I’m not one for stereotypes on television, but I’m really enjoying the new sitcom, ‘Tree Fellers’. It’s about a trio of tradition Irishmen who are trying to build a name for themselves in Australia’s plant and garden industry, but they’re so collectively incompetent that it always ends in disaster. It’s like that old British sitcom, ‘Malty Flowers’, about the grumpy guy who runs a garden centre. You know…one of those shows that thrives on cringe and everything turns to disaster by the end. Classic British comedy!
Anyway, Tree Fellers is gaining quite a following. I think all the places that sell spring flowering bulbs should be pretty happy, since last night’s episode was all about them and they weren’t really shown in a negative light. Ciaran, Fergus and Liam didn’t come off so well, but they never do…that’s the point of the show. This one had them finally finding a place to settle down, and of course Liam comes up with an idea to plant a garden so beautiful they can charge admission. Their own private botanical jungle, as it were. Ciaran wasn’t fond of the idea, because he’s the only one of the three with any sense, but Fergus’ imagination was already running wild with images of him planting tulip bulbs and hyacinths and treating them like the family he never had, since his actual family kicked him off the potato plantation for not being able to grow a single spud.
The trio order a bunch of plants and bulbs online, but it all starts to go wrong when Liam uses the care instructions to mop up a Guinness spillage, and they have no idea how to take care of the plants. Then they get some care instructions online, but mix up their plants so the mixed tulip bulbs are being looked after like they’re hyacinths, and the hyacinths like they’re daffodils, and naturally the whole thing just ends in total disaster with their first paying customers showing up to a garden of dirt.
I know some people can’t take care of plants very well- hence why you get care instructions when you buy the bulbs- but still…these fellas are something else. Funniest show on TV right now by a country mile.