Garden Rescue episode 24 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!
00:45Flo!
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!
01:09In Staffordshire, a couple are hoping
01:12that the team can bring some good vibes to their bland garden.
01:16Hi, I'm Cecilia.
01:18And I'm Shail.
01:19And we live in Uttoxeter.
01:20And this is our garden.
01:24We've been married for 23 years now.
01:26Feels a lot longer though.
01:28It wasn't love at first sight.
01:30No, it was not love at first sight.
01:32Because I've known him since I was 15.
01:34Look, that's daddy, that's me.
01:37We've been married for more than half of our lives.
01:39In fact, more than that.
01:40And now we've got two daughters.
01:43This is Yashaswi.
01:45She's 19.
01:46The younger one is Yuvika.
01:48She is 16 now.
01:50So cool.
01:51Yeah, he's sitting on a horseback here.
01:53And Yash, can you close the dishwasher, please?
01:55With the daughters well into their teenage years,
01:59Cecilia and Shail have more time to focus on their garden.
02:03I'm not fond of this garden at all.
02:06But it's left them, frankly, stumped.
02:10There is nothing warm or very cosy about this.
02:13I mean, if you look here, all you see is just red bricks everywhere.
02:17We couldn't decide for all these years since we moved in,
02:20what do we actually do with this?
02:23The turf is not good.
02:24I mean, it's bumpy, it's lumpy, and it's on a slope.
02:27I could do with having some, you know, the shock absorbers in my mall
02:32because it's just going like that.
02:34We are surrounded by everyone,
02:36and we can be looked over by all our neighbours.
02:38We haven't got any privacy.
02:40And I can't sit here in my boxes.
02:42Oh, Shail.
02:46The family have also been dealing with health concerns
02:49that have made the need for a relaxing garden even more of a priority.
02:54A few years ago, Cecilia was poorly, and she had a brain tumour.
03:00That's when, after the treatment, she developed a lot of allergies.
03:03That one. Thank you.
03:05She started preparing a lot of food from scratch.
03:09Even our kids now are very food-conscious.
03:11We are looking at the nutrition side of food.
03:14We are making sure, wherever possible,
03:16we are having less and less of the processed food.
03:19An outside space that aids both with their physical and mental well-being
03:24is now top of the wish list.
03:27We like to have a place where we can have friends, we can socialise.
03:32We want a garden for well-being, really.
03:38Competing to transform Shail and Cecilia's garden are Lee and Flo.
03:44Will Lee's off-the-wall style spread some joy in the garden?
03:48Look at all those windows of the neighbours who are going to be so envious
03:52when they see my design in this garden space.
03:55Or will Flo's flair for the traditional give them the feel-good space they crave?
04:00What this space needs is colour, and it needs to have a sense of intimacy.
04:05Two of my trademarks.
04:08Oh!
04:10Wow, it's so interesting that more people are seeing gardens
04:14almost as a toolkit to help with mental health and relax them.
04:17It can help in so many different ways
04:19when you just need to get away from the kind of stresses of life
04:23and just ground yourself.
04:25I think grounding is a really good term,
04:27especially because Cecilia has recovered from those health issues
04:30and now she wants a garden that's going to help recover her,
04:33rest her and nurture her as well.
04:35So this place really needs to uplift them and their family and friends.
04:39Yeah, I wonder what else they're going to add to the mix.
04:44Shail, can you just clean that?
04:46Yes, sir.
04:48What we really want is a garden where we can cook.
04:58See, this is years back.
05:00I think Yuvika was just a few months old that time.
05:04We've got a farm back home in India.
05:07I always wanted a kitchen garden.
05:13Just imagine we had a place here where we could cook all the time.
05:18Loads of herbs around, a place to sit and eat.
05:22We can do some preparation here.
05:24Just a dream kitchen, isn't it?
05:26It's making me hungry now. Yeah.
05:28Well, how exciting. A cooking garden!
05:31It's somewhere to prepare food, grow food,
05:33entertain for their family and friends.
05:35There's a lot being asked of this space.
05:37Yeah, all of these big plans we've got.
05:39What's the budget?
05:41Well, it's £4,000.
05:43That is quite a small budget for such a big garden.
05:46It's about being very strategic in how you use that.
05:51I think so because, like you say, it's a large garden.
05:54It might be better to give them that outdoor cooking area
05:57and then save some of the garden
05:59rather than trying to spread it too thinly.
06:05With Shail and Cecilia's brief in mind,
06:07our designers get straight to work.
06:10The couple then has to choose one of their designs.
06:13And whichever designer loses must help the other build it.
06:17Flo, Lee and their trusty team of landscapers
06:20provide the labour for free,
06:22leaving the full £4,000 budget for materials.
06:27Back in Utoxeter...
06:29Let's have a look. I'm quite excited.
06:31..Shail and Cecilia are ready to tuck into the designers' pitches.
06:36Hi, Shail and Cecilia.
06:38I have created a garden for food lovers with cooking at its heart.
06:43That's you guys.
06:45In this garden, the things that I put in that you wanted
06:48are a space for cooking, a space for growing,
06:51a space for entertaining
06:53and also respecting lines and angles.
06:56You've got an expansive lawn and a little skinny patio,
07:01which I am going to use the same stone to make it bigger.
07:05So now you can sit out with tables and chairs and enjoy the space.
07:09Perfect.
07:12Hi, Shail and Cecilia.
07:14This is my Tandoor Indian-inspired kitchen garden for you.
07:17You want a garden space that's easy to look after,
07:20that will allow you to grow your own herbs, fruits and vegetables
07:24that you can then use within an outdoor kitchen space.
07:27And lastly, you wanted a subtle nod to your Indian heritage.
07:31The first thing I've done is extend your existing patio
07:34using the same paving.
07:36It's going to be far deeper and wider, meaning more friends can sit here.
07:39Feels really nice and cosy.
07:41To stretch the couple's budget,
07:43both designers are extending rather than replacing the existing patio
07:48and are focusing their design on the first two-thirds of the garden.
07:53This garden is based on clean lines.
07:55I've given you these beautiful raised beds.
07:58I'm going to plant them up with a mix of hot-coloured herbaceous perennials,
08:02things like crocosmia, monarda, rudbeckia, daisies,
08:06but also edible herbs.
08:08What this raised bed also does
08:10is disguise against that wall to the left-hand side,
08:13because no-one wants to look at a brick wall.
08:15You'll also notice that you've got these custom screens
08:17that are going to help hug the garden and create a room
08:20rather than it just being exposed.
08:22Everybody can look into our garden.
08:24So we need our own private space,
08:27which is done in such a nice way.
08:30As this is a food-lover's garden,
08:32there's plenty of opportunity for you to grow your own.
08:35I've given you four raised beds.
08:37You'll love that.
08:38For each of the four raised beds,
08:40there's a screen attached to them
08:42which provides screening from the overlooking neighbours.
08:46And aesthetically, I've gone for a mendi design,
08:50so I'm hoping that that reflects some of your Indian heritage back to you.
08:55I like it. It's nice. It's really nice.
08:58Both designers are tackling the privacy issue in different ways.
09:03But this is a space that needs to be for growing and cooking.
09:09As we walk around the garden,
09:11you'll notice that there are these two custom L-shaped seating areas
09:15made from wood.
09:16These wooden benches are going to help people sit
09:19in the central part of the kitchen garden around the focal point.
09:23Now, Cecilia, I know that you really wanted a tandoor,
09:27and I'm going to build you one out of terracotta.
09:30Just what I wanted, really, isn't it?
09:32And this is going to get all of your relatives ringing you up
09:35that you've not seen in decades,
09:37asking can they come round for one of your world-famous kebabs.
09:40I mean, I can almost smell stuff cooking on tandoor.
09:43Already? I can smell it already.
09:46Lee's terracotta tandoor has hit the spot.
09:50What else does Flo have to whet their appetite?
09:54What I'm giving you is the space for you to do all your prep.
09:58Brick-built station with a slate top.
10:02And slate is a beautiful material that as it weathers,
10:05it just looks better and better.
10:07And it's generously proportioned.
10:09That's my area.
10:11As a sous-chef. Yes, choppy.
10:14With tandoors, workstations and raised beds galore,
10:17there's something for even the most passionate foodie.
10:21But have Lee and Flo made room for beauty as well?
10:25So this side of the garden is the sunny side,
10:28so the perfect spot, actually, for a flower border.
10:32And I'm going to pack it with evergreens.
10:34Now, the evergreens provide the structure for the border,
10:37so I'm going to put in some flowers for summer colour.
10:40And a cactus, which might seem like an odd choice,
10:43but Shail and Cecilia, you know that it's the state plant for Rajasthan.
10:48It is. She's done the homework. Yeah.
10:51I've also not forgotten about the rest of the garden.
10:54There's going to be these two beautiful evergreen shrubs
10:57that are going to give early spring flower
10:59and maybe some autumnal colour.
11:01These two shrubs here are going to call you out from the kitchen garden
11:04after you've finished your food to explore the rest of the green space.
11:08So if you want to stick some kebabs in the tandoor, then pick my design.
11:12So, Shail and Cecilia, I hope you love it.
11:15I hope you pick it because I would love to build it for you.
11:18We are lucky to have two really good designs.
11:21I mean, they are just both amazing.
11:26Flo and Lee have both cooked up great designs.
11:30That's a nice idea.
11:32It's always the devil's in the details.
11:35Lee's design has got the tandoor, which I really, really like.
11:41The seating area, you have the screens here for the privacy.
11:44That's amazing.
11:46However, in Flo's design,
11:50you've got this really nice big circular feature here... Yeah.
11:54..with the cooking area.
11:57That's quite interesting. And the henna design.
12:00They're really, really nice.
12:02It's so hard. So hard to pick, isn't it?
12:05Only one design can win, so whose will they choose?
12:11So, we've heard back from Shail and Cecilia.
12:14Shall we take a look? Yes, please. Come on, then.
12:17It was not easy to decide which one we should pick today.
12:23But the winner today is...
12:26Lee! Lee!
12:28Oh!
12:30Again! You won again!
12:32It was that tandoor. As soon as she said it, her eyes lit up.
12:35I was like, he's got it.
12:37But we've got to build that tandoor as well,
12:39so have I bitten off more than I can chew?
12:41Yes, yes, but you'll do it.
12:45It's the day of the build in Utoxeter,
12:48and the landscaping team, led by project manager Ben...
12:52Look at how excited he is! ..are full of beans.
12:56We're creating a kitchen garden today.
13:00The garden is quite big, but we're only developing a certain area.
13:05Lee's drawing is flat.
13:08The garden needs to be flat, or that tandoor oven is falling over.
13:12So, Andy, the patio here, we're just going to be putting in new ones,
13:16adding to this so it all looks the same.
13:18Marvellous.
13:20All three of you are going to be on this area.
13:22Simple raised bed here.
13:24Prelis panels going in with posts, capping it off.
13:28Everyone happy to go? Yeah.
13:30Let's get in the garden.
13:32Whilst it may seem level by the house, further down the garden...
13:36What a slope.
13:38..it's a different matter.
13:40Lee's original design is here.
13:44We have to retain this area.
13:46We've got to get it flat, haven't we?
13:50But before they get digging, there's a delivery.
13:53Good job on the swim, isn't it?
13:55These screens will help provide some privacy.
13:59But not from this nosy neighbour.
14:02We've no time to be messing with the wildlife.
14:04Come on, come and help. Come on.
14:06I don't think you'll be much help, to be fair.
14:13The 2.8.
14:16And my mate's here as well, look.
14:18He's not going to dig post holes for me, is he?
14:20Come on.
14:21The furry friend isn't up for digging the holes for the timber posts,
14:25so it's back to Ben.
14:28680, yeah.
14:31The guys have to factor the slope into the measurements...
14:34Back a bit towards me. Down. That's it.
14:38..to create that nice, even surface for Shail and Cecilia's kitchen garden.
14:44Always use the house to create those parallel lines.
14:48Then you know you've got it bang on.
14:51That's lovely. Absolutely lovely.
14:58We've got the first post in,
14:59and obviously we're putting these lovely trellis panels in.
15:01So the best way to do it, rather than digging holes in unnecessary places,
15:04because you can never gauge them properly,
15:06so there's no point digging holes all the way down,
15:08because you'll always end up being out slightly.
15:14Then we'll get the next panel in place,
15:16and then keep working along that way.
15:18That's not level, my old cocker.
15:20That's the spirit.
15:23By the front of the house,
15:25Jamie is clearing the way for the extended patio...
15:30..which is topped with some hardcore...
15:34..to form a solid base for Andy to work on later.
15:39My knees.
15:41Oh! You get that looked at, don't you?
15:43I think you should, Lou. It doesn't sound right, mate.
15:45No, I don't know.
15:47Lee!
15:49You need a bit of oil on that.
15:56So I'm happy with how the screens have gone in.
15:59Got the retaining section in underneath,
16:02so the spoil that has come out of the patio area
16:06now can be moved into this section,
16:08so it's retained up against the tannilised wood.
16:11We're happy, aren't we? Yeah, more than happy, mate.
16:14Off-cuts to the top of the post.
16:16Perfect height for a step. Beautiful.
16:18Looking good. So now we're back towards the house.
16:21Yeah. Going along there. And the sun's still shining. Lovely!
16:33Boys, boys, boys, we're going to build a garden.
16:37That sun is intense.
16:40Ben's managed to get these nice riven slabs,
16:43which are a perfect match to the existing ones,
16:46and I'm just going to lay a grid pattern all the way down,
16:49three rows out, and it'll just extend it nicely out from the house
16:53and make a really decent area to eat on.
16:58The centre point is pretty much on that post there.
17:01Yeah, which we are.
17:06With an even workspace,
17:08it's time for the main ingredients of this kitchen garden
17:12to come together.
17:14See, we've clucked it on.
17:16Now we're the raised bed.
17:18Now we're the raised bed.
17:20Now we're the raised bed.
17:22Now we're the raised bed.
17:24See, we've clucked it on.
17:26Now we're the raised bed.
17:28Andy's just levelled all this ground off for us,
17:30all the leftovers gone in here.
17:32Fantastic.
17:38Right. That's the last slab done of the patio.
17:42Lee's coming along with his bed,
17:44so that's going to hit there.
17:46Happy with that.
17:49Oh, oh, oh, oh.
17:53Let these young'uns do work.
17:55That's what I say, let young'uns do work.
17:57Where's your other hand?
18:06Hey, boys, how are we doing?
18:08What's going on here, then?
18:10So we're just getting the framing for this central tandoor area.
18:14Oh, fantastic.
18:17This is our centre point, ready for the tandoor oven.
18:20Wonderful.
18:22Sounds like the perfect moment for Lee and Flo
18:25to take stock of the situation.
18:27Well, we've got an exciting spicy garden.
18:30Good, yes.
18:32Hope you've got your cooking skills on.
18:34Yeah, I've got some skills, actually.
18:37Oh, yes, this is taking shape, isn't it?
18:40Can you smell the spices in the airflow?
18:43No, more diesel, actually.
18:45At the moment, we've got some nice structure,
18:47but it's not really screaming kitchen for me.
18:49Not yet, not yet, no.
18:51So, Flo, what I'd love you to do
18:53is to tackle that raised bed over there,
18:55and I want you to bring almost that feel
18:57of being at one of the spice markets.
18:59Oh, yes, colours and smells.
19:01Exactly, and I've got you some real lovely,
19:04almost clashing herbaceous perennials.
19:06Also, when I'm looking at this patio,
19:08whilst the lads have worked really hard to extend it,
19:11it's looking a little bit bare.
19:13What I'd love you to do is to use your artistic vision
19:16to use a few things from around the garden
19:18to bring a bit of life to this area.
19:20OK, so I have licence to thrill.
19:23You've got full licence to thrill today.
19:25Brilliant.
19:26And then whilst you're doing that,
19:28I'm going to be in the centre creating a tandoor,
19:30the heart of the kitchen where they can cook,
19:32and also a little bit of a kitchen work surface area.
19:35Brilliant, brilliant.
19:36OK, let me go and start to let the cogs work, all right?
19:39I'll see you later. See you later.
19:44Now, when I designed this garden,
19:46the first thing I did was to extend Shail and Cecilia's patio
19:50because it was so skinny that when you came out the house,
19:53you basically fell into the garden.
19:55And I wanted this design to bring them out
19:57where they could cook, socialise and entertain.
20:00They were also quite overlooked,
20:02so a big part of the design is to use this trellis
20:05to envelope them, and by doing this,
20:07suddenly the design creates a room,
20:09an extension of the garden.
20:11The design creates a room, an extension of the house,
20:14and as we work our way around,
20:16no matter where they're sat in this garden,
20:18they're going to feel private and snug
20:20and away from those neighbouring views.
20:22In the middle is going to be the tandoor.
20:25This is going to be the heart of the garden.
20:27But before we get to that,
20:28I've noticed there's one more screen to go up,
20:30and once that's up, we've got the garden kitchen room
20:33already built and ready to be planted.
20:41Yay!
20:47Sorry, can I borrow your height?
20:49Borrow me?
20:51Beautiful.
20:56Each panel is 2m tall by 1.5m wide,
21:00large enough to screen the area off
21:03without making it feel too enclosed.
21:08Beautiful.
21:09Now, these screens cost around £90 to £100,
21:12and then a bit more for the post,
21:14but once you've got them in,
21:15you can already start to see
21:16how we're creating this kitchen room.
21:18Now, whenever you're starting a garden design,
21:20if you've got a large garden or a blank canvas,
21:23it can feel really overwhelming,
21:24and so some paving just to lay out
21:26different parts of the garden.
21:28Just time to get the cap on the top,
21:30and it's done.
21:32Get my ladder out.
21:35This is the beauty of having tall landscapers.
21:37I don't need to get a ladder.
21:43Ooh!
21:44As well as the prying eyes of the neighbours,
21:46Cecilia felt hemmed in by the huge brick wall
21:49on the left-hand side of the plot,
21:51and Flo's concerned the new raised bed
21:54may not be enough of a distraction.
21:57Just getting my raised bed in tip-top condition.
22:00Now, this raised bed is on the left-hand side of the garden.
22:03The garden slopes away quite a lot,
22:05so the guys have had to level this off,
22:07fill it with soil,
22:09and now we're ready to plant.
22:11It's going to be produce,
22:12it's going to be a right of colour,
22:14but I'm also looking at this wall and thinking,
22:17I never like to see a plain brick wall.
22:20Lee?
22:21You look like you're plotting something.
22:23Yeah, and I know we've got a spare trellis.
22:25We could put it here against the wall
22:27and then grow something up it
22:28to just kind of take over some of the brick.
22:30OK, yeah, I can see where you're going with that.
22:32The only thing is, I wanted this hot spice bed of yours
22:35to kind of pop off against the brick,
22:37but what we could do is take that idea and morph it slightly
22:40so we could have some form of climbing plant here
22:43that then scrambles over this trellis instead.
22:46Because what that will then do is it also provides more screening
22:49and when they're looking out from the house,
22:51it gives them something to look at
22:53rather than drawing the focus to the big garage wall.
22:56OK, yeah, I can take that idea.
22:58And I've actually got a really interesting plant
23:01in the back that you might like, if you like wine.
23:04Oh, wine has never crossed my lips.
23:07Brilliant, thank you.
23:09With the walls of the garden room now in place,
23:13it's time for some furniture.
23:17Lee's design features two bespoke L-shaped benches,
23:21which landscaper Lee is lovingly crafting from oak.
23:26And the first of them is ready to take pride of place.
23:30It fell as if it had known I'd have helped.
23:33This is looking nice, isn't it?
23:35Right. And the bench.
23:37Oh, cheeky. Let's get this positioned.
23:40So there's a flower bed that envelopes this bench,
23:43so I think maybe if we just move it a little bit this way...
23:46Forward? Yeah. To me.
23:48What about height?
23:50450. 450. Perfect sitting position.
23:53Happy with that? Good technique.
23:55Look at that! Perfect squats.
23:59Lee has deliberately left the legs of the bench long
24:02so they can be anchored into the ground,
24:05which means four more holes need to be dug.
24:12I can touch floor as well. That's always a good thing.
24:15If the bench is the designer corner sofa in this garden...
24:19Just relax. Don't try it.
24:21We've got to get this garden finished.
24:23..in Lee's design, the centrepiece is the tandoor.
24:29That will sit between two benches on a square section of gravel.
24:37Now, it wouldn't be much of a kitchen garden
24:40without some form of cooking equipment,
24:42and what better way than to use the oldest cooker
24:45in the history of mankind, the tandoor,
24:48which dates back 5,000 years to Rajasthan in India.
24:52It's a beautiful way to slow-cook food
24:55and turn cooking into a real social occasion.
24:58Now, you can buy tandoors, but typically they're between £400 and £600.
25:02They look really ornate, they come on metal stands,
25:05and they're rather large, but given the fact we're on a budget,
25:08I thought that I would use this tried and tested method
25:11of using terracotta pots that you can buy down your local garden centre,
25:15and for around £70 to £100, you can make your own tandoor.
25:19If you're not confident at making your own,
25:22it's always best to buy a kit.
25:25Oh, look at that, it's smoking.
25:27It is, it's getting warm.
25:29Now Andy has cut holes in the bottom to help with ventilation,
25:33it's ready to be assembled.
25:35Broken pavers, otherwise known as crocks,
25:38to sit this pot on top of.
25:41Once the biggest pot is in position...
25:44On top of that other pot there, lovely.
25:47..two smaller pots go on top of each other,
25:49creating an inner chamber that'll fill with hot air
25:52and slowly heat the food.
25:54Then it's a case of filling the inner void
25:56with the lava stone that retains the heat,
25:58and also some of this gravel,
26:00so once it's up to temperature,
26:02the heat will radiate inwards and cook the food.
26:10So I'm going to cure the tandoor, ready to get it fired up
26:13so we can get some food in it.
26:15And the way you do that, believe it or not,
26:17is with natural yoghurt,
26:19and it's similar to when you oil and season a wok or a new frying pan
26:23but you give it a base coat to stop things from sticking.
26:26If we don't season it, or we put things like chicken in and veg,
26:29the chances are they're going to stick to the sides,
26:31there'll be all bits of dried meat,
26:33it's not going to be very appealing.
26:35Once the yoghurt is smeared around the pot...
26:38Should have got strawberry flavour, really.
26:41..a small fire is lit in the bottom,
26:44which needs to burn for four to six hours before it can be used.
26:48There we go.
26:50We have fire.
26:53Ooh, it's looking good, Lee.
26:55It's going to be nice, isn't it?
26:58Well, that's heating up nicely, so it's time to pop the lid on,
27:01leave it for an hour or so and then come back to check on it.
27:07Meanwhile, out front...
27:10I've got a great idea for the patio,
27:12and it starts here with this bit of larch.
27:16The solution to the large and rather bare new paving area
27:20outside the house has begun.
27:25Now, Lee's given me carte blanche to be creative on the patio,
27:30and I had a look around and saw all these different pots
27:35with marigold and mint.
27:38What would be nice is to have a big planter
27:41that houses those plants and just tie in everything together.
27:47Since her recovery from a brain tumour,
27:49Cecilia has been on a healthy eating crusade.
27:52A new herb garden by the back door means she can grow her own.
27:56Nice.
27:58And they'll be easy to access.
28:03That was sweaty work, but the frame is all done.
28:07All I need now is to put the bottom in with drainage holes,
28:10obviously, don't forget that one,
28:12and then I'm going to fill it with those beautiful plants
28:15and I've got some surprises for Cecilia, some medicinal herbs.
28:21Oh, here we go.
28:23Health and well-being is definitely the theme to this garden.
28:28Hold on.
28:30And Lee's choice of plants will be key to its success.
28:33Now, what I've decided to do in this garden flow
28:35is use clashing colours.
28:37I want a colour pop.
28:39I love the punchy orange of this cocosmia.
28:42You marry that with the...
28:44Gold.
28:45Look at that.
28:46All of a sudden the coreopsis pops off there,
28:48really is in your face.
28:49A real attention grabber.
28:51Shail and Cecilia want their new garden to evoke memories of India
28:56and invigorating colour and a vibrant atmosphere.
29:01And invigorating colour and evocative scent...
29:04Oh, if you can only smell this, it's helichrysum, the curry plant.
29:08..will bring a sense of their ancestral home to suburban Staffordshire.
29:13Pops of gold in the garden.
29:15Hydrangea.
29:18Grass.
29:21Right, enough meditating, you can help me plant.
29:24This chaos planting is about repeating
29:27the kind of chaotic rhythm all the way around.
29:30If we only did it in this one bed, it would look what I call pick and mix,
29:33but because we're following it round...
29:35Yes, it looks intentional.
29:37Exactly.
29:40One side of the garden may be transforming into a riot of colour.
29:46These are my special herbs for my planter.
29:49My secret weapon.
29:51But the herb garden is all about soothing, tasty treats.
29:57I'm calling this a little tea garden
29:59because actually all of these plants here can be used to make tea
30:03and will be great for Cecilia.
30:05Now, lemongrass is a great plant.
30:07We know it as a plant that you use in cooking,
30:10but actually the leaves can be used to make tea.
30:14Pick the leaves, put them in the pot, let them infuse
30:17and you've got a tea that will help you just to calm down
30:21and deal with some of the stresses in life.
30:24Now, cardamom is another good plant, which is great for digestion.
30:30It's used a lot in cooking.
30:32The dried seed pods can be used in cooking,
30:35but actually the leaves as well can be used in chai.
30:41It is a tender plant, so it will need to be brought in over winter,
30:46but it's quite a lush plant
30:49and growing in a raised bed means you can just lift it out
30:53and pot it back and take it back inside the house.
30:58And we come to chamomile, which is really good for helping you
31:01to relax at night and to help induce a good night's sleep.
31:05For some added zing, Flo's adding the marigolds from Cecilia's old pots.
31:13And her mini herb garden is done.
31:16It looks beautiful, providing a little joy in this corner.
31:27With the tandoor heating up nicely,
31:29the next challenge is to create an area for preparing what goes in it.
31:35And Lee's neat twist on an ordinary workbench could be just the ticket.
31:41Here we're going to have two beautiful ceramic tiles
31:44and I'm going to adhere to this cement board,
31:46meaning it's going to be heat-retentive and super safe.
31:50Now I'm simply using these large floor tiles.
31:54Now they're heat-resistant and they've got this lovely pattern already on,
31:58but I need to use some high-tech adhesive,
32:01which is going to bond them to the cement board.
32:03The wood used in this table is simply pressure-treated softwood.
32:07The whole cost of something like this, including the tiles,
32:10is probably around £175 to £200.
32:13And it really is the kind of project that you could do on a weekend.
32:22There we go.
32:24And fast-drying adhesive really does set quickly,
32:28so you've got to work at pace.
32:33So I'm just putting a bead of adhesive between the tiles
32:36so that water doesn't get between them,
32:38because if it does, it might cause them to blow
32:41or the table to start to warp.
32:43Here we go.
32:46Right, I think that's looking rather nice.
32:49A little bit of a clean-up and it'll be ready to go in the garden.
32:54Yeah, if we can butt it all the way up.
32:56Oh, look at that. Nice.
33:01The idea is that as Shail and Cecilia are preparing food for the tandoor,
33:07they can pick and add to it from a bed of edibles.
33:11We've got things like peppermint, we've got the ginger-flavoured rosemary
33:16and the fenugreek that was really important to them
33:20because it's often used in Indian cooking.
33:22And I've actually grown this fenugreek from seed for them.
33:24We've got two different varieties,
33:26one that's about to go into seed itself,
33:28and then this, which is all the new little seedlings
33:31that you can eat, like microgreens.
33:37Transforming what was a bland space
33:40into a delicious edible garden is not easy.
33:44But the perfect pick-me-up may be at hand.
33:47Hi, Lee. Hi.
33:49That looks fantastic. I've got some Indian snacks for you.
33:52I made them myself. You can have the chilli.
33:54Yeah. Your choice. Yeah, yeah.
33:56So that's pav bhaji. Oh, lovely.
33:58It's an Indian snack and that's peanut brittle.
34:00Great. Hope you like it. Fantastic.
34:02Well, we'd better get these round to the boys.
34:04Enjoy. Thank you.
34:06What have we got here? Some Indian pick-me-up.
34:09Don't mind if I do. You have no chilli.
34:11Is it chilli? Someone's got to have the chilli.
34:13No, no, no. The chilli is extra hot,
34:16so whoever's going to be brave...
34:18Oh, lovely. Don't, don't, don't.
34:21Oh!
34:25Oh!
34:27I'll eat these with you.
34:29LAUGHTER
34:32He's got it! He's got it!
34:37Give me milk! Give me milk!
34:40Fuelled by Cecilia's delicious snacks,
34:43the team are determined to get the garden finished.
34:47Ah!
34:49I'm not moving that again.
34:51Oh, do you know what?
34:53It actually finishes the garden off.
34:55Love it!
34:57Lee's design may be focused on the first part of the plot,
35:01but he hasn't forgotten the area beyond the trellis.
35:05Take a look at this beauty.
35:08It's a hydrangea paniculata, limelight.
35:11It's really bright.
35:13It's got these huge panicles of white flowers.
35:15And I'm using this in the design as a peekaboo moment,
35:18where through these viewpoints, I'm going to be using two shrubs.
35:21What it's going to do is pull your focus
35:24through these two different viewpoints in the garden.
35:26And by doing this, it means that Shae and Cecilia,
35:29once they get comfortable in the kitchen garden,
35:31they'll look through and suddenly start to think,
35:33hmm, what can I put over there?
35:35Maybe a fruit tree, maybe some more flowerbeds.
35:37It's just going to keep them aware
35:39that there's a whole other garden to explore.
35:45There's good news on the left side of the garden as well.
35:49Flo's giant raised bed,
35:51designed to draw attention away from the wall, is almost done.
35:55This scheme that Lee has come up with, as we know,
35:58is just popping with lots of colour and excitement and dynamism.
36:03And ornamental grasses, they're great to have in a herbaceous border
36:08because what they add is another level of dynamism.
36:12They move so easily in the wind.
36:14They create different texture.
36:17And actually, they're great to just leave right through the winter
36:20and then cut back in spring
36:22and add just another level in the garden.
36:25I love them.
36:27Oh, wow, look at that.
36:29Yeah. I'm a real convert to your approach to planting.
36:32I love it. It's dynamic.
36:34I've got a couple more to put in and then this is finished.
36:37It's going to look fabulous.
36:39The team are on the home straight.
36:41And with delicious smells emanating from every corner...
36:44Oh, look at that.
36:46..the last touches go in...
36:50..and the garden is complete.
36:54Ooh!
36:55Well, we have cooked up a storm today, Flo.
36:58Yes. It's good to sit down and just relax and reflect.
37:03I mean, it's a small garden, but it's been a long day.
37:05It's been a long day.
37:07Yeah.
37:08But I love, in particular, your approach to the planting.
37:12Pops of orange that kind of chase you around the garden.
37:15It's like being at the spice market.
37:17These screens have worked really well.
37:19You wouldn't realise that there's loads of windows looking down at us.
37:22No, no, they've got a ready-made outdoor room, haven't they?
37:26Yeah. And look at the tandoor.
37:28Smoking!
37:30You need to get them out so they can feast on it.
37:32I know. I know.
37:34I'm just mushing up the energy. Come on.
37:40When the team arrived, Shail and Cecilia's garden was unappetising.
37:46The patio wasn't big enough to host friends and family.
37:50The lumpy, bumpy grass and slope made it unusable.
37:55They were surrounded by fences and brick walls
37:58and overlooked by neighbours.
38:01But working with a £4,000 budget,
38:04their bland backyard
38:07has been transformed into a scrumptious kitchen garden.
38:15The screens create an intimate social space the family can enjoy
38:20whilst providing privacy from the neighbours.
38:24Flo's raised bed adds vibrancy to the space.
38:29Flo's raised bed adds vibrant pops of colour to this once lacklustre garden
38:35and helps disguise the once overbearing wall.
38:39The two L-shaped benches mean Cecilia and Shail will never cook alone.
38:45And the workbenches with conveniently placed herbs
38:49will inspire meals for years to come.
38:52Especially as now they have the all-important tandoor to cook in,
38:56a staple in their Indian cooking.
38:59Once dinner is complete, they can harvest leaves from the medicinal bed
39:04to further help Cecilia on her road to full health.
39:09Lee has worked hard to make the garden an extension of the kitchen.
39:14But is it to Shail and Cecilia's taste?
39:19Cecilia and Shail, you wanted a garden that would bring your kitchen outdoors
39:24but would also remind you of your wonderful Indian heritage and using a tandoor.
39:30So whenever you're ready, open your eyes.
39:34Oh my God!
39:38You've just turned my dream into reality, Lee.
39:42Thank you so much!
39:44It's beautiful.
39:46They love the garden.
39:47Of course they would, yeah.
39:49This is brilliant. Awesome.
39:51Absolutely beautiful.
39:55We've given you this big extended patio now that you'll be able to use.
39:59That is really, really nice.
40:01You've turned a plain patch into a beautiful garden, seriously.
40:04I'm saying it from the depth of my heart.
40:06I can feel it.
40:07Yeah!
40:08Stunning.
40:09Absolutely love it.
40:10Should we take a journey around to show you some of the details?
40:13Yes, yes.
40:14Wow.
40:15Your new outdoor kitchen area.
40:17Absolutely love this design.
40:19I would say that's very Rajasthani.
40:21Is it weird if I hug this table?
40:23Of course, not hug away.
40:28He clearly loves that.
40:30I love this colour. I love the pattern.
40:33And it just adds a splash of not only the design but the Rajasthani heritage.
40:38Yeah.
40:39And it adds a different dimension.
40:41So, wonderful.
40:42This is a very pleasant surprise.
40:45I didn't think of this at all.
40:47I'm so glad you like it.
40:48We love it.
40:49Not like it, we love it.
40:51Now, I promised you a very specific herb, which is neti or fenugreek.
40:54I've actually grown you some here.
40:56Oh.
40:57See, we use this quite a lot.
40:59It's a herb that goes in loads of our recipes, yeah.
41:03All those herbs for them to cook with
41:06and they're just so easy to get to.
41:08I mean, at least made a blinder with that design.
41:11Without further ado, this is your new terracotta tandoor.
41:16Oh!
41:18Wow.
41:20Now, I've been curing it today.
41:22I've sealed it with natural yoghurt and it's just slowly heating up
41:25to cure all the terracotta.
41:27So, you can just as so feel some of the heat coming through.
41:29Oh, it is. Oh!
41:31There are some Rajasthani dishes going on this tandoor over the weekend, definitely.
41:36And behind you, we've got your new custom solid oak bench.
41:41So, why don't you take a seat?
41:43Ah, nice. Yeah.
41:45Now, I know that you wanted privacy, which is why I've given you these screens.
41:49I absolutely love them.
41:51We have a privacy inside and outside.
41:54And this is just perfect.
41:56So, can you see yourself sitting here, cooking, relaxing?
41:59Yes, right. You know what, we'll do that tonight.
42:01We won't wait for tomorrow.
42:07So, what do you think?
42:09You get a mixture of colour, flavours, food, design, comfort and greenery.
42:15I think it's more than what we expected or we could have thought of.
42:18Love it. Seriously love it.
42:20It doesn't look like a slope.
42:22It looks like they're two different areas done in a really nice way.
42:25Yeah. Love it.
42:26And you've still got plenty of garden to develop yourself.
42:28Yes, yes, definitely.
42:30Yeah, you've given us some ideas now, haven't you?
42:32There you go.
42:35Thank you so much, Lee.
42:36Oh, come here.
42:37Thank you. Thank you so much.
42:39I'm so glad.
42:40Thank you so much, Lee.
42:41You're welcome.
42:42Come here.
42:43It's stunning.
42:44And it is not only a space that we absolutely love it,
42:48but it is completely a lot more than what we ever anticipated for.
42:53Absolutely love it.
42:55As I said, my dreams just come to reality.
42:57Thank you, Garden Rescue.