Green Thumbs on the Small Screen

A camera crew from Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Network's reality show, "King of Dirt," spent Thursday afternoon shooting scenes for upcoming episodes at Sanguiliano Garden Center and Nursery, located on Route 22 East in Scotch Plains.

"King of Dirt" documents the landscaping projects undertaken by Gino's Crew, a landscape design company based in Staten Island and headed by brothers Gino and Ralph Panaro. In addition to detailing the Panaros' work, each half-hour-long episode includes footage of Gino's wife, Gina, shopping for shrubbery and accessories, which was the focus of the filming done at Sanguiliano Garden Center and Nursery yesterday.

"['King of Dirt' producers] said that Gino drove by here one day and was very impressed with our garden center," said Jennifer Sanguiliano, who, along with her brother Pete and sister Maria, manages the garden center. "[Gino] told [the producers] he wanted to film here, and then we got a call."

In fact, "King of Dirt" producers chose to feature Sanguiliano Garden Center and Nursery in two separate episodes. The first of these episodes will air sometime in late October or November, according to the show's supervising producer, Jerry Carita. The second episode will air one week after the first. In each, the local garden center provides Panaro the plants he requests for his landscaping projects.

On Wednesday, Panaro stopped by the garden center and, with the help of Pete Sanguiliano, made a list of the plants he would need to complete two landscaping projects, one in Monroe Township and the other in Union. Altogether, Panaro requested about twenty different types of plants, ranging from the common daisies and lilacs to the unusual hinoki cypress.

All of the plants were given for free to Panaro in exchange for the national exposure that Sanguiliano Garden Center and Nursery will receive, a deal that the Sanguiliano family was happy to make.

"I think [being featured on the show] will definitely increase the volume of customers, but it will also bring people in who are looking for more unusual types of shrubs," said Maria Sanguiliano.                 

After arriving at the garden center at around 2:00 p.m., Gina Panaro, the self-described "queen" of the show, glanced at her husband's pre-written shopping list and prepared for her shopping performance.

"This is not just, 'I'll take this, I'll take that.' It's not just easy shopping. With me, it's always an adventure," she said.

And indeed it was. As she made her way around the garden center with Pete Sanguiliano, shopping for plants needed for the landscaping project in Union, she asked many questions, made more than a few jokes, and even got a splinter in the process.

"You've got to tell me when things are prickly!" she joked.

Pete Sanguiliano smoothly fielded Gina's questions as he showed her around the garden center. "It was different [than showing customers around]," he said. "I was just trying to sit back, give my information, and make sure I wasn't sweating too much."

After filming the necessary scenes for the first episode – and after Gina made a quick costume change – the process was essentially repeated, but this time, Jennifer Sanguiliano acted as the tour guide and plant expert, answering all of Gina's questions about the plants needed for the landscaping project in Monroe Township.

"It was a little nerve-wracking being in front of the camera. I always feel like I'm so serious," said Jennifer. "But [Gina] is hysterical. She had some really funny comments about the fire maple."

In each of the two episodes, scenes from Gina's shopping "adventure" will be condensed into a one to two minute-long segment that will run toward the beginning of the show, according to Carita.

"We'll probably feature about three or four plants, depending on what it interesting," he said. "There's no point showing every scene we take, every time Gina says 'that's colorful,' so we just pick out a few of the funny comments."

While Pete and Jennifer Sanguiliano expressed some nervousness about being in front of the camera, they and their family members said they are looking forward to watching the episodes in the fall.

"Of course it's a little nerve-wracking to be on national TV, but it's really exciting," said Maria.

DIY Network can be found on channel 230 for DirecTV subscribers, channel 111 for Dish Network subscribers, and is available on most cable networks. New episodes of "King of Dirt" will begin airing this fall on Mondays at 9:00 p.m.

Sanguiliano Garden Center and Nursery is located at 2600 Route 22 East in Scotch Plains. Call 908-232-9030 or visit its website at www.sanguiliano.com.