Garden Rescue episode 18 2024
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00The Garden Rescue Team are on a mission.
00:04What's not to like?
00:05To make garden dreams come true.
00:08Oh my God!
00:09Charlie Dimmock.
00:10Plants there, plants there, plants there, plants everywhere!
00:13Lee Burkill.
00:14Take me to my people, boys!
00:17Flo Hedlund.
00:18I've gone for the big bad boy.
00:20And Chris Hull.
00:21A couple of inches made all the difference.
00:23Tell me about it.
00:25Are here to answer your gardening emergencies.
00:28It's just a wild jungle.
00:30Okay, 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...
00:40Drum roll, please.
00:43Lee!
00:44Yes!
00:45Flo!
00:46Ah!
00:47And whichever designer loses...
00:49It's all about my water feature.
00:51My water feature.
00:53Helps the winner build the garden.
00:55Yes!
00:56Turning garden dreams...
00:58Please, open your eyes.
00:59Into reality.
01:01Oh, wow!
01:03That is absolutely stunning!
01:09Today, the team are in a beautiful corner of Dorset
01:12to help a fellow gardener
01:14whose plot has become a bit of a challenge.
01:17My name is Sonia and I live in Shaftesbury.
01:21I've been here since 2009
01:24and before that I was very lucky to live on the beautiful Stourhead Estate
01:28which is about 10 miles down the road.
01:31Her time as an accountant at Stourhead
01:33meant working next to one of the UK's most famous gardens
01:37which ignited a passion in Sonia.
01:41I've always been a keen gardener really since my early teens.
01:45I find it very relaxing.
01:47Inside the tiger pen.
01:49For me, it's quite a spiritual thing really.
01:51Tending for something and then seeing it bloom from a tiny seed
01:55into something that's very beautiful.
01:57Until recently, Sonia's 13 by 8 metre garden was her pride and joy.
02:03I am a cottage garden person.
02:05I love no soil, overflown plants, untidy borders.
02:10But it also makes me sad that I can't do it anymore
02:13because that unkempt look actually takes quite a lot of time to manage.
02:19A once manageable eye condition has recently worsened
02:22making the garden harder for her to maintain.
02:27I've had glaucoma since my early twenties
02:30and it's always been very stable
02:32but in recent years I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition
02:36called Sjögren's syndrome.
02:38So the combination of the two has caused a very significant deterioration
02:43in peripheral sight and some central sight.
02:47I can't really keep on top of the pruning
02:49so it's really out of hand now.
02:53The surface is quite uneven, it's flat on the gravel
02:56but the stepping stains are a bit difficult for me now
02:59because I can trip over them.
03:01The lack of shade also makes the garden tricky to manage.
03:05I just need this to be much more stripped back,
03:08more a minimalist style, much more low maintenance for me.
03:13So Garden Rescue, please come and rescue my garden.
03:18Competing for the chance to transform this overgrown plot are Charlie and Lee.
03:24Will Charlie's flower power prowess be Sonia's pick?
03:29Very busy garden this one, need to declutter.
03:32Difficult for me but also difficult for Lee.
03:35Or will Lee's out of the ordinary designs turn her head?
03:39Now the key to this design is to make sure that Sonia can use this for many years to come.
03:47I mean the garden is actually quite attractive isn't it?
03:50You can tell she's loved it.
03:51Yeah, lots going on though and with her eye condition
03:54I can see that maintenance is going to be difficult
03:57so doing this garden is really about making it more practical for her.
04:01Safe and beautiful.
04:03Oh, sounds like me.
04:05Well let's see what else she wants.
04:06Yeah.
04:09Because I'm losing my sight it's no longer a garden for my needs as they are now and will be in the future.
04:17I want a much more sensory garden.
04:19To have things that I can touch and I can feel and I can smell will be very important.
04:25I've got my wildlife pond which is rather overgrown but the frogs love it.
04:31I need to be very careful now that I don't bend down too much because of the situation with my eyes
04:36so to swap it for a much more easy maintenance water feature would be really nice.
04:41So the pond could go but there are three existing features of the garden that need to stay.
04:48One is the infamous gin den.
04:51I want to keep the gazebo and the rose at the back as a 50th birthday present.
04:56And there's one more feature the designers have to find room for.
05:00Because I can no longer go to spas I bought the spa to me
05:05so I have a hot tub at the bottom of the garden now and I probably use it three to four times a week
05:11so I definitely want to keep the hot tub as a part of my garden.
05:18Right, I mean that's great. Sensory is wonderful.
05:21I mean when I'm using scent in the garden sometimes if you put too much in it's like a cacophony and it's just too much
05:27so you need to have things that are flowering at different times to give you that scent.
05:32You don't want to walk in and feel like you're in a perfume counter with all the flowers.
05:35Yeah and spraying.
05:37What's the budget for this one?
05:39Budget's £5,000.
05:41Okay.
05:42So that's really good because there's so many plants already there.
05:46For me it's giving a flow to this garden.
05:48For me it's giving a flow to this garden so that she can navigate around it using a sense of smell or touch,
05:53sit somewhere and really engage with the garden.
05:56Oh I'm looking forward to this.
05:58Me too. Going to get the cologne on.
06:03With the brief fresh in their minds, Lee and Charlie get straight to the drawing board
06:08to come up with a design that makes the most of the £5,000 budget.
06:12Sonia must then pick her favourite.
06:15And whichever designer loses must help the other build it.
06:19The designers and their trusty team of landscapers provide the labour for free,
06:23leaving the full £5,000 for materials.
06:31In Shaftesbury...
06:32Oh my goodness, right.
06:34Sonia has roped in Sister Val for a second opinion on the designers' pitches.
06:39Hi Sonia, this is my personal opinion.
06:43Hi Sonia, this is my perfumery glow garden for you.
06:47The first thing I've done with my garden design is to make sure that the entire space is completely accessible.
06:52And I've done this by removing the stepping stones you have now
06:56and giving you a consistent gravel surface that's level all the way through.
07:01And what you'll notice Sonia is that I've taken my inspiration from your beautiful gazebo.
07:06Using those hexagonals to replicate the shape throughout the garden, bringing cohesion.
07:12Oh wow, that's different isn't it?
07:14It is.
07:15The first thing I've done is actually to move your gazebo further up into the garden
07:19and spin it round so that you've got a bird's eye view of all the delicious perfumed plants that I've put into my design.
07:27I like being in the corner, I'm not sure on that.
07:31I wanted to give you a design to make it nice and easy for you to look after the garden.
07:36Now what I've done is this patio here, I've taken all the paving, the old paving that was up here and the stepping stones
07:43and recycled it into this bigger patio so it's all evened out.
07:48So this will all match and it will give you a nice easy access to your gin palace here, which we're going to spruce up a bit.
07:57Oh that'd be lovely wouldn't it?
07:58Yeah, that'd be nice.
08:00Both designers have created a level patio.
08:04But how are they providing shade in the garden?
08:07I've given you this horizontal custom wooden pergola over the hot tub.
08:12On the other side though, I've given you a much bigger rectangular pergola.
08:16What I've done is to turn the slats vertical and I've designed it so at the far left side the slats are really close together,
08:24bringing shade when you're hugged up against the bed.
08:27So that pergola's good isn't it? The way it goes right across.
08:31Down at the end of the garden I've given you a lovely big patio area right next to the hot tub with a pergola over the top.
08:38So what I've done is I've given you two types of shading.
08:42One with this lattice on the top so it means that you'll get a much denser shade to it
08:48but then at the front I've got more open rafters which means that your friends can sit more in the sun while you're sat more in the shade.
08:57Oh yeah, I like that. That's really cool that.
09:01Charlie has created a square pergola, leaving an open space by the hot tub.
09:06Whereas Lee has designed a rectangular pergola that incorporates the hot tub.
09:11But as this is a sensory garden, textures and scents will be key.
09:17So I'm thinking of things like Mahonia and Daphne's, Cystis which will just flower at different times along with Lavenders and Rosemary's.
09:29Hebe's as well because you get lots of different textures of the Hebe's so you're going to have lots of different scents at different times of the season.
09:38I'm going to repurpose the beautiful plants you've already got but supplement them with loads of highly scented, low maintenance plants.
09:46Now I'm talking about plants such as Perovskia, Lavender, Rosemary, things that when you walk past they're going to fill your nose full of scents.
09:54All of the planting in this design is based on pastels.
09:58Purple, Mauve, Pink, Lilacs, really soft delicate colours.
10:04All my favourite colours.
10:06I know.
10:08So far Sonia seems taken with both designs.
10:11But Lee and Charlie have a few more tricks up their sleeve.
10:16You might be wondering what these spheres are for.
10:19Now these spheres are solar lights.
10:21I'm going to set them to different colours so as they glow when the dusk appears you'll be able to navigate around the garden based on the colour of the sphere.
10:30That's clever isn't it?
10:31Yeah.
10:32But what I did want to do is give you a simple water feature away from the pond that's very straightforward and easy to look after.
10:41But it gives you that gorgeous sound and it will be very tranquil.
10:45So overall my garden's very simple and straightforward.
10:50I hope you like my design.
10:53So Sonia, I've given you a functional garden that's super romantic and full of perfume.
10:58So come on, pick me.
11:02I have no idea how I'm going to pick between those two.
11:06Coffee and cake time.
11:08Okay.
11:10Charlie and Lee's designs may be similar, but the devil's in the detail.
11:16And Sonia can only pick one.
11:19Lee's design, I like the pergolas, I like the fact that they go across both areas.
11:26But Charlie's pergola is really cool because it's got the covered bit as well as the shaded area.
11:32They're both beautiful.
11:34I know, I'd be happy with either of them.
11:41Sonia's come back to us.
11:42Ooh, might be smelling the roses.
11:44Are you ready?
11:46Hi Lee.
11:47Hi Charlie.
11:48Thanks so much for your designs.
11:50They were both really great.
11:52Charlie, I loved the design of yours with that pergola.
11:56I thought it was fantastic.
11:58And the shaded area was really brilliant.
12:00Lee, your design, the lighting is so cool, right up my street.
12:06I'm not sure on the gazebo, moving out the corner, but the planting around it looked really fantastic.
12:13Ooh, I've got someone.
12:14It's going to be a close call, this one.
12:16We've had lots of debates, haven't we?
12:18We have.
12:20But in the end, decided to go with...
12:26Lee's design.
12:28Oh!
12:29Wow!
12:30I thought you had it there.
12:32Lee, I now can't wait for you to come and build this garden for me.
12:37Well done.
12:38Do you know what, when she said I wasn't sure about moving that gazebo, I thought, this is it.
12:42You've won.
12:45Well, I can't wait to start on it, the summer house.
12:49Do you think it's going to move easily?
12:51I trust the landscapers will have no problem in moving an old gazebo.
12:55I'll bring me wood saw.
12:59It's the big day in Shaftesbury, and the landscaping team, led by project manager Ben...
13:05Go on, Lee.
13:06...are ready to step into action.
13:10Come on, team.
13:13Here we go.
13:14The challenges for this garden, hexagon raised beds, Lee.
13:18There is a lot of hexagons in this garden.
13:21There certainly is.
13:22Yep.
13:23As we work up the garden, Jamie, you're going to be in with Lee here.
13:27In the jacuzzi.
13:28Lovely.
13:29Oh, thank you.
13:30We've got to get the work done first.
13:32There's loads to do.
13:33Huge pergola.
13:35Two.
13:36Two.
13:37Plural.
13:38So, quite a bit of woodwork for you to do.
13:41Now, Andy, I haven't forgotten about you.
13:43How's this garden so far, Ben?
13:45There isn't much paving, is there?
13:47The patio is staying.
13:49Can we pressure wash it?
13:51Yeah, no bother.
13:52I think it needs grating as well.
13:53Yeah.
13:54Fantastic.
13:55Look a bit better.
13:56So, we crack on with it?
13:57Let's go.
13:58The first task is to make some space.
14:05We come in peace.
14:08Follow me, boys.
14:09Into the unknown.
14:11Not all of Sonia's beloved plants and shrubs will stay.
14:15Hasta la vista.
14:16Hasta la vista.
14:17But they will be carefully lifted and gifted,
14:20as Lee's design takes Sonia from her usual cottage garden style
14:25to something more minimalist and manageable.
14:28Ah, these flowers.
14:36Before anything else can be built,
14:38the team needs to figure out how big the new pergola needs to be.
14:43I'm coming.
14:44You should be able to feel me now.
14:46No.
14:47Which is easier said than done.
14:49Do you want me right to the wall?
14:50Yes, please.
14:53Andy, can you help me out?
14:58Sorry. Sorry.
15:02Guys, can we just concentrate?
15:05Where was four? Like, out here?
15:06Yeah.
15:08That works lovely.
15:10Goes down the side of the hot tub.
15:12That when we get the post down there.
15:15Loads going that way.
15:17There's 1.2 walkway.
15:19Yeah, yeah.
15:20There's the start of your hexagon bed.
15:21Perfect. Yeah, yeah.
15:22Done.
15:23Simple then.
15:24With the pergola mapped out, Lee can now figure out the size of the hexagonal beds.
15:39So, we'll get this one in for Mr Lam, keep him quiet,
15:43and then we can get the top one for it.
15:45He knows where he's digging then, doesn't he?
15:47Yeah.
15:51Birthday present.
15:54Happy?
15:56I think that's good.
15:57I'll get digging then.
15:59The shrubs aren't the only things being moved.
16:02This is a really good fruit cage,
16:03so I'm trying to be careful as I take it apart,
16:05because we're going to try and rehome it.
16:08The cage is being donated,
16:09and the soil inside is redistributed to the new raised beds.
16:13Perfect.
16:14But there's one feature that can't be budged,
16:17leaving Ben with a problem.
16:20Hello. How are you?
16:22Oh, morning. Are you missing me already?
16:24I am.
16:25The gazebo, I don't think we can move.
16:28One, because of the size of it,
16:30and then two, we've actually found a little pond just by the side of it.
16:35It is a wildlife pond.
16:37There's newts in there,
16:38so we can't move any of it because of rules and regulations.
16:42Yeah, of course.
16:43Your pond that we're building,
16:45can we now move that ever so slightly up towards the pergola?
16:49Of course you can. That sounds great.
16:51Amazing.
16:52See you soon.
16:53Take care. Bye.
16:54In Lee's design, one of the hexagons is a pond.
16:58But now the team are having to box clever with the design,
17:01it looks like Sonia will have three ponds, not just one.
17:06Look at this, Lee.
17:08Wow. Ponds coming together.
17:11Yeah.
17:12OK, great job. Absolutely fantastic.
17:20So I'm just making a start on Sonia's existing patio.
17:24She's got some lovely slabs down,
17:26which have obviously got a bit discoloured over the years.
17:29So I'm going to clean it up.
17:31We've got a slab that's come loose over in the corner,
17:33which I'm going to rebed.
17:34Now, for some reason, this patio never got pointed when it was laid,
17:37which is pretty bad for a patio,
17:39because obviously the water gets in, can lift the slabs up.
17:42So we're going to get it pointed, and it should last a good few years.
17:47Before cranking the pressure washer into action,
17:50Andy pours on patio cleaner.
17:58Well, that's looking better already.
18:00Coming up lovely, I'm really happy with that.
18:05We've got the first raised bed in here.
18:07We've then got the second raised bed being sorted.
18:11Now, we've got the base bit in.
18:13Just got to lift it up one more tier.
18:15This area here is going to be where the two pergolas become one.
18:20Jamie has set it up with the four posts,
18:23and we've got the rails going around,
18:25just to make sure it's all square,
18:27and then we're going to be able to lift it up one more tier.
18:30So we've got four posts, and we've got the rails going around,
18:33just to make sure it's all square,
18:35and then we've got two posts at the back.
18:37Jamie, is that correct?
18:38So we've got one at the back, one at the front,
18:40two more corners to do, and then that's it.
18:42Fantastic. Can I help you dig the holes?
18:44If you don't mind. Amazing.
18:45All we need now is Lee and Charlie.
18:47This is nice, isn't it?
18:49Sunshine's down on the righteous.
18:51It's a very righteous day.
18:57Well, this looks a bit different, doesn't it?
18:59It looks so much less cluttered already.
19:02I think now I've got a bit of structure and you can start to see it.
19:05So what am I doing then?
19:07Well, what I'd love you to do today, Charlie,
19:09is to focus on the area nearer the house.
19:12Right.
19:13Including her beloved gazebo.
19:15I've got a nice big pot of paint,
19:17and I thought you could maybe zhuzh it up.
19:19Oh, I'm zhuzhing it up. Oh, OK.
19:21One of those, zhuzh it up, zhuzh it up.
19:23But you do also have some gorgeous scented plants
19:26that I thought you could nest it with.
19:28I'm going to be at the bottom end of the garden
19:30sorting out that split pergola and then the raised beds as well.
19:33Oh, you just want to sit in the hot tub and point, don't you?
19:36Get my little feet in there.
19:38Oh, nice! You're selling it to me!
19:40And then lastly, I thought we could meet in the middle
19:42with the hexagonal raised planters.
19:44OK. Have a jolly good time with some plants?
19:46Yeah. Go and get your paintbrush.
19:48Right, paintbrush.
19:52Now, the whole purpose of this design
19:54is to help Sonia navigate around the garden safely.
19:57With the eye condition that she's got,
19:59I'm raising a lot of the beds in this garden
20:01so that Sonia has plants at waist height,
20:04where she'll be able to smell them more, touch them
20:06and then use them as a navigational aid.
20:09And as we walk around them, we end up at the back,
20:12which is the big part of the garden,
20:14where I've designed her this custom twin pergola.
20:17Now, at the moment, it looks a bit like a prison
20:19because we've got this brace on.
20:21But at the back, there's a huge raised bed
20:23and I can't wait to put in loads of scented
20:26and climbing plants so that when Sonia comes out,
20:28she's going to be met with this gorgeous perfumed garden
20:31that she can navigate around and lose herself
20:34whilst feeling really private and secure.
20:39Have a leaf, pig.
20:45That's the spirit.
20:49While Charlie contemplates what to do with the pergola...
20:52Gathering your thoughts. Right, I'll give you ten minutes then.
20:56..on the left-hand side of the garden...
20:59Right, Jamie, let's lift this in.
21:02..the team still need to build and fill
21:04the last hexagonal raised bed.
21:15Give us your muscles.
21:17Are you ready? Yeah.
21:20This gazebo just needs a little bit of TLC with some paint,
21:25but it's in really good, solid condition.
21:28And then we're going to have lots of perfume planting around here.
21:31And I know that Sonia's got lots of lights,
21:35so I think I'm going to make it into a sparkly den
21:39with lights up on the ceiling.
21:41Now, when you choose your colour for the garden,
21:44if you want something to sort of show up and stand out,
21:47then go for quite a vibrant colour.
21:49But sometimes, if you want something to disappear,
21:53black is actually quite good,
21:55because you just lose it and you don't notice it.
21:58Lee has gone for Forget Me Not Blue.
22:01And what with the plants around it,
22:04the greens and purples actually show up against it very well.
22:18While Charlie tackles the old wood,
22:21Lee's got his hands full with the new.
22:24Now, I know that Lee is up a ladder waiting for me
22:27to show him what the spacing should be.
22:29We need to crack on and get these on.
22:31Yeah, so these are going to be closer together,
22:33and then as we get further across, they're going to get further apart.
22:36In fact, you've pretty much done it already, Lee.
22:38No, I've just chucked them up. I've not made anything yet.
22:41With this pergola, we're using the same material.
22:45With this pergola, we're using softwood
22:47that's been pressure-treated to withstand the elements,
22:50which keeps its cost down.
22:52The whole price of this for materials is around about £600-£650.
22:56But it's well worth it, because by having a custom pergola,
22:59using the landscape of skills and carpentry,
23:02it means that Sonia's got a real bespoke area
23:04that's going to meet her needs, which is bringing a bit of shade
23:07and also privacy to this part of the garden.
23:14So it is a bit like painting the Forth Bridge,
23:17i.e. there's lots and lots of different sides.
23:20A second coat will be required, but it is really zhuzhing it up.
23:30Much of this garden is about upgrading the existing features,
23:34and Lee has spotted some treasures in the borders.
23:38We have yet another design tweak, because when I've arrived,
23:41I've seen that Sonia's got some gorgeous plant specimens
23:44that I simply can't move, such as the gorgeous perovskia.
23:47We've also got the pulmonaria at the back.
23:50Originally, she was going to be able to walk around
23:52all sides of the hexagonal plantings.
23:55What I'm going to do is to put a clean edge in
23:57so we can keep this border.
23:59So Sonia can still walk up to the border, tend to it and the raised beds.
24:02I think it's going to look nicer,
24:04because you've already got this instant impact,
24:06rather than taking them out and having to find new homes for them.
24:12A lot of the construction has been with wood, which is Lee's domain,
24:16but he may have competition.
24:19Whoa, whoa, whoa, Andy!
24:21Does Lee know you're doing this? No.
24:23This doesn't look like stone, does it?
24:25It's dead easy, this wood.
24:28Look at that.
24:30There's nothing wrong with that.
24:33It's got to be like that for the angle.
24:36You do your own work.
24:41What do you think, Ben? It's pretty good for me, to be fair.
24:44You can put a nice fern there, just in front of it, to hide it.
24:48Put that on your head.
24:53Brilliant.
25:00The wires run to there. We want to keep those for that row.
25:03So I think if we have the three and just space them equally...
25:06Let's see. Let's get the other two.
25:11So there we go. I think that's quite neat.
25:24In Lee's design, there are three hexagons,
25:27the last of which needs to find a place in the garden.
25:31So what do you think of this, Charlie?
25:34Is that the pond? Yes, it is.
25:36I didn't realise it was going to be that big.
25:38Do you know what? Neither did I, if I'm honest.
25:41The scale rules go...
25:43Do you know what I'm not looking forward to?
25:46Putting in the liner in a hexagonal pond.
25:49I'd love to help out, but I've got to do the second coat on the gazebo, really.
25:53Of course she does.
26:04What do you need? Fleece? Liner?
26:06Fleece, liner, patience, skill, whatever you've got, really.
26:09None of the above. I'll take the fleece.
26:12Right, I'll find it.
26:19So my lovely hexagonal pond is in position and it's time to line it.
26:24But before I get all giddy and carried away with the rubber liner,
26:27I need to do a pre-lining,
26:29which is to make sure that any splinters off the side of the wood
26:32or stones don't puncture the liner.
26:34You've got two ways you can do this.
26:36You can either use things like sand to line the bottom and then some fleece,
26:40or you can recycle materials.
26:43So we've got these tiny bags that have the soil in them that we use in the garden.
26:47And rather than them just going to landfill, I split one open.
26:50And this is going to line the base along with some fleece.
26:53It's just a good way of reusing what otherwise would go to waste.
26:58Right, I'm just putting some hooks in so that I can hang the fairy lights on.
27:04They're solar-powered ones.
27:06They're ones that Sonia bought for us and had never got round to putting up.
27:10So we're putting them up for her.
27:28You can never have too many fairy lights.
27:32With the jindan all spruced up, Charlie's out of excuses.
27:37Do you think you've got a big enough liner?
27:39Well, I'll cover a lot, I'll cover a little.
27:42Yeah.
27:43And though she's made many a pond in her time...
27:49You tell me what to do.
27:51You know what to do.
27:53So we'll start here.
27:55This hexagonal one has everyone stumped.
27:59Fitting a massive liner into all six corners without it looking ugly is quite a challenge.
28:05Now, if it were me, what I would have done was had the hexagonal planter
28:10and then put one of those big round ponds in,
28:14and then you could plant round the gaps.
28:17I know that's cheating, but way easier.
28:20A lot easier, but I think it's going to be nice.
28:23Once the cappings are on the top, it mirrors those hexagonals, yeah.
28:27You won't see it, I'm promising you.
28:29In actual fact, these crevices are great for the wildlife because they can hide away,
28:33but also it helps them climb in and out.
28:37I would put some water in.
28:39Then you can pull against the weight of the water.
28:43Let's get the hose.
28:45That's it.
28:48What the...?
28:53Right, it looks like you've got everything under control. I'll leave you to it.
28:56Thank you very much. Cheers.
29:00While the new pond fills and begins to stretch the liner,
29:04Charlie's having a think about what Sonia can do with her old one.
29:08Now, Sonia loves her pond, and I have to say this one is fantastic for the wildlife.
29:14There's lots of marginals, oxygenators,
29:17and then she's got a raised pond here, which is totally separate,
29:20which she's got her fish in.
29:22Now, ideally, we would want to move all of this into this pond over here,
29:27but to do that, you've got to really let things settle.
29:31So this pond's going to be filled up with fresh water.
29:34You're going to leave it for a week, two weeks, before you plant it up.
29:38So what I'm suggesting that Sonia needs to do is get this pond going
29:43maybe split some of the plants and put in there,
29:46and then next spring, she can empty this and move it into that pond over there.
29:53So the wildlife will feel very safe here at the moment until that pond is ready.
29:59Right now, though, that could be a while.
30:08Right, get all that excess off.
30:10Get all that excess off.
30:12I'd be braver, and I'd go even closer, because you're almost full.
30:15You're so brave, though, aren't I?
30:17A bit more tentative.
30:18And then when it's wrong, I'll go, look what you did, Lee.
30:21The trick is to cut just enough liner so it'll still fit under the coping.
30:26Cut too much, and it will sink below the waterline.
30:30Oh, it's like wrapping Christmas presents, this.
30:33And now you wrap your Christmas presents in.
30:35In pond line rubber, Son.
30:41Oh, beautiful.
30:46The plants are here.
30:48Now, I promised you some beautiful specimens.
30:50And it's going to be easy planting.
30:52Easy planting.
30:54Ooh.
30:55I'll grab that one.
30:56You have the witch hazel.
30:58Oh, yeah.
30:59Nice pittosporum.
31:01Oh, that could be nice next to the gazebo.
31:04Ooh.
31:07Stick them all out, then we can...
31:09Then we can fight over them.
31:11Ooh.
31:12Can I have a miscanthus?
31:17Depends how nice you've been to me today.
31:19I've been very nice today, because I wasn't meant to be doing the pond.
31:23While Charlie begs, borrows and...
31:25I've already stolen one.
31:29..Lee is making a start on planting around the pergola.
31:33So, this is Lonicera dropmore scarlet,
31:36otherwise known as the trumpet flower honeysuckle.
31:39And you can tell from these vivid trumpet-like flowers here.
31:44So, this is going to flower in the summer,
31:46whereas the winter honeysuckle over there,
31:48which is a shrub format, will flower in January.
31:51Now, this is a really vigorous climber, but it loves shade.
31:54And the beauty of this one is that it's pest-free,
31:58so very little is going to attack it.
32:01Very little is going to attack this climber.
32:03And you don't even really need to tie them in too much.
32:06Simple bit of string around one post and the whole thing will just smother.
32:10It's just a really great climber,
32:12especially if you're a bit poor on time
32:14or you're not the most keenest of garden maintainers.
32:18Now, it's time to get the help of my second favourite, Lee.
32:21Lee!
32:22Yeah?
32:23Do you fancy coming and doing me some beautiful copings out in there?
32:26If I can get down, it's good that I'm slim, isn't it?
32:29Just breathe in, breathe in.
32:31You've got your tents, haven't you?
32:35Not only do the mules need to be able to climb,
32:38but they also need to be able to walk.
32:40So, I'm going to go and get Lee.
32:42I'm going to go and get Lee.
32:45Not only do the new coping boards cover the rough edges of the liner,
32:50they're wide enough for Sonia to perch on as she walks around the garden.
32:56These are going to have to live in here.
32:58Sonia loved the cottage garden at Stourhead, where she used to work.
33:03Your pennisetum could look nice at the back down by the hydrangeas
33:07with the roses.
33:08Yeah, a bit of texture.
33:09A bit of height.
33:12So, Lee's plan is to recreate the look in her new beds,
33:16but with a bias towards sweet-smelling plants.
33:21Now, the planting in this garden is one of the main design features,
33:24and that's because a huge chunk of the plants have got
33:27either scents or tactile touches.
33:29We need to get them into the ground.
33:35Now, witch hazels are native to the UK,
33:38and this is a cultivar, Arnold Promise.
33:42Got this gorgeous autumn colour just coming through,
33:46but in the wintertime, you get these flowers,
33:49and they're really quite strange to look at.
33:51They're light yellow, and they almost look like lots of little spider's legs.
33:56Now, they like to be in dappled shade,
33:59so that's why I've got it next to the crabapple,
34:01that will shade the plant and protect it.
34:04Only get to about two metres height eventually,
34:07and they tend to have, like, an arching effect,
34:10but it'll be lovely for Sonia to see that through the patio doors
34:14in the autumn, and then if it's a bright, sunny day
34:18and she comes out in January, February time,
34:21you'll get that waft of scent.
34:26Now, I've picked a really gorgeous trio of plants down here for Sonia.
34:31The first one is this, the parovskia,
34:34and they smell wonderful, really aromatic,
34:37almost a mix between lavender and citrus.
34:40They will get quite tall, but you can hard prune them back to the ground
34:43when they get a bit boisterous, and they'll keep coming back up.
34:46And then next to this parovskia, we've got this, the veronia,
34:50which has these really beautiful purple flowers
34:53with loads of tiny little florets, which are great for bees and insects
34:56because there's loads of nectar in it.
34:58This one gets quite tall, so we put that next to it for the height,
35:02and then behind it, we've got this salvia memorosa caridona.
35:07Slugs won't touch it, and it flowers between May all the way through to October,
35:11and if you only had three of these plants in your border,
35:14you're going to get a real impactful look with these purples.
35:17I think they're just a really great collection.
35:22Before the team arrived, Sonia's gazebo looked rather bare,
35:26so Lee's design includes planting around it to help link it to the new beds.
35:33Now, keeping the theme of scent in the garden,
35:37I know Sonia uses this gazebo a lot, so I wanted to get scented plants around it.
35:41So I've got lavender there, and I've got agastache,
35:44but then I've got this evergreen shrub, one of my favourites,
35:48Pitosporum tubera.
35:50It grows in a sort of rounded shape.
35:53In Portugal and Spain, they actually grow it as a street tree.
35:56It gets really big, but in the UK, it stays smaller.
35:59You can grow it in containers, but it's actually happier in the ground.
36:04Now, sometimes they go a bit straggly, and if you want to stop that,
36:08you can just cut out the tips, and then it will bush up and keep a nicer shape to it.
36:13But the beautiful thing about it is the scent.
36:17You get this waft, like lilies of the valley, but slightly sweeter,
36:21and being evergreen, it will add some structure to the pergola,
36:26and it will give a nice contrast to the gravel.
36:37Now the plants are in.
36:39This is cosy, cosy. Cosy, cosy.
36:42It's time for some mesmerising final touches.
36:46These are like those alien things.
36:49Right, so we've got two down here, and then four,
36:52and they're going to demark where the beds are.
36:56This way, Derek. Follow the clue.
36:58Follow the clue.
37:00So we're going to have one here. Right, one there.
37:03One near the hot tub, so we know it's there.
37:05All right.
37:07And then one near the pond.
37:09And just like that, this sensory garden in Shaftesbury is complete.
37:15Well, what a day we've had.
37:17I know. It came together really quickly.
37:19It was really harmonious once the plants arrived.
37:21All of a sudden, we got into a rhythm.
37:23What a joy, planting in raised beds.
37:26Absolutely. It's going to be ideal for Sonia.
37:28I have to say, the garden feels so much bigger, doesn't it?
37:32Well, she's got privacy, lots of different light levels,
37:35which will really suit her.
37:37And great space for her to entertain with her friends,
37:39because I know she wanted to be able to bring her friends out,
37:42which is loads of seating places.
37:44Spoilt for choice. Party time!
37:46Let's go and get her.
37:49MUSIC
37:52When the team arrived, Sonia's garden was overgrown and overwhelming.
37:58The uneven patio had become a trip hazard.
38:01There wasn't enough shade for her,
38:04or a space to entertain friends and family.
38:08And it wasn't future-proofed for her needs.
38:14But thanks to a £5,000 budget,
38:17her garden has been transformed into a sensory sanctuary.
38:29The refreshed patio and gravel has been levelled
38:32to create a safer space for Sonia to explore her garden.
38:36The famous gin den has been updated and surrounded by scented plants.
38:42Its hexagonal shape is mirrored in the beds,
38:45now filled with plants and shrubs that offer interest throughout the year.
38:51And the theme continues with the new pond,
38:54that will provide another sensory element with the sound of water.
38:59And the modern lighting globes act as a visual aid,
39:03guiding Sonia to the new pergola.
39:08Here, surrounded by aromatic climbing plants,
39:11she can entertain friends or simply relax in the hot tub.
39:18Lee and the team have worked very hard to create a garden full of sensory elements.
39:26But will it hit the right note for Sonia?
39:32So Sonia, you wanted a garden that you could entertain in.
39:36You also wanted a space that would be future-proof.
39:39Last but not least, you wanted that perfumery-scented garden
39:42that would have you sitting out in it, no matter what the weather.
39:45So when you're ready, open your eyes.
39:49Oh, my God.
39:53That's amazing. It's beautiful.
39:56I can't tell you what it means to me. I really can't.
40:00It's just fantastic.
40:03I can't take it all in.
40:05And those are the lights. They're really cool lights.
40:08I thought they were brilliant. They're absolutely fantastic.
40:11It's going to make such a difference for you. It really is.
40:15And the pergola's brilliant.
40:18There is so much for Sonia to take in.
40:21I mean, she's a real keen gardener, so this is fabulous for her.
40:26Well, we kept a lot of your existing herbaceous and other plants.
40:29What do you think of the raised beds?
40:31Yeah, they're really lovely.
40:33I won't have to be kneeling down and bending down
40:36because that raises eye pressure and that's much safer for me.
40:39I'm absolutely blown away, which I knew I would be
40:42because you're just so fantastic, all of you.
40:45Absolutely amazing.
40:47We've repointed all of your paving and given it a good clean.
40:50Yeah, lovely, thank you. And there's no hole there now, either.
40:53Yeah, there's no trip danger over there either.
40:56And do you recognise this?
40:58This is amazing.
41:00Oh, wow, look at this.
41:02That's lovely, isn't it?
41:04I knew Sonia loved it.
41:06I didn't love painting it so much.
41:11But it was worth it.
41:13Now, Charlie has been super busy.
41:15Thank you, Charlie.
41:17This is beautiful and it just really sets it off
41:20because it matches in with the colours and the lights as well,
41:23which have been there to put up and I've not done it,
41:26so that's fantastic.
41:28Because I know that this was a really big part of your garden, wasn't it?
41:31I spend hours in here.
41:33When it's all getting too much, I come and stare at the garden.
41:36It's what I do.
41:38Now, I know you have two ponds and I had to make a bit of a design tweak,
41:41but now you've got three.
41:43I've got three ponds, yeah.
41:45A garden with three ponds?
41:47Shouldn't I have designed that?
41:49Not me. Three ponds?
41:51That's beautiful.
41:53And a lovely sound of the water.
41:55Shall we take a look at the final part of the garden?
41:58Yeah.
42:00What's that?
42:02Oh.
42:04Now, this was a big part of the design,
42:06to give you, Sonia, a pergola that had different amounts of shade
42:09throughout the day.
42:11It looks much more part of the garden now, doesn't it, like that?
42:14Yeah, it's really fantastic.
42:16It's just lovely.
42:18Got a summer-flowering honeysuckle over there.
42:20It's just, like, overwhelming, isn't it, really?
42:22Yeah, there's a lot to take in. Yeah.
42:24And all of the planting is a beautiful mix of really aromatic plants.
42:28We've got perrosca, which I know you already have,
42:30so we've added a few extra friends to join her to the party.
42:34And also, quite an interesting shrub here, the calicarpa.
42:38It's bright purple berries.
42:40I've always liked those.
42:42A great design.
42:44Practical, pretty,
42:46and just full of scent and perfume.
42:49Oh!
42:51Yeah.
42:53Everything's much more accessible for me,
42:55and everything's more manageable,
42:57and I'll have the edges of the beds,
42:59which will be really helpful.
43:01So, the million-dollar question, has it been worth it?
43:04Of course it has. It's absolutely amazing.
43:06So, yeah, it's worth it a million times over.
43:10I cannot put into words what it means.
43:13It really does.
43:15It really means so, so, so much.
43:18So, thank you, everybody.
43:20So, can you see yourselves entertaining her, Sonia?
43:22We'll be doing that as soon as she's left.
43:25Yes!
43:27laughs
43:31music plays
43:57music fades