Roger Cook, known to viewers of PBS’ long-running series This Old House as the landscaper with a solution to every problem and an answer to every question, died August 21 following a lengthy illness. He was 70.
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His death was announced on This Old House ‘s official website.
“I remember every lesson from Roger,” said This Old House executive producer Chris Wolfe in a statement. “More importantly, there are millions of people whose lives have been enriched by everything Roger taught them.”
Cook’s involvement with the popular home-renovation series spanned nearly 40 years. He first appeared on the show for the series’ second season in 1982 and signed on full-time as the landscape contractor for Season 10 in 1988. When Ask This Old House debuted in 2002, Cook was part of the team, providing landscape advice directly to homeowners.
Cook continued with the franchise until health issues prompted his retirement in 2020.
“Roger was our much-loved colleague, treasured by the entire This Old House community for his soft-spoken but no-nonsense approach to every aspect of landscape contracting,” the show’s website tribute reads. “He was always there with the answers we needed.”
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Born in 1954, Cook grew up in Burlington, Massachusetts, and was still in college at the University of Maine when he began working with local landscapers and tree firms.
With a degree in wildlife management and conservation law, he founded K&R Landscape , with wife Kathleen in 1982. The business, under different ownership, remains in operation.
“Roger’s specialty and passion was plants, and no one was more knowledgeable,” said Fred Pendleton, Roger’s longtime friend and now co-owner of K&R Landscape with colleague Tom Pica. “You could ask Roger any question about any plant — which ones would survive shade, how to treat diseases, which perennials or annuals to choose, the best woody plants or deciduous trees for a certain backyard, even the Latin names for everything — and he knew it.”
Cook’s health issues pre-date his departure from the series, first surfacing in 2018. At that time, he announced he was considering stepping down. “I have enjoyed the opportunity to share my knowledge and passion for landscaping,” he said at the time. “And my life has been greatly enriched by the professional relationships and friendships I’ve formed over the years. I truly appreciate our fans’ dedication and the concern for my well-being. Rest assured that I am in good hands, and please know that I am grateful for all of your support.”
Cook, who lost wife Kathleen to cancer in 2010, is survived by son Jason, daughter Molly, brother Greg, daughter-in-law Anna and grandsons Peter, Noah, and James.
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