P. Allen Smith

P. (Paul) Allen Smith (born March 12, 1960)^[1] is an American television show host and gardening expert.^[2] His television show P. Allen Smith's Garden Home is shown on PBS member stations and in syndication on other networks.^[3] In the half-hour episodes of the show, he travels to various gardens in many areas of the U.S. and Europe, to explain steps to create garden rooms for dining, entertainment, relaxation, or playing.^[3] Some episodes are filmed at the Garden Home Retreat, spanning over 500 acres (200 ha) at Moss Mountain Farm near Little Rock, Arkansas (US).^[2] He has also hosted 2 other TV shows titled as: "P. Allen Smith Gardens" and "P. Allen Smith's Garden to Table".^[2]

Life and work

Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, P. Allen Smith is a fourth-generation nursery operator. In college he majored in garden history and design at the University of Manchester in England, where he also studied English gardens that had been visited by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson in the 18th century.

After returning to the United States, he entered the nursery and garden-design business with his brother in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he focused on reviving interest in perennials. Smith also became a private tour guide and started teaching gardening workshops, which then led to appearances on local television shows. His earliest segments featured New Dawn Roses, which became widely popular with home gardeners throughout Little Rock.

Smith has also appeared frequently on The Weather Channel, the CBS Early Show, and other national TV programs teaching viewers gardening and design techniques. He has also written several books on gardening and contributes pieces to numerous publications including Woman's Day.

Home

Smith settled in Little Rock, Arkansas, in a colonial revival cottage which he purchased for 1 United States dollar and relocated to a 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m²) vacant lot in the historic Quapaw Quarter.^[2] The bargain price was contingent on Allen receiving permission from the local historical commission to move the home from its original site and restore it elsewhere in the city. The cottage and surrounding gardens are prominently featured in his books and television programs. He also built Moss Mountain Farm, also known as "The Garden Home Retreat," which is located on the banks of the Arkansas River.^[2] This colonial revival house was built incorporating green building techniques and features acres of gardens, orchards, vegetable beds and fields, and poultry and animal pens and buildings.

External links

• P. Allen Smith's Garden Home Website
• P. Allen Smith speaks at the National Book Festival (10/4/2003)
• "The Martha Stewart of the South", Kim Severson, The New York Times, 4 August 2010.

References

1. ^ P. Allen's Facebook page, facebook.com.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} "P. Allen Smith - The Viking Classic", www.vikingclassic.com, 2011, web: VC-GHR, noted "Overlooking the Arkansas River Valley, the Garden Home Retreat... 500 acres of a farm dating back to 1840."
3. ^ ^{a b} "P. Allen Smith's Garden Home", www.createtv.com, 2011, web: CTV-PASG.

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Name	Smith, P. Allen
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Date of birth	March 12, 1960
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