Garden Rescue episode 21 2024
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00The Garden Rescue Team are on a mission.
00:03What's not to like?
00:05To make garden dreams come true.
00:07Oh, my God!
00:09Charlie Dimmock...
00:10Plants there, plants there, plants there, plants everywhere!
00:13..Lee Burkill...
00:14Take me to my people, boys!
00:17..Flow Hedlum...
00:18I've gone for the big bad boy.
00:20..and Chris Hull...
00:21Couple of inches made all the difference.
00:23Tell me about it.
00:25..are here to answer your gardening emergencies.
00:28It's just a wild jungle.
00:30OK, that's a challenge.
00:32Each week, two of our designers will go head-to-head.
00:35Now, I really hope you like this garden.
00:37The design we have gone for is...
00:40Drumroll, please.
00:42Lee!
00:43Yes!
00:45Low.
00:46Ah!
00:47And whichever designer loses...
00:49It's all about my water feature.
00:51My water feature.
00:53..helps the winner build the garden.
00:55Ha-ha! Yes!
00:56Turning garden dreams...
00:58Yes, please, open your eyes.
00:59..into reality.
01:01Oh, wow!
01:03That is absolutely stunning!
01:05THEY LAUGH
01:10This time, the team have to crack a claustrophobic garden in Cheshire.
01:16Hi, I'm Marie.
01:17I live in Congleton in a new-build house.
01:22I was born in the north-west
01:24and then I spent my entire adult life,
01:2630-odd years, in the north-east of England.
01:29And luckily, I managed to retire from work
01:33and my kids have left home now,
01:34so it was kind of time for a change.
01:39Former civil servant Marie decided to go back to her roots
01:43to be near family and bought her home nine months ago.
01:47Describe myself as very traditional and very simple.
01:52And if you look round my house,
01:54it's kind of got the bit of a vibe of a traditional country cottage,
01:58even though it's a modern, new-build house.
02:03I like taking old things and giving them a new purpose.
02:06So, for example, in my lounge,
02:09there's a blanket box that used to belong to my grandmother
02:12that I've turned into a coffee table
02:14and I've got the family's board games stored inside it.
02:17I'm trying to do my bit in terms of recycling things
02:21and upcycling and sustainability.
02:25If there's one thing Marie would like upcycled more than anything else,
02:29it's her petite, 56-metre-square garden.
02:33It's a typical new-build garden.
02:35I've had the patio extended a little bit
02:39and I've had some turf put down.
02:46But the one thing she hasn't been able to do anything about
02:49is the sea of red sand.
02:51The one thing she hasn't been able to do anything about
02:54is the sea of red brick that surrounds the entire garden.
02:59There's my neighbour's garage wall there, my garage wall there,
03:04the retaining wall belonging to my neighbour at the back there,
03:08with quite a high fence on top of it.
03:11So, it's got quite an oppressive feel,
03:16a bit of a vibe of a prison exercise yard.
03:21I suppose what I'm looking for is something that takes away
03:27from that kind of negative impact of being surrounded by the three walls.
03:33So, what I would love in a new garden would be a range of plants,
03:38you know, encompassing the whole colour wheel,
03:41that would attract pollinators as well.
03:46See what I mean? It's just like doing laps of a prison yard.
03:52Keen to get their hands on Marie's tiny space are Chris,
03:56with his classic gardens that favour structure and formality...
04:01Those walls really are overbearing,
04:03but luckily, Marie, I've got a few tricks to hide those.
04:07..and Lee, who's never shy to show his wild side when it comes to design.
04:14Now, Marie's garden really is just like a prison yard.
04:17It's wall after wall after wall, and I need a way to push them out of sight.
04:26I mean, wow, Chris, this really is a prison yard of a garden.
04:29Yeah, I mean, it's so overly dominating.
04:32I mean, new builds, you get fences around them normally and it's a bit much,
04:35but this is just over the top, isn't it?
04:37Yeah. We need to give her that get-out-of-jail-free card.
04:39Oh, yeah, we do. I mean, that's the thing with these sorts of gardens,
04:42when you're penned in, you need to try and make everyone look inwards
04:45and there is big, oppressive walls, don't you? Yeah.
04:47Let's find out a bit more about her style, shall we?
04:52I would like my new garden to be a walled English country garden
04:58with a little bit of a kitchen garden element, ideally.
05:02It would be great if I could grow some herbs, maybe some veggies,
05:08and even have some fruit trees.
05:11Massive fan of rhubarb.
05:13I really like roses,
05:16and I appreciate that they're quite challenging to look after properly,
05:21but I think the rewards in terms of the scent and the colour are fantastic.
05:27Well, this sounds rather exciting now.
05:29You know, grow your own roses, cottagey-style garden, rhubarb,
05:33all really exciting stuff.
05:35The thing is, when you're working with these backdrops of the red brick,
05:38you can accentuate all the other plants in front if you're clever with it.
05:42And if Marie wants to start growing roses,
05:44we need to be mindful about the kinds of roses that we put in the designs,
05:47because some are far easier to look after than others.
05:50Yeah, that is true.
05:51Talking of thorns, do you want to know the budget?
05:53Go on, then, tell me.
05:54It's £3,000.
05:56Oh, OK. That is really, really tight,
05:59especially if you want that cottage garden look,
06:01because you want it to be bursting with plants, and plants cost money.
06:04Definitely.
06:06It's now down to Chris and Lee
06:09who have to use their creative skills
06:11to stretch the £3,000 budget as far as they can.
06:16Marie then has to choose one of their designs,
06:18and whichever designer loses must help the other build it.
06:23The budget will be spent on materials,
06:25with Chris, Lee and their landscapers doing the work for free.
06:34In Congleton, the pitches have arrived.
06:39Right, time to look at the designs.
06:43Marie, this is your garden, from new build to rose filled.
06:47Now, I know at the moment,
06:48your garden looks a little bit like a prison yard,
06:50so I know it's really important for you to try and disguise those somehow.
06:56Hi, Marie.
06:57This is my colour wheel cottage garden
06:59to take you from prison to freedom.
07:02Now, Marie, you wanted a garden
07:04where you could get out from the house
07:06to grow your own fruits and vegetables.
07:08You also wanted a cottage garden theme.
07:10That's so beautiful.
07:12So, coming out of the back doors here,
07:14I wanted to keep that existing patio of yours.
07:17Now, as we move through this patio,
07:19this is the main vista of the whole garden.
07:21You get such a beautiful view down through
07:24all the way to the focal point at the end.
07:26So, these two raised beds, you've got them either side,
07:29and they're going to be two sleepers high,
07:30so they're the perfect perching spot for you,
07:32and it's also going to leave you room
07:34to have your very own crown of rhubarb
07:36and also plenty of herbs in there as well.
07:38Two raised beds right beside the kitchen door.
07:42Chris is already ticking boxes remembering rhubarb and herbs.
07:46So, what's Lee got planned for the space?
07:50So, Marie, I've split your garden into three distinct zones.
07:53The first zone is your existing patio,
07:56and I'm leaving it exactly as is.
07:58So, as you move out from your home,
08:00across the patio,
08:02you're going to be met by a really neat square lawn.
08:05On each side of the lawn,
08:07we're going to have these typical cottage garden borders
08:10that are full of rich, herbaceous perennials.
08:13But I'm using the colour wheel to take you on a journey
08:16around that wheel with this rainbow riot of different colours.
08:20There's also going to be some shrub roses
08:22to bring that scent and that real traditional cottage garden feel.
08:26Taking the colour wheel all the way around the garden,
08:29that's absolutely gorgeous.
08:31Lee's bounced back with the traditional cottage garden lawn
08:35and a blast of colour from the raised beds.
08:38So, what's Chris's vision for the centre of the garden?
08:41Moving through here, this is where you step onto a gravel pathway.
08:45But to make it a little bit more interesting and to add some detail,
08:48I've put these sandstone sets all the way around the edges
08:51just to form the edge.
08:53I wanted to kind of make a journey through your garden.
08:55So, I made the lawn circular in the middle.
08:58I absolutely love that pathway down the garden. It's gorgeous.
09:02Now, all around here, these borders, they hug all of those walls
09:06because I really wanted to disguise them.
09:08So, in amongst there, you're going to have lots of roses,
09:10you're going to have some evergreen shrubs,
09:12so you've got year-round colour,
09:14and also loads of flowering perennials
09:16because I know it was important to you to get the pollinators into the garden.
09:20Chris's symmetrical layout harks back to classic cottage gardens of yesteryear.
09:25And with roses thrown in the mix, Lee's got a battle on his hands.
09:30Now, let's move further through the garden to the real focal point,
09:34which is your beautiful custom raised beds.
09:38As we leave this part of the cottage garden,
09:40you're going to be walking onto these beautiful wooden arches.
09:44I'm going to be growing up some beautiful scrambling roses.
09:48As you walk through, you're going to notice these two big L-shaped raised beds.
09:53These central beds are going to be a mix of grow-your-own fruits and vegetables,
09:57but also ornate, herbaceous perennials and roses.
10:01I really like that sunken garden feel.
10:05I'm also going to be planting rhubarb in this part of the garden.
10:08As we move further back around the garden,
10:10you'll notice that we then start to move into the blues and indigo spectrum.
10:14So, once you've walked around the garden,
10:16you've pretty much done a full lap of the colour wheel.
10:20Lee's back in the running with his multi-use raised beds,
10:24but Chris has another trick up his sleeve.
10:29Now, the focal point, this is your very own Lutyens bench.
10:33Now, this is a classic arts and crafts style bench
10:36that you see in any traditional English garden.
10:38Behind that, to soften that really tall wall of yours,
10:41I wanted to give you those free climbing rose arches,
10:44and they're going to have the roses pre-trained onto them,
10:47so they're going to give you loads of height, scent and colour.
10:50Oh, I love the arches with the roses.
10:54Either side of those, I wanted to give you two dwarf fruit trees,
10:58a plum and an apple,
10:59because I know fruit's really important to you as well.
11:02Now, with the planting scheme for this garden,
11:04I know you wanted a riot of colour,
11:06so I'm going to give you every colour from the rainbow.
11:09Chris is going all out for a win,
11:12but Lee's got one more thing to woo Marie.
11:15Now, let's come back to that giant wall at the back of the garden.
11:19We've got another raised bed.
11:21What that means is that these three beautiful fruit trees that I've picked
11:26that are going to live in this bed are going to be raised up.
11:29The heat from the wall will help ripen the fruit and protect the trees,
11:33so I'm really making the best use of that wall,
11:35turning it from a problem into a solution.
11:38You've got to pick this one.
11:40I hope you pick me.
11:43I really don't know how I'm going to choose between those two.
11:47They are both absolutely stunning.
11:51Now it's all down to Marie.
11:54Will she choose Chris's classic walled country garden
11:58with plenty of grow-your-own, climbing roses, fruit trees
12:01and that traditional English bench?
12:04I absolutely love that lutyens bench in Chris's garden.
12:10I really like the way it's put those two raised beds so close to the kitchen door.
12:16I'm really drawn to the symmetry.
12:20Or Lee's journey around the colour wheel with rose-covered arches
12:24and a seating area surrounded by richly planted raised beds.
12:29The colour in Lee's garden, it's absolutely stunning.
12:34I absolutely love that raised bed at the back of the garden,
12:40but I'm not sure about that kind of patio-style seating area.
12:45Gosh, it is really difficult.
12:49Only one design can win.
12:52Who's it going to be?
12:55So we've heard back from Marie.
12:57Well, let's see who she's picked, eh? Let's have a look.
13:01Hi, Chris and Lee.
13:03Thank you so much for the work that you've done on my designs.
13:07I was genuinely blown away by both of them.
13:11That's a nice compliment. Really nice.
13:13But I've got to go for one, and the one that I've gone for...
13:18Ooh, go on.
13:20..is yours, Chris.
13:22Hey, well done, Chris.
13:24I reckon it was the lutyens bench, you know. I think it was the bench.
13:28I love that vista down the garden to the lutyens bench.
13:32It's absolutely stunning, and the circular lawn
13:35and the journey around the garden.
13:38I'm really looking forward to seeing the garden come to fruition.
13:42To be honest, Chris, looking at that beautiful formal layout,
13:45really well balanced, it's just gorgeous.
13:48Thanks, Lee. Well, I think we've got our work cut out for us on this one, don't we?
13:51I'm going to give you 120% of my effort for Marie this time.
13:55Perfect!
13:59The landscaping team, led by Ben, have arrived in Congleton...
14:06..ready to breathe life into Marie's soulless space.
14:11Wow, that's a long way up, isn't it?
14:14It's right the way up, isn't it? Wow!
14:17Looks like a prison yard at the moment.
14:19We want to change Marie's garden into a beautiful English cottage garden.
14:24The planting is key, because we need to hide all this brickwork.
14:28It feels like it's all on top of us.
14:30So, tiny garden, loads to do.
14:33So, let's fall out. Chop, chop, let's go!
14:41With nothing to clear,
14:43Chris's design can be marked out straight away.
14:47Ooh, you weren't far off.
14:49But being a cottage garden with classic symmetrical proportions
14:53and a circular lawn, there's no room for error.
14:57Beautiful.
14:58So, from Chris's drawing, we're trying to work out how big this lawn is going to be.
15:03Shall we do the path 900?
15:07It seems tiny, but it still will take up a big space in here,
15:11so we're just trying to make sure it works with the environment around it.
15:15It's got a menage.
15:23While the circular lawn is carefully created...
15:30..work's begun on the rectangular raised beds made from sleepers...
15:38..with the old lawn repurposed into them.
15:45We have the entrance to Marie's new garden.
15:48It's coming together slowly, but we're getting there.
15:51Andy has got his batten, which we're going to put in the middle pin,
15:55and that gives him his perfect circles to put all the cobble sets in.
16:00We've got the gravel that's going to create the path,
16:03and then we can set up the top bit for the bench to go in
16:06and start getting all the borders ready for the planting.
16:09Good job, boys.
16:12But just as everything seems to be ticking along nicely...
16:16Ben? Hello.
16:18You've got a sec, mate.
16:20Now Lee's put his bed in. Yep.
16:23I'm looking at this grass and it's slightly leaning down this way.
16:26Yeah, I agree.
16:28So when you come in, that is going to be the first thing you see.
16:31Yeah, it will. It'll throw your eye off. Yep.
16:33Unfortunately, I think we're going to have to lose this lawn and re-turf it.
16:36Right. I'll source some turf.
16:39If you can, mate. See you later.
16:41I'll get on the turf cutter.
16:44A sloping circular lawn will throw Chris's structured design out,
16:49so the landscapers have no choice but to start afresh.
16:55Luckily, before they arrived,
16:57Marie decided to up the three grand budget by £500,
17:01meaning more plants and new turf is possible.
17:04That's if it can be sourced.
17:08Oh, hello. Yeah, I'm after some turf.
17:13Yes, yeah. I need 10 square metres to finish the build that we're on.
17:20Fantastic. Oh, thank you. You're a lifesaver.
17:30Back in the garden, an MOT layer creates the base for the circular path,
17:35meaning the cobbled border on either side of it can be started.
17:44Right. I'm making a start on the inner circle.
17:47Now, I've marked exactly where the cobbles are going to run.
17:52So, hopefully, if I work round at that, I'm going to lay them on concrete.
17:57Hopefully, I can't get it wrong, and it should be perfect.
18:04The cobbles will contrast against the turf, gravel and planting,
18:09helping establish those classic country garden lines.
18:13But it's a time-consuming task.
18:17Bit of a fiddly job. Me and Jamie are getting there.
18:21There's no doubt the landscapers are surging ahead.
18:26And with Chris and Lee about to bolster their numbers,
18:30Marie's prison yard is ever closer to becoming an English cottage garden.
18:36Look at this. It looks bigger already.
18:39That wall is so oppressive, Chris.
18:41All right. Don't focus on all the walls.
18:44There's some good stuff. Just by getting this down, it looks wider already.
18:48So, what do you want me to do today?
18:50So, this is going to be your area.
18:53Marie is really keen to get some veg growing in her garden.
18:57So, we've got these raised beds that need finishing off.
19:00A few plants to go in those.
19:02And then there's a few other little details I'd like to throw in.
19:05Because Marie loves upcycling.
19:07So, if you get a few special pieces in here, it'll just make all the difference.
19:10Yeah, that'd be nice. Really bring the veg beds to life.
19:12Exactly.
19:13It's going to look gorgeous.
19:14Well, it is. And then we've got all these beds down the side.
19:16So, maybe we can meet in the middle, plant some roses.
19:19Right, I'm going to go and get a fork.
19:21OK.
19:23Now, the challenge of this garden is designing a traditional country cottage garden
19:28in a very confined space on a very tight budget.
19:31So, first of all, the one thing you look at are these big dominating walls.
19:36So, the whole idea to get around those is to distract the eye
19:39and get you looking down into the garden and not staring at that big wall.
19:43And then to help the garden feel bigger as you walk through these beds,
19:47rather than it being a straight path to it, so you quickly get there,
19:50we've got this path that goes all the way around the lawn.
19:53So, you can even make a journey in the smallest of gardens,
19:56but it also makes it feel wider, makes it feel a bit more stretched out.
20:00And then by the time you get down here, you've got a lovely place to rest,
20:04but this wall is going to be hidden with the rose arches that are going to just soften it up.
20:09And then once you're sat back here, you get another lovely view back down towards the house,
20:13planting, wrapping all the way around you and some height from the raised beds.
20:18Right, I'd better get cracking.
20:21Key to finishing the landscaping is to complete the cobble edging.
20:26So, Chris jumps straight in to help Andy.
20:31All right, Chris.
20:32Oh, lovely.
20:33Well, these aren't going anywhere now with this on.
20:35Nope.
20:36Right, what do you reckon? The bed's all right?
20:38Yeah.
20:39Not too high?
20:40Mate, yeah.
20:43Now, when you're laying these, you want to use a priming slurry on the base,
20:46the same as what you do with a lot of paving as well.
20:49And what that does is it makes a really strong bond between the stone and the bedding mortar.
20:55It's good stuff, innit?
20:56It is, mate.
21:01Perfect.
21:02Look at that there.
21:03You've done it before.
21:04Well, you know what I always say, you've got to use the edge of the mallet, haven't you?
21:07Who taught you that?
21:08Yeah, yeah.
21:09A very wise man.
21:10A wise old man.
21:12Once said.
21:14Now, these sandstone sets, they cost us £250 for a half a crate,
21:19and that's all we needed to do this double edging strip around the path and lawn.
21:23But if you can imagine this path and lawn without these on,
21:27it would look a bit bland and not as punchy.
21:30So, when you're trying to do a kind of traditional garden,
21:32you want to get all of these little details in.
21:34So, I think it's £250 well spent.
21:51I reckon, jobs are good, innit?
21:54Let's have a look.
21:56That looks pretty good to me.
21:57Yeah?
22:01Now, Chris has given me these two large raised beds to help get Marie out into the garden
22:07and growing her own fruit and veg.
22:09Now, Lee Pugh has kindly made the frames for them, but I need to finish them off.
22:14And I want to make sure that both of these raised beds have some really lovely details
22:18and are super soft.
22:19First things first, I need to finish off the sides before we fill them up.
22:28At 3 metres by 1.5 metres, each raised bed will have plenty of room for Marie to grow her own.
22:45So, that's the final piece.
22:47So, that's the final piece of the raised bed cut.
22:50And now it's time to get it into place and make it look really pretty for Marie.
22:56Right, Lee, let's get this into position.
23:07Right, so both the raised beds are built, but I want to add some finishing touches.
23:11And I think these clean edges could do with a little bit of a round off.
23:17Fill her up.
23:28With Marie keen on upcycling, she's given Chris permission to delve into her garage
23:33and use anything he wants in the garden.
23:39This is the first thing that stood out to me because it's perfect for a small garden.
23:44When you're in a small space, just by adding a mirror, you can make it feel so much bigger.
23:52Right, let's not drop this. I don't want seven years.
24:00Ooh, what's that?
24:01Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the fairest of them all?
24:05That's a good view, that, Chris.
24:06I think it's us.
24:08What's it for?
24:09Now, obviously, within this garden, to make the budget go further, I wanted to do a bit of upcycling.
24:13OK.
24:14Found this in the garage.
24:15Nice.
24:16But I think maybe it needs a bit of a zhuzh up.
24:20Bit of a zhuzh.
24:21So we've got some white paint, and I was thinking maybe you could paint the framework for that,
24:24and it'll tie in with the white roses.
24:26OK, so it'll sort of bring out the white of the roses and also draw the eye through the garden.
24:30Exactly, and I want to get it on one of those walls of the garage,
24:33so then it sort of reflects across, make the garden feel bigger.
24:37Yeah.
24:38Easy peasy.
24:39Right, leave it with me.
24:40All right, job done.
24:44But the painting can't start.
24:46There's a raised bed to finish.
24:56So I've just finished sanding the raised bed,
24:58and it's a really good idea, if you've got the time, to put the effort into the finishing touches,
25:03because if not, they're a bit rough.
25:05And what I don't want is Marie to leave the house to come to pick some vegetables from her garden,
25:09and then she goes down, gets splinters in her arms.
25:11So once I've finished routing the edges so they're nice and smooth,
25:14it's a case of getting some more soil in and then some wonderful vegetables.
25:17But I've just seen Chris with what looks like a chimney pot.
25:20I need to go and investigate.
25:23As well as raiding Marie's garage,
25:25Chris has also sourced an upcycling project from down the road.
25:30Ooh, that's looking interesting.
25:32I know, it's nice. I thought this would be perfect.
25:34So which neighbour did you steal that from?
25:36Well, it's next door, but they're not very happy, but I think Marie's going to love it.
25:41It's a bit of a bargain, this one, because I actually got it from the reclamation yard.
25:44£60.
25:45Brilliant.
25:46And I think if you're on a budget, going down to your local reclamation yard
25:49is a really great way to find those unique little gems that you wouldn't otherwise think of.
25:52I absolutely love it. I could get lost in them for hours looking for stuff.
25:55So what do you want me to do with the chimney?
25:57Well, you know, because Marie really wanted a crown of rhubarb...
26:00I see where you're going.
26:02You don't have to force me on this one, Chris.
26:04Exactly. So it's a kind of DIY reclaimed rhubarb forcer.
26:09A rhubarb forcer is a terracotta pot with a lid.
26:13It limits sunlight, encouraging the leaves to produce less chlorophyll,
26:17and that makes the edible stems taste sweeter.
26:21Marie may be keen on having plenty of upcycled objects in her garden,
26:25but there's one brand new feature that serves a vital purpose within Chris's design.
26:33Now this bench is going to form the main focal point of the garden,
26:36and it's not just any ordinary garden bench.
26:39This is a Lutyens bench, and it was designed by the famous architect Sir Edward Lutyens.
26:44Now a lot of people know him because he used to work with Gertrude Jekyll,
26:48and she was the pioneer of the arts and crafts movement,
26:51so these benches became iconic in her gardens as well.
26:54And I love them. The design is elegant, it's classy,
26:57and it fits any traditional English garden.
27:00Now this one came in at £300, which is about 10% of the budget,
27:04but considering what a key part of the garden it is, it's completely worth it.
27:08Time to just get it together, get some screws in, get the dowels in,
27:12and we're laughing.
27:14You're alright, you're alright.
27:15Yeah, so we've booked this.
27:17Yeah.
27:18There you go. That's alright, innit?
27:20You get that one.
27:22Please come in to give me a hand.
27:23Didn't want you to feel left out, especially with timber work, eh?
27:26Oh yes, it'd be nice if you did.
27:31No.
27:32There you go, it's alright.
27:36We do a lot of benches, but this has got a bit of style, hasn't it?
27:39What are you trying to say, that my old benches don't have style?
27:44Hang on a minute! I didn't mean it like that, sir!
27:55Well, that's better. I'm out the noise of the garden,
27:58and I've got this wonderful mirror.
28:01And I'm going to add a bit of zhuzh to it,
28:03because Chris wants it to be in keeping with the white roses.
28:06So I've got some white garden paint that's going to be able to withstand the elements.
28:10Now, I could just paint this completely with white paint,
28:13turning it from this sort of mauve-y beige colour to white,
28:17but I've got a better idea.
28:19We're going to take a regular paintbrush
28:22and turn it into what we call a stipple brush,
28:25where the hairs on the brush are all at different lengths,
28:28so that when you apply it in a vertical fashion,
28:31you get a stipple effect,
28:33which is that the paint is on in little blobs here and there,
28:36a bit patchy, so you can overpaint stuff,
28:39and it gives it a really nice, almost vintage-y effect.
28:43Once some of the bristles are cut,
28:47Lee can apply the paint and then dot it on the mirror.
28:59Do you know what? I'm really happy with that.
29:02I think it's nice and subtle and will fit perfectly in Chris's lovely design.
29:07Let's get it in the garden.
29:29Now, I've just come across these really cute little terracotta pots.
29:34Now, obviously, Marie loves her upcycling and her veg,
29:37so I thought this would be the perfect thing for her.
29:40I want to design a little seed bench
29:42I'm going to put in the sunniest spot of the garden,
29:45and it'll just be a great place where she can pot on her seedlings
29:48before they get put into the big raised beds.
29:51So, I'm going to use some offcuts of sleeper,
29:55Vegetable seeds cost a fraction of the price of new plants,
29:59so being able to start them off in the small pots
30:02before transplanting them into the raised beds
30:05will save Marie money in the long term.
30:11Now, I've got to say, I've borrowed Lee's drill and his bit,
30:14and he's very precious about this thing,
30:16and I'm a bit scared of him,
30:18so I'm going to try and make it work.
30:21He's very precious about this thing,
30:23and I'm a bit scared if I break it,
30:25he's going to come down on me like a sledgehammer.
30:28Don't snap my drill, mate, or I'll snap you!
30:33Was that meant to be me?
30:35The line was uncanny, Lee. You nailed it.
30:41The last piece of the landscaping puzzle
30:43is to create a path to the storage area by the side of the garage.
30:48And whilst the access is enhanced with stepping stones...
30:55..new planting beds are also created...
31:01..ready for Chris's cottage garden plant bonanza.
31:07Come on, Lee, it's time!
31:09The best bit of the day!
31:11Looks like a ready-to-go cottage garden.
31:18Right.
31:20Now, this is what this garden is all about.
31:23Roses, roses, roses.
31:25Feels good bringing these in, doesn't it?
31:28Look at that, that's almost like a peachy and a pink.
31:31I know, it's got both in one.
31:33By packing the beds with a heady mix of vibrant colour and scent,
31:37the classic planting scheme will further distract the eye
31:40from the surrounding brick walls.
31:43Oh, my God!
31:47We've got one of the main key plants, this rhubarb.
31:50Take it over to my forcing chamber.
31:54Marie really wants to grow rhubarb.
31:57It's a super easy plant you can grow and harvest,
32:01and any beginner can pretty much grow rhubarb.
32:04It's very undemanding.
32:06And the parts of the rhubarb that you eat are the stems, the red bits,
32:10and that's what gives the rhubarb its infamous red look,
32:13and you can either stew it, you can make wine from it,
32:16you can do all sorts with it.
32:18The one thing you don't want to do is to eat the leaves.
32:21Now, when you plant rhubarb,
32:23you want to make sure that for the first year you don't harvest it,
32:27because you want all the energy to go back to the crown,
32:31and the crown is the very base of the leaves.
32:34And what will happen is it will store energy over the first year
32:38and then you'll get a much better harvest.
32:40It really is a vegetable that keeps giving and is relatively fuss-free.
32:54With new turf creating a formal lawn,
33:00the garden is starting to look a whole lot greener.
33:07Top of Marie's plant list were roses,
33:10and Chris is making sure they take centre stage.
33:14Now, these arched rose panels were one of the main focal points
33:17at the end of this garden, and the whole idea with these
33:20is that they're going to add a little bit of detail,
33:22but they're also going to soften this wall at the back.
33:25Because we're in a small garden and I wanted it to be quite traditional,
33:28I've gone for these arched steel frames.
33:31I've done that for two reasons.
33:33One is I wanted to set them off of this wall,
33:35because this is a boundary wall with the neighbour,
33:37so I don't want to be fixing anything directly into that.
33:40The other reason is that, actually, as these grow out,
33:42and you can keep them trained to this shape,
33:44and then you get that beautiful arched shape all the way across,
33:48and that same detail is even going to be picked up in Lee's mirror.
33:51Now, this rose is Rosa Banksii rosia.
33:55So Banksii rose, commonly people always think of them
33:58as those dainty little pale yellow flowers,
34:00but this one actually has pale pink flowers,
34:03which really ties in with a lot of the plants in this garden.
34:06Now, this rose in particular is a real rambling rose,
34:08so it's quite vigorous,
34:10but it will help us fill this frame really quickly.
34:14Now, let's get this in.
34:18Oh, look at that.
34:27Right, now let's get the other two in.
34:33There we go.
34:41And take a look at this.
34:43It's not an actual gooseberry, but it is known as the Cape gooseberry.
34:47Now, this is a real firecracker of a plant,
34:50and it will brighten up this wall,
34:53no end, with these orange lanterns.
34:56And once these husks here turn brown and crisp up,
35:00you get these really vibrant yellowy-orange fruits,
35:03which you can actually eat.
35:05You should always check the species before you do so.
35:14Marie's brief also included fruit trees,
35:17so Chris is planting two that further serve
35:20to distract the eye from the wall.
35:23This is Malice Eden,
35:26so it's a beautiful apple,
35:28maybe even like a forbidden fruit.
35:30And the best thing about this apple
35:34is that it's on a semi-dwarfing rootstock,
35:36so it means it's not going to get too big for this garden.
35:39And that is the thing you always want to get right
35:41when you're in a small garden,
35:43is you need to check the rootstock of your fruit trees.
35:48Now, the other thing you need to get right with apples is the pruning.
35:52So that should be done kind of late February.
35:56I tend to do mine.
35:58And you want to try and prune them
36:01into an open goblet shape.
36:03That's my favourite way to do it.
36:04And what that does is by having it as a goblet,
36:06the light can get down into the plant
36:09so that the sunlight comes to the flower buds.
36:11And if you have good flower buds, you're going to get the fruit.
36:14So the thing to do, if you have loads of branches
36:16that were overlapping each other or something like that,
36:18then you selectively prune them
36:20to allow more light to get into the plant.
36:22And that is the key.
36:26Chris has structured the planting beds
36:28with larger specimens at the back,
36:30knitting them together with tall grasses
36:32and low-level perennials.
36:35But there's also hearty shrubs to bring balance in the middle.
36:41This also applies to the vegetable garden too.
36:48Now, when it comes to laying out beds like this
36:51that have vegetables and herbs, you've got two main options.
36:54You can either lay them out all in rows,
36:56which if you've got things like lettuce or radishes,
36:59makes it really easy to see where they all are
37:01and you can plan the spacing.
37:03Or you can lay them out in like a matrix fashion.
37:06So you kind of dot them around,
37:07which means that you get more out of the bed
37:09than if they're all in neat rows.
37:11And it also means that they kind of mesh together
37:13and provide a much softer look to the garden.
37:16Now, amongst the vegetables and flowers,
37:19I've also got some herbs that Marie can use in the kitchen,
37:22such as this, which is good old-fashioned coriander,
37:25whether you love it or hate it.
37:27And then also marjoram as well.
37:29So you can use these in both curries, stews, salads,
37:33maybe a cocktail or two.
37:35And it means that this whole bed's going to be really useful for Marie.
37:40Little finishing touches.
37:45I think that's nice.
37:47It's been a gruelling day in Congleton.
37:51We had to plant all these things before we put this mirror in.
37:54Do you know, I could stand here all day
37:56just looking at my own reflection in that mirror.
37:58I'm not sure how I'm looking.
38:02And the team haven't paused for breath.
38:06But as the final piece in the puzzle is positioned...
38:09Right, let's get this bench in, Chris.
38:11This is the piece de resistance of this garden.
38:14Chris's country cottage garden is complete.
38:18Just what I needed.
38:20A nice seat in the sauna.
38:22Well, Chris, you've done it.
38:24You've turned this from prison yard into a gorgeous formal garden.
38:27That's it. It's having that big range of colour
38:30wrapping all the way around you.
38:32And what I really like is the mix
38:34between the kind of really loose cottagey planting,
38:36but then the formality and the symmetry with the circle, the bench,
38:39the kind of balance of it all.
38:41Yeah, I think that's what really makes this garden.
38:43You've gone for that formal route.
38:45It just feels really neat and tidy.
38:47Do you think we should get Marie out?
38:49I think she's going to be over the moon. Let's get her.
38:58When the team arrived,
39:00Marie's garden had nothing but a patio and an expansive lawn,
39:04surrounded on all sides by dominating red brick walls.
39:09She called it a prison yard and felt hemmed in and claustrophobic.
39:17Now the small space has been transformed
39:23into an elegant cottage garden packed with colour, scent and interest.
39:29From the patio, two raised beds hint at the symmetrical garden ahead,
39:34packed with fruit, veg, herbs and an upcycled rhubarb forcer
39:39with a bespoke potting bench nearby.
39:43An elegant circular graveled pathway is bordered with planting beds
39:47that shimmer in the wind, full of perennials, grasses and shrubs.
39:53An upcycled mirror adds interest to the garage wall,
39:58its reflections making the space feel even bigger.
40:03And at the end of the garden, a focal point bench is enveloped by planting.
40:09Rose arch panels and two fruit trees bring height and colour to the wall.
40:15It's a romantic view befitting any beautiful country cottage garden.
40:20But will Marie feel like she's escaped from her blank old plot?
40:24Right, there we go.
40:27Please open your eyes.
40:30Oh my goodness!
40:35Didn't expect it to look like this.
40:37Bloomin' heck!
40:40I think she loves it. There's lots of this going on.
40:42Rhubarb!
40:44You've got your rhubarb.
40:45Oh my goodness!
40:47So Leah's given you your very own rhubarb crown
40:49and I went to a local rec yard, found you a chimney pot.
40:53Wow.
40:54And you can use it as a makeshift rhubarb forcer.
40:56So early in the year...
40:57Oh my goodness!
40:59She spotted that rhubarb which I'm really pleased about.
41:02I reckon in a year or two she'll be stewing that up in the kitchen.
41:05And there's rosemary.
41:07Rosemary, sage, thyme, chives.
41:09Are they chives?
41:10Just enough to get you started.
41:12Now the other great thing about this is that I've been calling it the seed bench
41:15because it's where you can pot your seeds up.
41:17But if you've not got anything on the go at the moment,
41:19you can take these off and it is the perfect bench height as well
41:21so you can use it too.
41:23Absolutely stunning. Oh my goodness.
41:25Oh, and this path.
41:27And there's something over here that you're going to recognise.
41:30Oh my goodness.
41:32So Leah, he's got his sponge out and the paint
41:35and he's given it this kind of dappled, aged effect
41:38and it looks really cool, doesn't it?
41:39I mean, you don't get many mirrors like that in prison yards, do you?
41:43No, exactly. Exactly that. This is it.
41:46It does look really different to before
41:48and it adds that depth to the garden.
41:50And what do you think about this planting as well?
41:52Well, I mean, the range of colours is just,
41:55it's going to be absolutely spectacular.
41:59And next year, once all of these knit together,
42:01it is going to look absolutely stunning.
42:03So if you look behind you,
42:05you've got your very own dwarf plum tree there
42:08and on the other side of the bench,
42:10you've got a dwarf apple as well.
42:12Oh, I'm absolutely over the moon.
42:15I had a plum tree in my garden in Northumberland
42:18and I loved it and I was so sad to leave it behind, yeah.
42:22Well, why don't we take a step down
42:24to the main focal point of the garden?
42:26Oh, I absolutely adore this bench.
42:30It's stunning, yeah.
42:31I reckon Marie's going to be sat on that bench
42:33way into the evening, maybe with a glass of wine.
42:36Now, something behind as well with these rose panels.
42:39The shape just matches. Picks up.
42:42Yeah, the mirror. It does, doesn't it?
42:44And they look really sweet. Absolutely gorgeous.
42:46So you wanted a garden that went from prison yard
42:49into a beautiful country cottage courtyard.
42:52Do you think I've delivered?
42:54100%. It's stunning. Thank you.
42:56Brilliant. That's all right.
42:58Chris has done such a good job
43:00in turning this small prison yard of a garden
43:02into a beautiful floral wonderland.
43:04Well done, Chris.
43:06You know, you've really given me something so fantastic
43:11to enjoy and be proud of for years to come.
43:16¶¶