and the twist threw the handsome host for a bit of a loop. There would be no stalking shoppers through the aisles—they were all standing right in front of him begging to be crashed.
“What should I do?” he implored the group outside the front doors. “How do I do this?”
Finally, he came up with a plan. “Get in the store!” he told them, laughing. “I’m going to breakfast. Go do some shopping!”
Of course, he didn’t leave. He went inside and tried to interview some of the hopefuls. No, not this man—at least not while FOD Janna Begole and I were there.
Yes, this one, among others.
But that approach didn’t seem to satisfy him, either.
“How’s this gonna work?” he asked the crowd that orbited him wherever he moved. “This is crazy!”
As the crashee-hopefuls lumbered after him down the lumber aisle, it was decided he’d set up a table right there, have everyone line up, and he’d talk to each person. Someone found a table and Ahmed grabbed two buckets of drywall compound off a shelf for a chair.
(“Can I get you a chair?” one of his crew asked repeatedly as he hefted buckets. “I’ll get you a chair!”
“I actually do have a booty,” he told her)
Mm-hmm.
The line quickly grew. And grew and grew and grew. I made that observation to Ross. It looked like they might be there till Christmas.
He said if his celeb host had anything to do with it, they would.
“He really likes to talk to people. It pains him not to talk to everyone who’s come out to see him,” Ross said. “The producers will have to get in his way.”
It looked like it would take awhile anyway, so Janna and I decided to head out. (Ross is supposed to let me know the winner today. I’ll update.)
But first, a little professional consultation was required. I guess Ahmed had heard Florida gardening is a challenge, so he had a little tete-a-tete with a truly challenged Florida gardener.
Yup, me. And you’ll have to guess what I was sitting on.
Bacon’s tired. Seriously. It’s had about enough.
After two or three years of serious overuse, bacon could use a very nice vacation in the Cayman Islands. Maybe a cabana down by the beach. You know, so it could watch the dolphins frolic.
It’s understandable.
Right around 2008, Everyone on planet Earth decided bacon needed to be included in as many edible and non-edible items as possible.
Spinach salad? P’shaw. Too simple.
BLT sandwich? What is this, culinary preschool?
The last two years has seen an eruption in bacon love, almost to the point of pork-induced nausea.
We got bacon ice cream, bacon salt, bacon candy, bacon soap. We got bacon bandages, bacon wallets, even a so-called “Bacon Explosion,” the recipe for which called for wrapping 2 pounds of thick-cut bacon around a 2-pound roll of Italian sausage, slathering it with barbecue sauce, sprinkling it with barbecue rub and then throwing it on the grill. The only thing missing was a defibrillator and a diaper.
The momentum continues to this day. We ate a seared scallop the other night at a food festival in Tampa that was topped with bacon brittle. No offense, scallops, but that’s like Superman riding piggyback on Batman‘s shoulders. Each does fine on its own, thankyouverymuch. Co-mingling really isn’t necessary.
Even the hilarious premise of “Six-Degrees of Kevin Bacon” got old, and we liked Kevin Bacon. A lot. Perhaps too much. At least that’s what the restraining order would indicate.
Let’s face it, bacon’s pooped.
If we can agree that bacon is the Joe Montana of food, it could stand for a culinary Steve Young to come off the bench and win another championship. It could use a substitution right about now, a breather if you will.
What’s as good as bacon? Well, nothing.
We’ve already worn out vodka. Coffee was fetishized to the point of using fake Italian to place an order. Cupcakes went all cute and gourmet and Barbie on us. Wolfgang Puck took pizza to its logical conclusion. Burgers were so much fun, we turned them into sliders, a food previously fit for only drunk freshmen and plasma donors. And we probably all can agree that we collectively got a little stupid about balsamic vinegar for about 20 minutes in the mid-1990s. These things happen.
But if we had to choose the Next Great Food for America to Exault, there are a few possibilities which could take a little heat off bacon:
CHOCOLATE
Why we should love it as much as bacon: Come on, it’s chocolate. Anything that allows you to mold it in the form of bunny ears so you can gnaw them off and create a disfigured woodland creature on Easter has to be thought of as an all-time beloved foodstuff.
Why we probably won’t: Chocolate has a tendency to cost more per pound than an Escalade. And while the status of “What kind of chocolate can you afford” has its appeal to many people, they’ll still be just dandy throating a Baby Ruth instead of some incredibly dense 90 percent cacao bar that was harvested by a tribe of Amazonian virgins. You can only push chocolate so far before people cry, “Hershey!”
SALT
Why we should love it as much as bacon: For one, it’s a basic building block of life. We need it to make it through a day on earth. Second, salt’s flavor is so good, it makes bacon taste better. That’s like giving an Academy Award to another Academy Award. (Oh, to ponder the acceptance speech…)
Why we probably won’t: Salt is in the process of being demonized by government officials who act as if its harmfulness can be measured on a scale somewhere between plutonium and Lindsay Lohan. By our watches, it won’t be long until the Sodium Police start frisking us at ballgames for overly-salted sunflower seeds. When only criminals have salt… well, you know the rest.
TEQUILA
Why we should love it as much as bacon: Tequila makes everything better. Even divorce. Seriously though, ultra-refined, high-grade tequila is one of the finest beverages on the planet. Pure. Delicious. Borderline precious. And it pairs well with everything. Especially divorce. What? Huh? What’s all this divorce talk? When did that come up?
Why we probably won’t: If you think salt is an endangered species, alcohol is like a polar bear on a melting ice cap. Tequila is as bad as whiskey which is as bad as beer which is as bad as [continue run-on sentence premise here]. Tequila aficionados, we applaud you, but you’re on your own from here.
DOUGHNUTS
Why we should love it as much as bacon: As Homer Simpson knows, there’s nothing doughnuts can’t do. Sure, they hit a bump a decade ago as everyone went all anti-carb, but they’ve started to make a comeback as an artisanal baked good. Why? Because they’re doughnuts. And that’s a good enough reason.
Why we probably won’t: Unlike bacon, you can’t hide behind an Atkins sign with a crueler in one hand and a Bear Claw in the other and scream, “THESE DOUGHNUTS ARE ON MY DIET!” If that day comes, then sure. Load up on the buggers. Until then, fried bread covered in sugary love probably will remain a go-to snack-food only for AA meetings and cop shops. It’s a tragedy sad enough to make us cry tears of delicious jelly filling.
Greenfest is coming up March 27-28, and it’ll be the topic for The Tribune’s Getaway section front on March 21. And now, thanks to you all, I know what we’ll do: Tips from Greenfest veterans to help the uninitiated be prepared.
I’m thinking a lot of people who don’t normally go to plant fairs will give them a try this year as they replace their frozen landscape plants. It can be kind of overwhelming. I remember my first plant festival—it never occurred to me that, with just two hands, I could buy just two plants. (I did save a lot of money that year.)
So any and all Dirt readers, if you have a tip for Greenfest in particular or plant fairs in general, would you post it here as a comment? Don’t worry if it sounds like a no-brainer. As the example of my own experience illustrates, there is no such thing.
Thank you!
Thursday night “Project Runway” favorite and Tampa’s own Ben Chmura was at Nieman Marcus’ Spring kickoff party talking fashion. Unfortunately, he didn’t show anything from his collection, but he did share his must-haves for the upcoming Spring season (which according to our trusty groundhog, should be here any minute). They include animal prints, short shorts, denim leggings, ethnic prints and Lucite jewelry.
“If I had to pick my top trend, it would be ethnic prints,” said Chmura, as lines of fans waited patiently to meet him. “They’re hip and make a bold statement, and women from 20-year-olds to 50-year-old year olds can wear it.”
And the hem line for Spring? As high as you’ve ever seen. And shorts? the shorter the better. Time to get those gams to the gym.
Also on hand was chic home-designer Jay Strongwater, who is as talented as he is nice. He showed some amazing pieces from his “Hot House Collection,” which features flowers at their most lush. We’re talking B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L pieces for the home including a dazzling 63,000 crystal and gem stone chandelier priced at $40,000, a fireplace screen, $15,000, and things I can afford like picture frames for around $85. And yes, Strongwater’s pieces were selling very well.
Waiters and waitresses dressed in black walked around all evening offering wine, salmon bites, bruschetta, chicken and other wonderful foods, while patrons shopped to their hearts content and enjoyed a Spring fashion show. Mixer DC prepared some awesome pink and blue martinis, while Cakes Plus indulged patrons with the most sinful and beautiful desserts imaginable. And the folks at theflipbookpeople.com, a mobile flipbook studio that transforms a seven-second video into a pocket-sized book in a few minutes, treated everyone to free flipbooks. Too much fun!!!!
We also met local boy band 10th Concession (check them out below, they’re adorable) that rocked the crowd, despite being set-up in front of the handbag display.
If you missed it, check out the fashion, food and fun below.
Local boy band 10th Concession rocks the house.
The beautiful Nancy Vaughn, Ben Chmura, and hubby, Robert Pappadeas-Chmura
The uber-talented and gracious home designer Jay Strongwater
The fabulous Germaine Gibbs, model and owner of AWA Spa in Tampa, wows the crowd in Spring’s must-have denim leggings, leather shorts and colorful animal prints
A delectably sinful dessert spread from the folks at Cakes Plus—Yummy!!!!
Sales associate Victoria Piloseno - in front of some of Strongwater’s pieces - told us all about Strongwater and his collection
DC - yes, that’s his name - mixes up some mean blue and pink martinis during the festivities
I couldn’t resist showing off this picture of Vaughn, me, and fashionista Sara Minton just because were stylin’ and proflin’...
I’ll be hanging out with fashion designer and “Project Runway” contestant Ben Chmura tonight at Neiman Marcus’ spring kickoff party. While it’s an invitation-only event, I’ll be at the event with my colleague and newsroom fashionista, Sara Minton, tweeting live from the festivities at http://www.twitter.com/cloecabrera and taking lots of pictures to post Friday, so be sure and check back. Jewelry designer Jay Strongwater will also be there showing off some Spring bling. Stay tuned.
He couldn’t have picked a better time to crash in.
Ahmed Hassan of DIY’s “Yard Crashers” landscaping show will be at the Lowe’s store in South Tampa at 9 a.m. Sunday looking for a needy homeowner he can ambush.
Aren’t we all feeling a little needy right now?
If you haven’t seen “Yard Crashers,” Hassan walks around a home improvement store until he finds someone willing to take him home to do a two-day yard makeover. Usually, his victims are just there to shop, and often they’re skeptical. In the end (surprise!), they can’t believe their good fortune when they get a fantastic new patio or deck and landscaping.
This is one of those shows where the homeowners get to pitch in (I say “get to” because I think it would be worth the sweat equity to learn some stuff from the pros), and they are encouraged to have their friends and family help out, too.
Hassan isn’t just a pretty face like some other TV hosts, he actually knows his stuff. He’s a licensed landscape contractor.
If you’re looking to have your devastated yard turned back into a thing of beauty – or if you never quite got it where you wanted even before our awful winter – you might want to head over to Lowe’s at 4210 S. Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa on Sunday and see if you can catch Hassan’s eye.
The show will air during DIY’s first-ever premiere “Crash Week,” July 5-9.
“Yard Crashers” currently airs at 9:30 p.m. Mondays on DIY. Older episodes also air at 9 a.m. Sundays on HGTV.
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