Garden Rescue episode 23 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 Hall.
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!
00:45Oh, hello!
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.
00:56Turning garden dreams...
00:58Please, open your eyes.
00:59Into reality.
01:01Oh, wow!
01:03That is absolutely stunning!
01:13I'm Linda from Wrexham.
01:15This is my front garden.
01:16And garden rescue, I need some help.
01:20So, I moved into the house early 2020.
01:24And the house needed a lot of work doing to it,
01:27which I've gradually been getting done.
01:30Really love gardening as well.
01:32I've got a big back garden to deal with, though,
01:35which takes a lot of time at the moment.
01:38With the back garden a priority...
01:41Linda's front garden is rather unloved.
01:46At the moment, this place has no purpose.
01:49There's nothing for me to do out here.
01:52I've got this path here that's really ugly.
01:55It's only good for growing weeds.
01:57It's falling apart.
01:59I've got the lawn down here, which slopes away from the house.
02:03It's really a waste of space and a waste of my time
02:06every time I have to bring the mower out here.
02:09Despite some terracing that was done before she moved in,
02:13half the plot slopes a metre from the top to the bottom,
02:17making most of the 43-square-metre garden unusable.
02:21I've got a driveway I don't know what to do with.
02:24It just looks ugly.
02:26The greyness is really depressing.
02:28It looks really drab out here.
02:30It'd be lovely to come and sit maybe sometimes,
02:33but also for people to walk past and think,
02:36wow, this looks amazing.
02:38For many, a front garden is just a place to walk past on our way to work,
02:43but not for Linda.
02:45I work for the council here, and some of the time I work from home.
02:50When I'm working from home, this is where I'm sitting,
02:53looking out on this garden and this really ugly driveway.
02:58It's so uninspiring.
03:01I don't like looking at it at all.
03:05Going head-to-head for the chance
03:07to transform Linda's lacklustre front garden
03:10are Charlie, with her decades of experience and traditional style...
03:15Mm, easy access, that's always good, makes life easy.
03:19..and Chris, with his sleek, modern approach to design.
03:23A front garden, that's something a bit different.
03:26I reckon I can give it a go.
03:28I'm going to give it a go.
03:30A front garden, that's something a bit different.
03:33I reckon I can give him a bit of a showstopper.
03:36Watch out, Charlie.
03:40This is exciting, because we don't do many front gardens, do we?
03:43We don't, it's a bit different.
03:45I mean, it's very boring, though, and such a slope.
03:48Yeah, it's always a bit of a problem when you've got that,
03:51and we've got to incorporate the driveway into it.
03:53It's got to be practical and pretty.
03:55Exactly. You know, she just wants something lovely to look at.
03:58We all like showing off in our front gardens, don't we?
04:01Yeah, we do. Give the neighbour something to look at.
04:04Well, I know what Linda doesn't want in the garden,
04:07but what else does she want?
04:09Right, let's find out a bit more.
04:14I was lucky enough to visit Japan a few years ago.
04:17Really inspiring. Enjoyed my visit very much.
04:21Loved looking at the architecture of the gardens there.
04:24I loved the simple, clean lines in their designs
04:27and the way that they used the planting
04:30and the architecture mixed together. Loved it.
04:35Garden Rescue, can you bring that little bit of Japan here to me in Wrexham?
04:40Wow! Goodness me!
04:42This is it. Japanese gardens, they're all about control, simplicity,
04:47keeping things really minimal, Charlie.
04:50You sound like you're trying to help me there,
04:53because I don't do minimal and simplicities.
04:57I have to say, though, Japanese gardens are ideal for a front garden
05:01because they are sort of a developing picture. Seasonal.
05:05And they're quite low maintenance in respect as well.
05:08What's the budget, then?
05:10So, it's £6,000 on this one.
05:12OK, because it doesn't look huge.
05:14No, no, it's just whether, you know, you've got to think carefully
05:18with this budget and not spend it all on lots of different things.
05:22Because I have to say, with that slope as well,
05:25that money could just roll away.
05:27Roll down the drive. Yeah, and into the drain.
05:33Inspired by Linda's brief, our designers get straight to work.
05:38Linda then has to choose one of their designs
05:41and whichever designer loses must help the other one build it.
05:46Charlie, Chris and their trusty team of landscapers
05:49provide the labour for free,
05:51leaving the full £6,000 budget for materials.
06:00Back in Wrexham, Linda has received the designers' pitches.
06:07Linda, here's my design for your garden.
06:10You wanted a garden that was inspired by your travels to Japan.
06:14You also wanted it to be beautiful,
06:16so you can sit in your home office and gaze out the window.
06:19Oh, that looks interesting.
06:21Let me take you on a journey.
06:22Coming out of the front door,
06:24you're going to step down on some brand new granite planks
06:27and set in amongst them are going to be paddle stones.
06:30And when you're walking through that,
06:32it makes you slow down and take a much more considered approach.
06:35Moving through into here, it's going to be your new gravel garden.
06:38I wanted to keep it quite minimal, quite zen,
06:40again, inspired by Japan, but not too literal.
06:43So we've got some boulders sunk down into the gravel
06:46with little ferns poking out around them.
06:48And then I've got these free weathering steel bowls.
06:51Now, one of them, the largest one, is going to house your Japanese maple.
06:55I like the maple tree.
06:57Linda, I know you find your front garden boring and uninspiring.
07:03I have tried to give you a design that's got the wow factor
07:07with a Japanese vibe to it
07:09by using materials and plants that you would see in a Japanese garden.
07:14So lots of natural rocks.
07:16I've got some tree stumps here,
07:19and then this is a modern linear paving
07:22that sort of zigzags up to the front door.
07:26But this stays low, so you're actually in a sort of ravine.
07:32I like the look of that.
07:34Even if the neighbours are looking in,
07:36they won't really see you because you'll be hidden and lower in the garden.
07:42Both designers have not only fully embraced the Japanese theme,
07:47but are planning to level the main part of the garden
07:50to create pathways and seating areas.
07:53And both have plans for the driveway.
07:57This is your driveway.
07:58Now, at the moment, it's boring, it's all concrete.
08:01So what I wanted to do to tackle that
08:03was to cut a strip out of the middle
08:05and fill it full of low-level, shade-loving plants.
08:08Now, this is just going to give it a little bit more of a wow factor
08:11and it's also going to help with the drainage on your driveway.
08:14I like the idea of the planting there.
08:16What I've done is cut in sections
08:19that we can plant up with mat-forming plants.
08:22It'll just give you that lovely mosaic feel
08:25and it'll join the whole garden together.
08:29So far, Charlie's more traditional approach
08:32and Chris's more modern spin on Japanese design
08:35offer radically different looks for Linda's garden.
08:39But this is a garden that needs to look good from the house as well as the road.
08:44Rather than looking across that boring old lawn that you've got
08:47that rolls down into the wall, I wanted to lift everything up.
08:50So from the pavement here, when people are walking past,
08:53I wanted them to look into the garden
08:55and this whole space to look like it was floating
08:58in a haze of textural planting that's here.
09:00So it's really going to give you the wow factor.
09:03Whichever design Linda chooses will surely be the talk of the town.
09:08Both designers are hoping to win her over with some dramatic focal points.
09:14You wanted a garden that was inspired by your travels to Japan.
09:17I'm going to give you a large granite block, one piece of solid granite.
09:22Again, it links back to that Japanese inspiration,
09:25but it's a real statement piece and I think it's going to bring this area of the garden to life.
09:29The granite block looks great.
09:31Now the main key wow to the garden is the water feature.
09:36You're going to see it from the street and from your front door and your window.
09:41You've got a very shallow pool of water here
09:45and then we've got these metal rills that run down to the water feature.
09:50So the water runs along and drops off.
09:52I love the water feature.
09:55And Charlie hasn't forgotten the other important view of the garden.
10:00Here's your office window and you're going to look out across the key feature of the garden.
10:06We've got a lovely Japanese maple Acer palmatum dissectum,
10:11which is that low one that gives that mound type effect.
10:14And then we've got these two key trees here, a magnolia stellata.
10:20And then on the other side is a flowering cherry.
10:23So when your neighbours come along the path and look in,
10:27it will actually frame the garden looking this way.
10:32Magnolia looks good.
10:34I'd really, really love to see this one get built
10:37and I think it's going to be the envy of all your neighbours.
10:39I really hope you pick me.
10:45Both designs have delivered on the brief.
10:49Now it's up to Linda.
10:53So Charlie's design, I like the mix of materials she's got here
10:57with the wood there and the gravel pathway.
11:00And then there's a fantastic water feature up near the house.
11:05Will she choose Charlie's serene garden with curved pathways,
11:09soothing water feature and mosaic driveway?
11:14She's really listened to the brief here.
11:16It's a Japanese-style garden.
11:19Or Chris's sleek formal design.
11:22So Chris has completely changed this nightmare patio up here.
11:28With its feature tree, granite boulders and giant stone seat.
11:33That definitely looks an improvement.
11:36I like the sleek design here with the paving mixed with stones.
11:42I like this.
11:44Only one designer can win.
11:47So who's it going to be?
11:52All right, Linda's got back to us.
11:54OK, here we go.
11:55Here we go, the moment of truth.
11:58Chris and Charlie, it was a really tough decision.
12:01You both hit the brief really well on this
12:03with the Japanese feel for my garden.
12:06But the winner is...
12:09Chris!
12:12Come on!
12:13I couldn't keep it minimal enough.
12:16Really loved your design.
12:18Can't wait for you to come round and build it for me.
12:21Well done.
12:23Thank you, thank you.
12:24It sounds lovely.
12:25It actually sounds quite sort of modern as well.
12:28Well, yeah.
12:29Clean lines.
12:30I didn't want it to be a typical Japanese garden.
12:34I wanted to get some boulders in there.
12:36I wanted to use granite because you always see that in Japanese gardens.
12:39And then just trying to keep it simple with the feature Japanese tree.
12:43Yeah, I mean, it's going to be hard work though.
12:45A lot of heavy lifting.
12:46Yeah, but at least the access is so easy.
12:50You can just pick that granite lump up and just put it in position.
12:54Oh, just like that?
12:55Just like that!
12:59It's the day of the build in Wrexham.
13:02And the landscaping team, led by project manager Ben,
13:05have a lot of work to do to level out this sloping garden.
13:10Wow.
13:11Yay.
13:12Looks like a Chris design.
13:13It does look like a Chris design.
13:15So, we are on a slant.
13:18We have a lot of levels to deal with straight away.
13:21We do have to get these levels correct.
13:23So as soon as everything's stripped out,
13:26and those sleepers create that level front garden that Chris is aiming for.
13:32But the main feature, and this is the biggest challenge of all of it,
13:36up this slope, we have to get a one ton granite post up into that area just over there.
13:44Good luck with that.
13:45I know, yeah.
13:46First of all, we've got to get out of the van.
13:48Let's get all this grass off with the digger.
13:51Let's set everything out.
13:52And then let's work out how we're getting this granite bench in.
13:55Everyone happy with that?
13:56We'll have a cup of tea while we're doing this.
13:57We'll have a cup of tea, definitely.
13:58Let's go, guys.
14:03With a 47-meter square garden to level, a digger is a must.
14:12Broke down.
14:13As long as it works.
14:14What, you or the digger?
14:16We've done that bit, so that's good.
14:18That's a little bit done.
14:21What's these semi-amateurs?
14:23After a quick blip, the digger is back on track.
14:28He's in, getting the levels correct.
14:30Chris needs these levels perfect.
14:32We're going to be building it up with sleepers to retain the area.
14:37Andy and Jamie continue to strip the soon-to-be level lawn,
14:41and Lee puts the jackhammer to use to break up that dull path.
14:52Grass is off. Levels look good.
14:55Next thing, we've got to get the granite bench up to the top.
15:00So how's that digger?
15:01I don't know if the digger's up to it.
15:02No?
15:03We need her. We need her.
15:07Way above her!
15:09Take a bit more weight, Daniel.
15:13Watch yourself.
15:14Weighing in at one tonne, getting the granite bench out of the van
15:18requires a team effort.
15:20I'm coming to you now, all right?
15:21Yep.
15:22Watch your head away.
15:23Just one slip could crack not only Chris's 420-pound centrepiece,
15:28but Linda's driveway as well.
15:31That's it.
15:32That's it.
15:33Lovely!
15:40I am so glad you got that out safely.
15:42It was a team effort, guys.
15:44It was.
15:46There's one last step before it can be put into position.
15:49We're going to be sitting them down on three granite coins.
15:53Me and you sorting that out up here.
15:55Yeah.
15:56Lee and Jamie, we need to get this sleeper retaining wall in.
15:59Get these levels in.
16:00Yep.
16:01So get this area sorted and we work our way down the garden?
16:05Yeah.
16:06Happy days.
16:07See you.
16:08Let's get it done.
16:09Right.
16:10In Chris's design, the main part of the garden is on three levels.
16:13The top level is a pathway,
16:15which Lee and Jamie are keeping in place using timber sleepers.
16:22Yeah, it could be.
16:23Two metres.
16:24Now, once this is in place, then we're going to come off here
16:27and then work those lower levels off down the lawn.
16:32Leaving Andy in charge of building the support for the one-ton bench.
16:38We've got three pad stones, which will go underneath this big seat.
16:42Set it on six-inch concrete.
16:45We'll gently lift that on there.
16:47And that'll take the weight perfect.
16:50Lines and levels are crucial to a modern and minimalist Japanese garden,
16:55so everything is measured and measured again.
17:03And it's not long before the digger is flexing its muscles once more.
17:08Go to the house a bit more.
17:11To the house?
17:12Yeah.
17:13Well then, down on that.
17:15Oh!
17:16A light tap, and the granite bench is perfect.
17:23Out you pop! Jog on!
17:37First slop going down.
17:47All coming together now.
17:48Jamie and Lee have done a fantastic job getting all the retaining sleepers in there
17:53to hold the areas.
17:54Andy is smashing out the granite and paddle stone path.
17:58Lee is cracked on with the granite slabs going in here
18:01to create a path that leads you into the gravel area.
18:05We just need Chris and Charlie to make a few decisions
18:08and get the bowls in there, the water bowl needs to go in,
18:11and we've got to get all these plants in.
18:14Right on cue.
18:17Blue skies.
18:19Good, perfect day for a bit of this.
18:21Look at that, it looks fabulous already.
18:24Granite bench.
18:25Yeah, and all the levels done, because it was on a bit of a slope, wasn't it?
18:29I know.
18:30But look at that, all clean lines, nice and simple look.
18:33Nice and simple.
18:34Linda really wanted a showstopper.
18:36She wants to look at something amazing.
18:38And she went for your design because it's nice and minimal.
18:41Yeah, but behind all this calm and restraint
18:43is a lot of hard work to get it to that point.
18:46Now, Charlie, I really want you to be focusing
18:48on the driveway area of the garden.
18:50It's not pretty, but it's practical and it's got to stay.
18:53Exactly.
18:54It's so important to green up your front garden
18:56and just make it a little bit more interesting,
18:58but that slot hasn't even been cut yet,
19:00so I think you've got a lot of work to do.
19:02It's going to be noisy then, and what are you on?
19:04So I'm going to be over in this section of the garden
19:06because I need to get a couple of crucial elements in.
19:09So I've got to get the boulders set in position,
19:11and then I can get the bowl in with the maple,
19:14and it's all going to be viewed from every angle perfectly,
19:17so that is key.
19:19I have to say, when it is minimal,
19:21if something's slightly out, it just looks wrong.
19:23You'll throw your eye off completely.
19:25It's going to be fine.
19:26It's going to be a challenge.
19:29I mean, this is really coming together now.
19:32Just getting this terracing done makes everything a lot easier,
19:35but you can see the Japanese influence coming in already
19:38with the granite and the paddle stones.
19:40But this thing, the massive bench,
19:42that's what it's all about for Linda.
19:44It's just getting those clean lines,
19:46making a show-stopping feature in the front garden.
19:48But one of the next challenges for me
19:50is getting some boulders in place.
19:52So I'm going to have to do that.
19:55But one of the next challenges for me
19:57is getting some boulders in place,
19:59and they are massive, so I need to get them exactly right,
20:02as well as the weathering steel planter here,
20:04because those are crucial when you're creating quite a minimal design.
20:07And I know Charlie's got a lot to do over on that side of the garden,
20:10cutting out a big section of the driveway as well,
20:12so it's all go.
20:18We want that one coming in about here,
20:20because we need to leave room for the big one.
20:22This is medium.
20:24Japanese gardens are often described as a landscape in miniature,
20:29with boulders representing mountains.
20:31And placing the three in this garden
20:34so they look at one with their surroundings
20:36is no easy task.
20:39Once the big one goes in there,
20:41we get another smaller one over there.
20:43It's going to really transform this front garden.
20:46Oh!
20:48In Japan, the placement of rocks is said to be a spiritual process.
20:54Oh, that...
20:56That gets you, doesn't it?
20:59But with each rock weighing more than 100 kilos,
21:03it's hard work...
21:05for some.
21:07I'm keeping out of the way, but, wow,
21:10already it looks fantastic.
21:12And I'm feeling very calm and zen here.
21:15Chris has spent a total of £350 on the boulders,
21:19but a similar look can be achieved for less.
21:23If you wanted to do it at home,
21:25what you could do is get a bag of rockery stone.
21:27It would be a bit smaller,
21:28and you could either just have them dotted around on their own,
21:30or you could try and group them up together
21:32to make a bit more impact.
21:36I know Linda was really, really keen
21:40for the garden to be a bit of a spectacle for the neighbours,
21:44and it is already looking totally different from everybody else's.
21:51With the digger out of the way,
21:53Charlie and Ben can get to work on marking up the driveway.
21:58Borg!
21:59Borgious and very borg!
22:01Oh!
22:06Right, you ready?
22:08Yes.
22:09Safety, safety, eyes.
22:10First of all, you need to check there are no cables or drains,
22:14so we have scanned the drive.
22:16We're going to do a little test pilot area to see how deep it is.
22:20I'm also going to be on the hose to damp down the dust.
22:26By utilising the driveway for planting,
22:29Chris is hoping to connect the main garden
22:31with the mature border on the left-hand side
22:34to bring the whole scheme together.
22:37But if the concrete is more than a few centimetres thick,
22:41this job could take forever.
22:49Woo-hoo! Doesn't look that deep!
22:52Right, now that we know the concrete's not that thick,
22:56I've marked out the full planting area,
22:59so now it's going to be more noise, more dust and very hot and sweaty.
23:06At 50 centimetres wide and 3 metres long, it's a big feature.
23:12And once it's cut, if it doesn't work,
23:15the only alternative is to relay the entire drive.
23:24In Chris's design, different types of paving are used
23:28in different parts of the garden to avoid it looking too uniform.
23:33Sleek granite planks on the lower level and a crazy paving pathway.
23:38Now, Andy has been hard at work laying all of these paving slabs.
23:42We've got the granite and then the cobblestones,
23:44so I just wanted to get stuck in and do a few myself.
23:48What you want to do is lay compacted hardcore first.
23:52That's step one of the layer.
23:54Then you need to get a kind of five-to-one sand and cement mix.
23:58Next on the list, you want a priming slurry on the back of the slab,
24:03and what that does is that's going to help it adhere to the mortar bed underneath.
24:10You can be quite rough and ready with this.
24:15And then we want to get our placement right.
24:19That looks pretty good.
24:23Meanwhile, the new driveway border is past the point of no return.
24:31Charlie?
24:32Yes?
24:33This was meant to be about a foot wider.
24:36No, it was not.
24:38I don't see any paving down over there yet.
24:41Oh, come on. Have you not looked at that corner?
24:43Oh, OK, OK.
24:44It's beautiful.
24:45It's coming together really well.
24:48It doesn't look like much now, but this is going to transform it.
24:51Right, I'll go back to my paving, shall I?
24:53Yeah, go away!
24:57As well as Charlie's new border,
24:59the planting in Chris's design is in three main sections
25:03that break up the hard landscaping.
25:05Ooh!
25:06Lots of evergreen, though. That's the key here, isn't it?
25:09Lots of evergreen, yeah.
25:10Wow!
25:11And Chris has chosen some plants that you'll find in classic Japanese gardens.
25:18Easy maintenance and some of them very scented.
25:21They are.
25:22Look at that!
25:23Look at that! The key one!
25:33Now, any Japanese garden wouldn't be complete without a Japanese maple.
25:37If you want a real statement in the garden, you've got to buy Maturity.
25:41This will cost you around £450, £500 in the garden centre,
25:44but it is totally worth it.
25:46You could buy yourself a small one for about £30.
25:49You're going to have to wait for about 15 years to see anything like this.
25:52They're really disease-resistant, which makes them pretty tough,
25:55but there's a few things you need to remember.
25:57Don't put them in a really windy, exposed site,
26:00because what happens is these delicate little leaves
26:02just get absolutely scorched by the wind and they go really tatty and start to die back.
26:07Another thing you don't want to do is put them in a really sunny, exposed spot
26:11because very similar things happen and they'll all start to curl up
26:14and it just won't look that great.
26:16But, you know, on the whole, they have so many qualities to offer.
26:19You get the beautiful colour in spring,
26:21you get the awesome colour of those really rich, orangey tones,
26:25and if you are patient with acers,
26:27you are going to be rewarded with a truly beautiful tree.
26:34Before the acer can make an appearance,
26:36Chris needs to tackle the border closest to the house.
26:41This is the most important border in the whole garden.
26:45It runs all the way through here and curves around,
26:48but the idea behind this planting bed
26:50is that when you're sat on the beautiful granite bench,
26:53you're looking out across a haze of planting.
26:56So I've used a real mix of evergreen plants, like these lazula grasses.
27:01We've got the hostas that are perennials that come up.
27:04I wanted it to make her feel really comfortable,
27:07I wanted it to make her feel really calm and relaxed and tranquil,
27:11and that's why we've got the muted colours.
27:13And when she gazes out upon it from her home office,
27:16I think she's just going to feel a touch of zen.
27:18And the reason I've chosen these plants here
27:21is that actually it's midday now and this bed is already in shade,
27:25so all of these plants will be perfect here.
27:27Things like the hostas, the heucheras, the lazulas,
27:30they're just absolutely fine with a bit of shade
27:33and also they're all perfectly hardy.
27:38Chris's design may be a contemporary take on a Japanese garden,
27:42but there's definitely a touch of nostalgia about it as well.
27:49I have to say, doing the driveway like this takes me back to the 70s.
27:55Do you remember driveways when there was two strips of concrete
27:58and planting or gravel on either side?
28:01I have to say, it is a really good way of doing a driveway
28:04because it stops water runoff.
28:06Now, Chris wanted me to keep the plants quite simple palette,
28:10so it's more about texture.
28:12So we've got lots of greens and lots of textures
28:15and not too many different types.
28:18So I'm going to place these out
28:21and they're going to sort of spill over and soften
28:25and they will adjust.
28:27The plants I've chosen are going to put up with being knocked about a bit.
28:31Now, I'm planting the ferns down the bottom of the driveway
28:38because this is moisture down this end.
28:41It's a hardy fern, evergreen,
28:43because really I want this to be evergreen
28:46because we don't want lots of things dying back.
28:49Further up the border,
28:51Charlie is adding another low-maintenance evergreen with a fitting name.
28:57Right, I'm just planting the pakisandra,
29:01which is known as Japanese spurge.
29:03So it's got these lovely, glossy evergreen leaves.
29:06It doesn't get much taller than 10cm and it does get little white flowers.
29:10So it likes the soil to be that wonderful thing,
29:14free-draining but moisture-retentive.
29:19Hey, Charlie, that's looking pretty good. Yeah?
29:22You've stolen all of my plants, I think.
29:25I have not stolen all of your plants.
29:27Look how many you've got. You've got loads.
29:29Some left now.
29:31It's looking very elegant over there.
29:33Very calm. Yeah?
29:35Understated elegance, I think the phrase is.
29:38Ooh, understated elegance.
29:41I'll take that.
29:56Now, this gravel is doing a practical job
30:00because it's holding the soil in position,
30:03but it's also tying the theme of the garden through.
30:06So this gravel here is the same as Chris is using around the rocks.
30:10And I have to say, it's really lovely gravel,
30:13chipping so it doesn't roll when you walk on it,
30:16but also when it's wet, it looks beautiful, the colour,
30:20and it will look fantastic against all these greens.
30:26It's almost time for the Japanese maple to make its grand entrance.
30:34It's not too bad, is it?
30:37You've got the light end.
30:39Oh, yeah!
30:41And Chris has found a stylish way to present it.
30:46Now, the Japanese maple is the star of the show in this garden,
30:50and this is what it's going in.
30:52Linda wanted a showstopper, and this is it.
30:55Now, it's very important to get this in the right spot
30:58because it lines up with this window, it lines up centrally here,
31:02and it's viewed from the home office.
31:04So, Ben, can you make sure this is right in the centre
31:07if I come back here and eye it in?
31:11Yeah, you're in between the lines that way.
31:14Now that this is in, it's time to get the other bowls in place
31:17because that's what's going to pull it all together.
31:19Are you going to have enough space?
31:21Oi!
31:23Another feature common to Japanese gardens is water,
31:27and one of the three bowls in Chris's design
31:30will be a modern version of a reflective Japanese pool.
31:35I'm thinking maybe I try the water bowl there in that little nook,
31:39or it can go on that corner,
31:41but we need to make sure there's access to the side.
31:44Have a seat and think about it.
31:46With his feet up, Chris utilises his team
31:49to get the positioning just right.
31:53Yeah, just in there between the boulders, Ben.
31:56Hey, that's quite nice, and now that bowl's there,
31:59I kind of like it because it goes one, two, three,
32:02and they're quite well balanced.
32:04A couple of inches made all the difference.
32:06Tell me about it.
32:09One section of the old garden that Chris has left alone
32:12is the border on the left-hand side,
32:15but Charlie has a plan to make it feel more in keeping with his design.
32:21Now, this is the shrub that I want to tackle.
32:24It's right at the front of the garden, so the neighbours look at it.
32:28It's a pyrus, it's a variegated pyrus,
32:31and it's got a lot of leaves on it,
32:34so the neighbours look at it.
32:36It's a pyrus, it's a variegated pyrus,
32:39so it's got this lovely variegation,
32:42and in the spring it's got red tips and flowers to it.
32:45But I have to say, it's been stunted,
32:48because the leaves are very, very tiny,
32:51which sort of adds to its prettiness as such,
32:54and what I want to do is just sort of tidy it up a bit
32:58to make it even prettier.
33:00The next thing I'm going to do is take out all the dead stuff.
33:04You know it's dead, get rid of it,
33:06and then you can see what you've got left
33:09and what you need to take out to make it look even better.
33:22In Chris's design, the bowl at the front is used as a planter,
33:27a dwarf mountain pine surrounded by the soft grass hackanaclua.
33:33I'm going to plant these all the way around,
33:36and don't be afraid to plant them en masse,
33:39because they do well in a big group and they really knit together.
33:43And what they're going to do in this planter,
33:45once they're all hanging out over the edge,
33:47you're just going to get that lovely contrast.
33:49You can have them in partial shade,
33:51and luckily we are north-facing here,
33:53so the sun's already gone in,
33:55and the important thing to remember
33:57when you're working with plants like this is to keep it watered,
34:00especially when it's metal, because it will get hot.
34:02And even this, if this was all the garden you had,
34:05you've got a small patio or a balcony, and this is what you've got.
34:09You can recreate your own slice of Japan in a pot like this.
34:20That looks so much better!
34:24Ooh, quite like that!
34:26The Pyrrhus may be pruned to perfection,
34:29but there's still the show-stopping Acer to get in.
34:33As that's heavy, I'll let you go first.
34:35Lovely!
34:36Yeah, that's all right, you just smacked me round the face!
34:38Sorry, Charlie!
34:41Ta-da!
34:44Right, Charlie, we need to get the angle of this right,
34:47and I think it probably...
34:49It needs to go back a bit, because Ben's face says no, from the road.
34:54What's my yes face look like?
34:56This way round?
34:58Other way round.
34:59Yeah, that's better.
35:01That way round?
35:02And then pull it back into the centre, you've gone off centre.
35:04Yeah.
35:06That looks good to me, and he's given me the thumbs up.
35:09But now it's good there. Yeah.
35:11Need to check if it's good from the home office.
35:14Ooh, look at that!
35:20That's it, that's it.
35:22Oh, it looks fantastic!
35:24Linda will be sat here, she's got the maple arching over,
35:27framing the planting.
35:29In the autumn, you're going to see all those gorgeous colour changes.
35:33I bet she won't get any work done.
35:39It's not even complete yet,
35:41but Linda's garden is the talk of the town.
35:44Does it look different from the road?
35:47Does it look different from the road?
35:49Absolutely different.
35:50Look at the transformation that is.
35:52Won't have to get the lawnmower out now, will they?
35:54No mowing the lawn, because I know Linda said
35:57that was a bit of a hardship on the slope, wasn't it?
36:00Yeah.
36:01Chris? Yeah?
36:02Got some people to do a preview of the garden.
36:05The neighbours.
36:07Go on then, tell me what you think.
36:09Very nice, really nice.
36:10Yeah?
36:11Think it makes a big difference on the street corner?
36:13Yeah, yeah.
36:14We'll all have to come out and do housing, won't we?
36:16Yeah.
36:18With the neighbours' approval, it's on to bowl number three,
36:22the reflective water feature.
36:26I just want to add a bit of black dye to this bowl,
36:29because it's all about zen and being reflective.
36:31I want to give Linda that mirror finish on this one.
36:34Now, it's perfectly safe for wildlife,
36:36so if birds drink from it or any wildlife goes in there,
36:38it's absolutely fine.
36:39You can pick this up in the garden centre.
36:41This little bottle was £10, and it will go a long way.
36:44You only need to add a few drops.
36:50Give it a bit of a mix-up.
36:52And if you want it a little bit darker,
36:54you just add a little bit more.
36:59Look at that.
37:00And look at your ants.
37:02Ta-da! Naughty as anything.
37:07With the garden receiving the last few plants
37:10and a final watering to bed everything in,
37:13this little piece of Japan in Wrexham is done.
37:18Well, that was tough, wasn't it?
37:20Well, it was, it was, and I have to say that driveway,
37:23I was like, oh, this is going to be terrible.
37:26I thought, what's Chris done to me?
37:28But in actual fact, it wasn't that bad, thank goodness.
37:31It did everything, fitted into place perfectly,
37:33and it was a little bit zen at times, wasn't it?
37:36Yeah, but it was tricky, wasn't it?
37:38Small garden tripping over each other.
37:40What's your favourite part of the garden?
37:42That's a difficult one, that, isn't it?
37:44I think, for me, it's the simplicity
37:47and the contrast of textures.
37:49Ooh.
37:50The gravel, the metal, the rocks.
37:53Yeah.
37:54The granite.
37:55It's all those things, and then with the very elegant planting.
37:59That sounds like you just said everything.
38:01So basically, this is a whole garden.
38:03Yeah, well, let's see if she likes it.
38:05Go on, then.
38:06When the team arrived, Linda's front garden
38:09was uninspiring and uninviting.
38:13A weed-filled path was like a road to nowhere.
38:17The plot sloped so much, you couldn't sit in it.
38:21And its main feature was a concrete drive.
38:25Whether viewed from the road or the house, it was an eyesore.
38:30Now, thanks to a £6,000 budget,
38:35it's been transformed into a show-stopping zen garden
38:39to remind Linda of her joyful travels to Japan.
38:46Instead of the old, tired path,
38:48she now has a new one that leads to a granite bench,
38:52where she can sit and enjoy classic Japanese garden features.
38:59Stunning architectural borders,
39:02lush evergreen plants,
39:05and an elegant Japanese maple.
39:10Three metal bowls add a contemporary twist to this timeless style.
39:15And Charlie's new driveway border
39:18cleverly links the other side of the garden
39:20to the rest of Chris's design.
39:24It's a garden that's a feast for the eyes
39:27when viewed from the home office or the street.
39:31But does it give Linda the wow factor she's always wanted?
39:38Well, here we go.
39:39So, Linda, you wanted a garden that was inspired by your travels to Japan,
39:44you wanted somewhere tranquil where you could look out from your office window,
39:47and you wanted a show-stopper for neighbours to gaze upon.
39:50I really hope this garden's delivered for you.
39:52Please open your eyes.
39:55Oh, my goodness!
39:58That's not the same place at all. Am I at the right house?
40:02Wow!
40:03I can safely say Linda is shocked.
40:06Straight away, we've got more greenery here on the driveway.
40:09Charlie's been hard at work with that today.
40:12She's taken the centre out and given it a new lease of life.
40:16No more boring day drive.
40:18The driveway looks better, I have to say.
40:21It's really good.
40:22Tidied up this border a little bit.
40:24I mean, this is the show-stopper, isn't it?
40:26Oh, wow!
40:28See the maple there?
40:30I just can't believe it.
40:31I'm totally amazed.
40:34It's sloped and you hated it, Linda.
40:37Absolutely brilliant.
40:39And no more horrible sloping.
40:40No!
40:41That's much better.
40:43It's brilliant the way it's levelled out, yes.
40:45It does look amazing, I have to say.
40:48And so much to look at.
40:49Her eyes are going...
40:52Each time you look one way, there's something else to see.
40:56Into the new terrace area that we've got here.
40:59We've got little Japanese elements, but it's not over the top, is it?
41:03No, no.
41:04What about these things?
41:06How did you get those here?
41:08Well, yeah, some of the guys are very strong, you see.
41:11And then we've got the reflective bowl here.
41:14I'm totally amazed, I really am.
41:17The boulders and the metal pots and the water feature,
41:21they give the real wow.
41:24This was all about zen and getting the placement right.
41:27And then we've got the focal point there.
41:29Oh, that's just brilliant.
41:32The maple.
41:34Took a long time getting it just right, but it is now.
41:38I just love that bowl there.
41:40Yeah, they'll all grow out and create a nice little mat underneath it.
41:44Go on, why don't you have a seat on the bench?
41:47Definitely. Wow.
41:49Now, this really was a challenge...
41:52Oh!
41:53..to get this one in the garden.
41:56I know, I didn't think it was this big.
41:58Yeah, it's a bit of a beast, and it's been hand-delivered by Ben
42:02all the way from Devon up to here.
42:04Oh, wow!
42:05It's a good spot to soak it all in, isn't it?
42:07Definitely. Definitely.
42:10You're going to have a really good evergreen structure.
42:12Yeah, everywhere I'm looking.
42:14The planting is beautiful, very understated,
42:18but everywhere you look, there's a detail,
42:21and that's the thing that makes this garden work,
42:24the minute detail.
42:26A lovely garden, Chris.
42:29Everything lines up, so the centre of your window
42:31is the centre of the bench. Oh, wow!
42:33The centre of the bench is the centre of the pot.
42:35I often shut the blinds. I didn't want to look out of here.
42:38I didn't want to see it now.
42:40I'll have them fully open, want to see this.
42:42It'll be difficult working now, looking at this.
42:45Yeah, yeah. But it looks so good.
42:48Yeah. So good.
42:50Linda, you won't be doing any work.
42:52You might have to move the office to the back of the house.
42:56I am totally stunned.
43:01Very happy. Very happy indeed.
43:03Yeah. Love it.
43:08MUSIC
43:38.