Garden Rescue episode 29 2024
Garden Rescue episode 29 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!
01:09This time, the team are in Leicestershire,
01:12facing the challenge of a tricky garden full of trigonometry.
01:16I'm Leslie, I live in Nutterworth, and this is my garden.
01:21I retired about 18 months ago from a very long career in the NHS.
01:2737 years, working at Leicester Hospitals.
01:31Absolutely loved my job, but I felt that the time was right
01:35while I'm still young enough to enjoy a retirement.
01:39Leslie snapped up her home and moved in eight months ago
01:43and is now relishing every second of her retirement,
01:46spent mainly with her best friend.
01:49Two of us live in this house, and that's me and my little companion, Molly.
01:56She's a cockapoo, she's two now, and she's a little monkey,
02:01but that's fine, because so am I.
02:04When she's not monkeying around with Molly,
02:07Leslie's biggest joy is hosting her large extended family.
02:12I've got two daughters and four grandchildren, two lovely son-in-laws,
02:17so we love nothing better than getting around a big table all together
02:22and having a real good giggle.
02:25Accommodating all eight of them at once, though, is not easy.
02:31It's a struggle to get all the family in the house now,
02:35and so I really, really would love to be able to help out.
02:40I would love to be able to entertain them all at a big table in the garden.
02:47And that's where the problems start,
02:50because the 80m2 garden isn't up to the task either.
02:55So, obviously, the patio here is really small.
03:00It's not big enough to put anything on, really,
03:03and it's as much as a chocolate teapot.
03:06The garden does have a larger patio that's ideal for entertaining,
03:11but it has a giant shed on it.
03:13So, this is the shed, and I really need to keep this,
03:17because I don't have a garage, so I need storage,
03:21but look at it. It's just a boring old shed.
03:26Not being able to move the shed will present the designers with a huge challenge,
03:31but the biggest problem here is the configuration of the plot.
03:37So, just look at the shape of this garden.
03:41It's pretty much unusable, really, as it is at the moment.
03:45I mean, it goes to a point to nowhere, and what do you do with it?
03:51I mean, if I walk down here, you'll see what I mean.
03:54You know, I kind of like...
03:58I can get right down into the corner, but I can't really sit down.
04:03There's just not enough room.
04:07So, that's what Leslie doesn't like, but what's on her wish list?
04:13And if we look up here, you know, we've got the different angles of the house.
04:17In fact, there's so many different angles in this garden,
04:21I really don't know what to do with it.
04:24It's boring, it's got no character,
04:28it's just a load of fences, really, and a bit of grass,
04:31and I absolutely hate grass.
04:33There's more of what Leslie doesn't like, but what does she want?
04:38I just want something very sleek and modern and easy to manage.
04:45I did think, actually, that this area here, because it gets the sunshine,
04:50it might be a really nice sort of entertaining space here.
04:54I really would love to have some herbs in the garden,
04:58and I really would love a water feature in the garden,
05:01because I love the sounds of that to sit by.
05:05Like many houses on a modern estate, Leslie's garden is surrounded.
05:10It would be really nice as well if I could have some sort of pergola here
05:17that would enable a little bit of screening from the neighbours.
05:21I know that might be quite difficult and a challenge,
05:24but I know the garden rescue team are always up for challenges,
05:28so here's one for you.
05:32Competing for a chance to transform Leslie's awkwardly angled garden
05:36are Chris, whose sleek contemporary designs could be all she needs.
05:42This is a classic new-build garden.
05:44Because they're cramming so many houses onto the plot,
05:47you get all these odd-shaped gardens. It's going to be a challenge.
05:50And Lee, whose out-of-the-box thinking could suit this garden down to the ground.
05:56This could be a really good one for Chris.
05:58I'm really good with those small, awkward garden designs,
06:01so he might have to work a bit harder on this one.
06:06I mean, Leslie's garden's got angles in all the wrong places.
06:09Yeah, it really does. And what about this elephant in the room?
06:12Leslie's massive shed. Yeah.
06:14It's a bit over the top, that. It's a real challenge, these sorts of gardens,
06:17because you want to be able to disguise everything somehow.
06:20Well, let's find out what style she wants, shall we?
06:29I love Greece, and I love the Greek islands,
06:32and I really would love it if my garden reflected that love of mine.
06:37And I really would love to have a lovely Greek retreat.
06:44I love all the beautiful colours that you get in Greece.
06:47I love the white and the blue buildings.
06:50And I just love all the scents of Greece.
06:54Garden rescue, please bring my Mediterranean dream to life.
07:00Oh, well, that's quite exciting, a Greek-themed garden.
07:03Yeah, I love anything Mediterranean,
07:05because you get all those beautiful colours,
07:07the blues, purples, and the sort of sandy buff colours.
07:10Yeah, but will Leslie go down that rustic route,
07:12or does she want the more modern Greek town,
07:14where everything's really clean and marble-y?
07:17Oh, it is, isn't it? But I'm hoping rustic.
07:19Do you know, I think I'm hoping rustic as well.
07:21Right, but go on then, before you get too excited, what's the budget?
07:24So the budget is £4,000.
07:26Lots to think about on this one, but I'm up for it.
07:31It's now down to Chris and Lee to work their magic
07:34with the £4,000 budget.
07:37Leslie then has to choose one of their designs,
07:40and whichever designer loses must help the other build it.
07:45The budget will be spent on materials,
07:47with Chris, Lee and their landscapers
07:49providing the labour for free.
07:53In Lutterworth, the pitchers have arrived,
07:55and Leslie's invited her daughter Kelly to help her decide.
07:59Oh, Kelly, you're going to have to make me make a decision in a bit.
08:03Let's have a look at it.
08:05Hi, Leslie, this is my dreamy Greek retreat garden for you.
08:09You want a garden that will remind you
08:11of those beautiful holidays spent in Greece.
08:14You want an entertaining space where friends and family
08:16can come round and enjoy the last of the evening sun.
08:20You want a space that doesn't have any lawn.
08:22You also want a garden that has a water feature.
08:26Leslie, this is your garden, a Mediterranean meander.
08:29Let me take you on a journey through the garden.
08:32Coming out of the doors, at the moment you've got a few slabs there
08:35that you can't even get a table and chairs on.
08:37So I wanted to give you a really generous patio
08:40that gives you enough space to come outside, have a coffee,
08:42but also a space where you can entertain family and friends.
08:45I wanted to give you your very own raised bed along the boundary
08:48with a built-in bench seat.
08:50And the best thing about it is you're going to have
08:52all this tall, lush planting behind you
08:54that completely disguises the fence line.
08:56There's a brand-new water feature there, just next to the shed,
09:00and it's going to be a classic Mediterranean urn
09:02where the water just spills out over the top.
09:04I really like that.
09:06That is very, very nice.
09:08I love that.
09:09That's perfect.
09:10Chris is off to a cracking start.
09:13Large patio, an entertaining spot and a water feature
09:17all ticked off Lesley's list.
09:19So what's Lee going to fire back with?
09:22Lesley, I'm going to conserve the budget
09:25for the more fancy parts of the garden
09:27by using the same paving but extending that area.
09:30And then the payoff is going to be beautiful
09:32because I've got some gorgeous grey porcelain pavings,
09:35big paving slabs that are going to make the back part of the garden
09:39look super slick, like you're in the hottest, trendiest part of Greece.
09:43As soon as you leave the house, you can sit there and have coffee.
09:47And to give it that true feel of Greece,
09:49I've embedded a beautiful multi-stem tree.
09:52Now, I know you wanted to grow your own herbs,
09:54so I've created this custom octagonal steel structure as a raised bed.
09:59We're then met with the water feature.
10:01It's going to have these three steel tubes
10:03that come up out of the ground and then just circulate water.
10:07Lee and Chris have both used planting and a pathway
10:10to draw attention from the giant fence on the left.
10:13But masking the bigger elephant in the room is a whole different challenge.
10:18Now, when you stood here and you looked to the left,
10:21at the moment you're going to be looking at that big ghastly shed.
10:24So to give it a bit of a Mediterranean touch,
10:26I wanted to paint it an off-white colour.
10:29It's so classic, all those Greek islands.
10:31And all around it, I wanted to dress it up with a few plants
10:34and I'm even going to recycle your pots there and put some new plants in them.
10:38If you've ever been to Santorini,
10:40you'll know that the white stonewash walls and bright blue
10:43is a real key theme for that gorgeous Greek island.
10:47So I'm going to paint the shed door bright blue
10:49and then give a white wash to the shed.
10:52But I also want to introduce some flowers,
10:54so I'm going to use some scrambling roses in dark red and dusky pink
10:58that will eventually scramble over the shed
11:00and make it look like it's straight from Greece.
11:03That is so, so Greek.
11:07The boys are using every trick to camouflage the garden's unsightly areas.
11:12But top of Lesley's wish list was a seating area for the whole family.
11:17Now, this is the main event of the whole garden.
11:19This is the sunny spot.
11:20It's the place where you can go and sit with a glass of wine and relax.
11:24This is your very own pergola with a grapevine over the top
11:27and it's surrounded by all this luscious planting.
11:30With this pergola, I wanted to do something a little bit different
11:32because I know you said you quite like a touch of modern but not over the top.
11:36So I've gone for a really simple construction.
11:38They're just up and overs, but then I've put wires going between them all
11:42which means your grapevine's got something to cling on to.
11:45And what I've done is given you this custom pergola.
11:48I've designed these three frames that are going to connect
11:51the ground level planting here and also this raised bed.
11:55And what I'm going to do, Lesley, is grow some really beautiful climbers.
11:59The first of which is going to be a hardy grapevine
12:02so you'll be able to harvest your own grapes
12:04and maybe even make your own wine at some point.
12:07We're then going to have another climbing rose.
12:10Underneath this, we've got this beautiful grey porcelain paving.
12:14It's going to bring that modern touch of Greece to this garden.
12:17It's going to be plenty big enough for six to eight people to sit there, relax
12:22and more importantly, eat and drink in the evening.
12:26Perfect for your entertaining with your friends.
12:29With the garden, yeah.
12:32With little between the pergolas, Lesley is spoilt for choice.
12:36But the final problem to solve is the dreaded point at the end of the garden.
12:43Now, with this design, although your eye is drawn straight down to that corner now,
12:47you don't see that horrible point.
12:49And part of that, obviously, is distracting it with the planting and the pergola,
12:53but I've also given you a Pinus sylvestris pine tree in the back there
12:56and it just takes your eye off of the point.
12:58And those plants, pine trees, are just classic of all of those Greek islands.
13:02You see them everywhere.
13:04They're not over the top, they're not in your face,
13:06but they'll just soften this corner up lovely.
13:10I've got a clever design trick to tackle that
13:12and make it feel much bigger and more symmetrical.
13:15What I'm going to do, Lesley, is cut the nose of the top of your garden.
13:19And by cutting it off and creating a raised bed,
13:21it means that the proportions start to even up
13:24and the garden feels wider rather than long and skinny.
13:27So when you're sat there, the plants are going to be at eye level,
13:30making you feel really snug.
13:32The second trick is using a really suitable tree
13:35to help disguise the back part of the garden.
13:38And I've picked a gorgeous coastal gladitzia.
13:42Now, this honey locust tree has a really wide canopy,
13:45but it's thin and lets loads of light through.
13:48That's great.
13:49So grab your plane tickets, pick my design, let's go to Greece.
13:54So I hope you pick me.
13:57Both of those, absolutely fantastic.
14:00Both designers have hit the brief.
14:05With both designs so similar looking,
14:07now Lesley's got to make a tough choice.
14:12Will she pick Chris's whitewash shed,
14:15traditional urn water feature and grape-covered pergola?
14:18Lee has given us some raised beds either side of the pergola.
14:24Or Lee's whitewash shed with a blue door,
14:27modern water feature and a grape-covered pergola.
14:31But then he's given us the pergola as well
14:34and, you know, the lovely tree at the bottom
14:37and it's such an open design, isn't it?
14:39Yeah.
14:41Only one can win. So who's it going to be?
14:45We've heard back from Lesley.
14:46Oh, lovely stuff.
14:48Let's see which one she's picked.
14:50Thank you, Chris. And thank you, Lee.
14:52You had given me a really Greek feeling in my garden.
14:56Felt like I was stepping out onto a Greek terrace
14:59with a taverna at the bottom of the garden.
15:02And Chris, your design, well, that was just super, super modern.
15:07So it's been a really, really hard decision
15:09but there can only be one winner.
15:11And the winner is...
15:14Lee!
15:15Yay!
15:16Congrats, mate.
15:17Thanks, Chris.
15:19And Lee, I can't wait for you to come and do my garden.
15:23I mean, to be honest, our designs were very similar.
15:26They were, weren't they?
15:27I think there's just a little bit more planting,
15:29some wild colours that maybe got Lesley to the Greek island.
15:32I think it just ticked all the boxes for her.
15:34But the best thing is, because you've done some of the designs,
15:36I know that you are going to waltz through this,
15:38helping me build it and plant it.
15:40Yeah, lush. I can't wait.
15:41I think it's going to be a brilliant garden.
15:43We're going to have a holiday away from work,
15:45sat there in this Greek garden.
15:46Put our feet up at the end of the day,
15:48have a nice little glass of wine.
15:50Easy peasy.
15:51Let's get there now.
15:52All right.
15:54Sadly, one look at the garden
15:56and the landscapers, led by project manager Scott...
15:59Here we go, guys.
16:00This is Lesley's awkward-shaped garden.
16:02..are not in a holiday mood.
16:05Lots of different angles everywhere, to be honest.
16:08We've got triangles and squares and everything else.
16:10Tape measure out, string lines out and spray paint.
16:13I think we get it all marked out.
16:15What we suggest is we build this raised planter
16:17down in that bottom corner first
16:19and then we've got to scrape off all the lawn as well, so...
16:22Yeah, that can be...
16:24..all the lawn can go down into that planter
16:26and then we can build the levels up.
16:28Better crack on, then. There's a lot to do, isn't there?
16:30There is, yes.
16:32So, the key to this design is basically...
16:35..this planter at the bottom.
16:37This is squaring off this fence.
16:40Turning the dreaded corner to nowhere
16:42into a rectangular raised bed
16:44means it can be disguised later with planting.
16:48Bit more, yeah? Bit more, yeah?
16:54But it's a bit of a challenge, isn't it?
16:58But, up by the house,
17:00there's a problem with the existing patio layout.
17:04Andy, what are you thinking, mate? You're looking a bit concerned.
17:07Not too concerned at this stage.
17:09We've got a lovely little patio that's already there.
17:12Yeah. Grid formation.
17:14Then we've got a stretcher-bond pattern there.
17:17Yeah. And then we've got a path.
17:19Yeah. Now, all that won't marry together.
17:22No.
17:24In Lee's design, the gap between the two existing patios
17:27is meant to be filled to expand the seating space.
17:30But eagle-eyed Andy has spotted that the two don't match.
17:34I think what I'm going to have to do is take all that up...
17:37OK. ..and then from this existing patio,
17:39pave out with the same pattern out that way,
17:42and also it's got to go that way as well, so...
17:44It's not going to look right otherwise, is it?
17:46No, I don't think it... It'll look certainly better...
17:49Yeah. ..taken up and redone.
17:54OK.
18:03You're doing great, Scott.
18:05Oh, perfect timing.
18:07I'll put the shovel down.
18:09Let the oil do the toil.
18:11That's my motto.
18:18While heavy machinery makes light work of the area by the house,
18:22it's all about mathematical precision.
18:25This is the key point of the garden.
18:27This is the starting point, this is the datum.
18:29One thing I can trust is my set square.
18:32We've got this off the fence,
18:34because everything works off of this fence line here.
18:36So it's 45 off that end there, 90 off here,
18:39and Andy can work that way with his patio.
18:42Choosing a central point from which all the other lines in the garden
18:46can be measured means that nothing in the space will be off centre,
18:50which could ruin Lee's design.
18:53And once the raised bed is lined with weed-suppressant membrane,
18:57Leslie's hated lawn is recycled into it,
19:00a great saving for the budget.
19:05OK, so me and Jamie have been busy setting up.
19:08We've took a string line off Lee's bed,
19:10which runs all the way up the garden to a 90-degree point.
19:14We've returned it back to this fence.
19:17Now, everything this side of the line
19:19I've got to pave with the old slabs.
19:22And then further down the garden, we've got the lovely porcelain.
19:28Once a layer of MOT goes down,
19:31laying the new patio can begin.
19:36But Leslie's weird-shaped plot has thrown up yet another challenge.
19:41So, it's going to be a bit tricky.
19:43We'll start in this corner, cut all the angles round,
19:46because obviously the patio is on 45 degree from the fence,
19:49which everything comes square off.
19:51So, it's a bit time consuming, but it'll be done.
19:58At the other end, work on creating a cover for the main seating area
20:02has begun.
20:04So, just finished digging the three holes for the pergola
20:07that's going over the top of the patio.
20:09It's just going to enclose this area lovely
20:11and the symmetry will be fantastic.
20:17The treated timber posts are sunk two feet into the ground for rigidity.
20:26Last post on this side going in there.
20:28We've just lined it up, ready.
20:30So, we'll get this in.
20:32Lee's choice of porcelain pavers under the pergola
20:35will also add a contemporary touch to this rustic Greek-inspired garden.
20:41Right, we're doing really well.
20:43Right, we're doing really well.
20:45Paving's down. Andy's got all the paving down up at this top end now.
20:48All the cuts have been done, so we've got all the straight lines
20:51and all the angles from the design.
20:53Got all this part of the garden levelled now.
20:55We've got the raised planters in.
20:57Andy's just putting in the porcelain paving, so that's nearly finished.
21:00So, we're in a good place now. It's really good.
21:02The landscapers have been sure-footed so far.
21:06But will Lee and Chris be impressed?
21:09I feel like I'm on holiday already, Lee.
21:11I feel like we've just hopped off a ferry. We're in Santorini.
21:15Well, are you feeling like you're in Greece?
21:17Not quite yet, but we're getting there, aren't we?
21:20We've got the structure for the pergola already in.
21:22The raised beds are there, so we can see some of the elevation.
21:25Paving's nearly complete as well, so we're not in a bad shape, really.
21:29What have you got in store for me?
21:31Chris, I would love for you to focus your efforts on this part of the garden.
21:34Nice.
21:35Almost like the Greek courtyard.
21:37I'm going to be down there, finishing off that taverna,
21:40so we can meet in the middle with that water feature.
21:42Oh, dreamy. Right, well, I'd better go see to this shed, then.
21:52Now, the biggest issue with Leslie's garden is it's a real awkward triangle shape.
21:56And this whole design has been based on disguising that.
22:00The first part of the garden here is this Greek courtyard,
22:03and everything's been set 45 degrees away from the house.
22:06If it had just carried on out from the windows or doors, it would feel really awkward.
22:10So by reorientating the garden, it just feels bigger.
22:13Now, these posts are going to turn into this beautiful, rather simple pergola.
22:18We've just got three arches.
22:20The planting will feel higher.
22:22So when Leslie's sat in this part of the garden, on the table and chairs,
22:25everything's much higher around her,
22:27making her feel like she's in almost a sunken garden.
22:30And over here, we've got the really overbearing shed,
22:33which obviously is a necessity for storage.
22:35But I don't want it to dominate the garden,
22:37so I'm going to turn it into a feature by using Chris's skills
22:40to paint this, making it look like a Grecian villa.
22:43No pressure, Chris.
22:45Easy peasy, you know.
22:51Before any of the other jobs can commence, the two patios need finishing.
22:57Got your final one here, Andy.
22:59Oh, perfect timing. Perfect timing.
23:04It's looking really nice, this, isn't it?
23:06We're nearly there.
23:07Now, I've chosen grey and not beige or anything too dark
23:10because I want to keep it light.
23:12But by using grey, it's a little bit more stain-resistant.
23:15It's a really nice material to work with.
23:17Super flat and neat and adds a little modern twist to any garden.
23:22One patio down, one to go.
23:26So go on then, Andy, what do you want me to do?
23:28Shall I get some slabs in?
23:29You can, mate. I'm ready for you now.
23:31Let's start there and work our way down.
23:32Easy peasy. Come on then.
23:43Bit more in there.
23:44Rather than a more traditional roof structure,
23:47Lee's pergola consists of three simple frames,
23:50a more contemporary design that draws attention into the garden
23:54and away from the boundary.
23:57Watch out!
23:59Right, here we go, one post.
24:01Here we go.
24:03Like a man on a mission.
24:06There we go, let me get this then.
24:08Right, you go up the ladder.
24:12Until you get your level.
24:15I should have picked someone taller, shouldn't we, really?
24:18Thought I'd have got a jay.
24:20Yeah, that'll do there, Lee.
24:22Right, I'm going to scramble up.
24:24Scramble on that.
24:25There you go.
24:26Happy?
24:27Happy?
24:28Brilliant stuff.
24:29OK, I've got it.
24:30I'm using this tanalised timber because it's really good value
24:33and when we get the supports over the top,
24:35we're going to end up with these three frames.
24:37But I'm not just going to leave it at that.
24:39I've had a bit of an idea that might just bring this pergola
24:42to a Greek dream.
24:49One of the biggest challenges with this garden is the shed
24:52that can't be moved.
24:54Got my paint, got my brushes and rollers.
24:57Time to go.
24:59It's now up to Chris to try and transform it into a Greek taverna.
25:05Lee decided to go for the bright white with blue door
25:09to give it that pop of colour.
25:11And that is the colours of the Greek flag,
25:13but when you're over there on holiday,
25:15that's just what you see everywhere.
25:17You know, when you've got something as big as this shed
25:19taking up a big portion of the garden,
25:21you just have to incorporate it.
25:23And he's completely owned it,
25:25and he has turned it into a Greek villa.
25:29Before the timber was painted,
25:31the surfaces were lightly sanded to remove any varnish.
25:40I think we're done.
25:42And now it just screams Greece.
25:45It's everything that this little courtyard needed.
25:47And to be honest, such good value for money
25:50because we used one big pot of white paint,
25:53small tin of blue paint, done.
25:55What's that?
25:56Say, 25 quid, 30 quid, couple of brushes.
25:59Easy peasy, and it's anything that you could do at home.
26:03Lee's design also features the contemporary tubular water feature,
26:08consisting of various pipes at different heights.
26:11Right, boys, who wants to help me dig the smallest hole?
26:14Oh, we both do.
26:16So this is the reservoir for the water feature,
26:19and I'd love it to be perfectly central,
26:22both that patio and that patio.
26:25So we need to dig a hole,
26:27and then I've got some really nice pipes at different heights
26:30that are going to come out of the ground
26:32and just cause a bit of a cascade.
26:34Lovely.
26:35I'll get the middle of that one.
26:403.8.
26:41So what's half of that?
26:421.9.
26:43So that takes us there.
26:46So that's the middle there.
26:49Right, so this is the centre.
26:51It's just a case of digging that rather shallow hole through all the grit.
27:05Oh, look at that, with room to play.
27:08And now I can make all my micro-adjustments just to get it perfect,
27:12whereas if the hole was really snug, you've not got that play.
27:16There we go.
27:18Time to get a spirit level.
27:213.84.
27:22Not far off.
27:23Oh, look at that.
27:25Professional.
27:26Super smooth.
27:27Spot on, that, Lee.
27:29Shall we get some water in it?
27:31Yep.
27:36We're going to get some apples in a minute.
27:38A bit of apple barbing.
27:39Yeah.
27:42Be a nice sort of foot spa, wouldn't it, later on?
27:44Oh, yeah, wouldn't it.
27:45So call your calluses.
27:46Yeah.
27:47Sort my cankles right, that would.
27:49OK, so that's looking pretty level, you can see by the water.
27:52But a bucket full of water, a water feature does not make.
27:56Costing a hefty £259,
27:59the water feature needs to be fed with mains electricity
28:02to guarantee enough pressure for the pipes.
28:05Luckily, Leslie already has outdoor power.
28:08Right, let's get the tubes up.
28:10Here we go.
28:14Get rid of that.
28:16It's looking rather magical, isn't it?
28:19Time to get her plugged in,
28:22fiddle her with the valves to get the perfect flow
28:25and then get those beautiful cobbles round the base.
28:27We're starting to look like we're in a Greek courtyard.
28:31Love this stuff.
28:35By the house, Andy and Chris's slab laying skills
28:38may have given Leslie twice the patio she had,
28:41but it'll need planting to break it up.
28:46Come on then, Lee, where do you want your planter?
28:48Ooh, that's a big one.
28:49Oh, yeah.
28:50Takes up the whole patio.
28:52Just about getting the right position now, isn't it?
28:55Yeah, well, it's quite nice,
28:56cos it kind of acts as a little bit of a divider
28:58between the actual patio space here
29:00and then coming to the shed.
29:02So I like it, you can move around it,
29:04especially when it's got herbs in it.
29:06Exactly.
29:07I mean, you wouldn't have something this big
29:09if this was the only patio,
29:10this is like a little transitional space
29:12for one or two people before there.
29:14Yeah, that's the main event, isn't it?
29:16And once the soil's in, it will firm up.
29:19It will look a bit more stable and able
29:21rather than exhausted Greek widow
29:24that it is at the moment.
29:27It's a little bit floppy.
29:29Bit fragile.
29:30Yeah, yeah.
29:32Using traditional Greek colours throughout the garden
29:35is one way to bring the Aegean to Lutterworth.
29:39And the next job for the paint shop
29:41is the crossbeams for the pergola.
29:45Now, the pergola supports are being cut in the garden by Lee
29:48and I've stolen five minutes of myself
29:50to take these uprights outside.
29:53And I'm going to use the same blue that's on the shed
29:56just to paint the beams that go across the top of the pergola.
30:00And it's a little design trick
30:01that us designers use called eye hooks.
30:04And what that means is that you use the same colour or material
30:08from different parts of the garden to hook your eye
30:11and draw your view through the garden.
30:15With the boys taking care of the last section of the pergola...
30:21Do you know, I absolutely love that.
30:24Right, leave these two to get the rest up.
30:26Go and get some plants.
30:28Lee and Chris can focus on bringing some Mediterranean greenery
30:31to Leslie's new garden.
30:33Oh, Chris, the plants are here.
30:35Yeah, best bit of the day.
30:37Hey!
30:38Hey, look at those grapes!
30:40We've got grapes, we've got roses.
30:43Look at these.
30:44I mean, if this doesn't say Grecian villa, what will?
30:48Yeah, well, roses were really important to Leslie, weren't they?
30:51Lee spent around a third of the £4,000 budget
30:54on a stunning array of plants.
30:56Do you want to try my grapes? Yeah.
30:58They're quite sweet.
31:00They're all right, actually. Normally they're a bit tart, aren't they?
31:03Lovely.
31:04Solid and strong, Chris, just like you.
31:07Oh!
31:08There's a vibrant mix of fruits, perennials, grasses, shrubs and herbs.
31:14Do you know, I just love it when all the plants are out
31:17and you can really get to know them before you put them in the garden.
31:20Yeah, and we've just got some classic Mediterranean plants, don't we?
31:23Yeah.
31:24I love tuchium, because you just get these kind of crazy,
31:27sort of gangly bits on them, but they're so silver,
31:29and that's what you get in the meadow all the time, don't you?
31:32Yeah.
31:33And the tiny little flowers, some of them poking out there.
31:35And you just want to touch them. It's like this rosemary.
31:37You brush past it, you get that instant scent.
31:39I mean, I wanted to bring Lesley a load of height
31:41and really brash colours, you know, tall Mediterranean plants
31:44so that when she's sat in it, she feels totally enveloped by them.
31:47The next step for Chris is to add to the planting by the house.
31:53But this could turn out to be a bit of a challenge.
31:56Right, Andy.
31:57Whoa!
31:59Now, you know, I'm in Lee's design.
32:02There was an olive tree here.
32:06Going in there?
32:07Got a little bit of a problem, yeah.
32:10You want me to slab up?
32:11Yeah, you're too keen.
32:12Yeah, we need to get that one out, without wrecking the others, obviously.
32:15Definitely that one.
32:17Oh, no, you're right, actually.
32:19It's this one here, this one. He's right.
32:21He did say to me earlier it might be that one.
32:23He told me earlier, you're right, it's this one, OK?
32:26Come on, you're always right.
32:27Right, I'll get the grinder out.
32:29Yeah, come on, then.
32:30I need to cut it out.
32:33Luckily, Andy's just as clinical at removing slabs as he is at laying them.
32:44Now, this is a beautiful olive.
32:47Olea europaea, the European olive.
32:50And a Mediterranean garden wouldn't be complete without one of these.
32:54Now, this one even comes with some olives pre-formed on the branches.
33:00So Leslie's going to be over the moon.
33:02But there is a bit of a caveat with that.
33:04Because in the UK, you can't really reliably grow olives to eat.
33:08One, you have to ferment them from sort of October onwards,
33:12but even the chances of these getting big, juicy and ripe is quite slim
33:17compared to if you were in Greece.
33:19But it's very novel, and they do look very fun.
33:23The olive isn't the only focal point in the garden.
33:28Lee also has a honey locust for the raised bed.
33:33Now, the gladitzia here is in the perfect position,
33:35because when that canopy starts to fill out,
33:37it will provide some dappled shade over this part of the garden
33:40and also screen for privacy.
33:43Because once that's in and you've got the lovely leaves here,
33:46all of those windows and other views disappear.
33:49By putting the tree here, all of a sudden,
33:51we finish off the garden, that nose completely disappears.
33:54So if you're looking for a tree that's going to bring some privacy,
33:57grow quite quickly, but also bring interest throughout the year,
34:00then the gladitzia is a really wise choice.
34:03This size gladitzia costs about £80, so they're a real good value tree.
34:08And I think in this garden, Leslie's going to absolutely love it.
34:13At Chris's end of the garden,
34:15the metal planter will be home to a selection of Mediterranean herbs,
34:19including sage, fennel and chives.
34:26When you're planting a herb bed,
34:29typically they want it to be quite free-draining
34:33with these sorts of herbs, especially in Mediterranean gardens.
34:36But this one is definitely that.
34:39So when you plant your plant, check the roots,
34:41make sure they're not all bound up and root-bound.
34:44Just give them a bit of a tickle, free-draining.
34:47Just give them a bit of a tickle, free them up.
34:50Just like that. Voila.
34:52Time to get the rest in.
34:58A key area to get right is the raised bed in the far corner,
35:02where the right combination of plants
35:04will make the dreaded point magically disappear.
35:09Now, I'm really liking the feel of this bed now
35:12because we're starting to build up in layers.
35:15Colour is key.
35:17With this bed, all of a sudden it drifts up
35:19and undulates between the herbaceous, the shrub and the tree.
35:22And you can even see it now, the movement in the wind.
35:25Super relaxing.
35:27I kind of feel like I'm on holiday already.
35:29The Mediterranean theme continues along the large border
35:33that runs the length of Leslie's fence.
35:36And I'm really excited about it
35:38because that's what's going to tie my area of the garden together with Lee's.
35:41So I want to get some of those monarda in there,
35:43lots of yellow, some of the tall panicum grasses,
35:46and it's just going to make this big, seamless border all the way down.
35:56How are we getting on down here, Chris?
35:58Oh, what do you think? Getting there.
36:00Yeah, it's nice. I like the bright pops of pink.
36:03I just love all the tall grasses, the way they repeat,
36:05they draw your eye through.
36:07And I've got to say, that view looking back,
36:09I love what you've done with the pergola.
36:11It's a bit bold, a bit bonkers, but yeah, I think it works really well.
36:16Now the paint has dried on his crossbeams,
36:19to enhance the mood beneath the pergola,
36:21Lee is adding a very special climber.
36:24So the first one here is this edible grape,
36:27and it's huge and covered in fruit.
36:29Now, vines like this are super prolific.
36:33They're fast growers.
36:35So it's going to very quickly take over this pergola.
36:39The beauty of vines is if you've got a structure like this,
36:42that you need to cover quite quickly,
36:45vines are certainly the way to go about it.
36:47Now, I'm just going to gently tie this in,
36:50to give it some support.
36:52So that's the first climber.
36:54We've got another two. By the time we've got them in,
36:56Leslie's going to have a plethora of different climbing plants
36:59that are going to help bring that feeling of grease.
37:03The team have toiled all day in Lutterworth.
37:07But as the relentless sun begins to set...
37:11OK, so the cobbles are on, and now it's time for the gravel.
37:15So when you're ready, boys...
37:17Pour away!
37:24..the finishing touches tie everything together.
37:27Right, here we go. You ready? Yeah.
37:29Don't get splashed.
37:31Hey! There we go.
37:36..and Lee's ode to grease is done.
37:40Come on, Chris, come and take a seat.
37:42I think I need it, you know.
37:44It's been a scorch of a day, hasn't it?
37:46Yeah, it has, but doesn't it feel like we're on holiday already?
37:49It does, like we're on our little own Greek island.
37:52Well, I suppose we might as well get up
37:54and see if Leslie wants to come to grease.
37:56Can I just say, though, before we do that, you can just...
37:59You grab one, I'll grab one. ..just reach in there.
38:01Pull yourself off a little grape or two.
38:04Yeah. Look at that.
38:06Oh! Mmm.
38:08All right. Yamos!
38:10Very nice. Come on, then.
38:14When the team arrived,
38:16the main features of Leslie's garden was the patio and a giant shed
38:21that was great for storage but not so easy on the eye.
38:25Overlooked on all sides,
38:27the bizarrely shaped plot was ringed by a bland fence
38:31that met with the neighbour's plot at an awkward angle,
38:34creating a strange, sharp-pointed corner leading to nowhere.
38:41Now it's been transformed into a Greek-inspired island retreat.
38:49From the house, the new large patio leads to the kitchen,
38:53from the house, the new large patio,
38:55laid at 45 degrees, provides a morning spot for coffee,
38:59with the olive tree bringing memories of abroad
39:02and the start of a huge border
39:04packed with Mediterranean-inspired planting.
39:08The shed now feels part of the garden
39:11thanks to a simple lick of paint in the colours of the Greek flag,
39:15and a gravel midsection leads to a contemporary water feature
39:19taking centre stage with its gentle babble.
39:23The pièce de résistance is the pergola,
39:26with its painted crossbeams planted with grapes and roses
39:29providing that all-important spot for Leslie to entertain her large family.
39:34And finally, the sharp corner has magically disappeared,
39:38filled with flowers, grasses and an elegant honey locust tree.
39:43Lee's design has definitely captured the Mediterranean spirit.
39:47But will Leslie and her daughter feel like they're lost in Greece
39:51or stuck in Lutterworth?
39:54Leslie, you wanted a garden that would take you away on a holiday
39:57and remind you of Greece.
39:59You wanted a space where you could entertain your family and friends
40:02and relax in the evening.
40:04So hopefully I've given you that.
40:07And when you're ready, open your eyes.
40:10No.
40:16Oh, that's just gorgeous.
40:20Mum, that is gorgeous.
40:24Is it these good tears?
40:29Oh, my goodness. Look at that. It's stunning.
40:32Oh, my goodness. It's not even my garden.
40:36I mean, the transformation from what this was the last time Leslie saw it
40:40to now, I mean, what a difference.
40:44I'm just absolutely in shock because it's just so different and modern
40:51and, gosh, I feel like I'm in Greece.
40:56I do. I feel like I'm in Greece.
40:59Brilliant, because we were saying that today,
41:01it felt like we were in Santorini with that sun all afternoon.
41:04This is just way beyond anything I ever thought it was going to be.
41:10It's just incredible. You are so clever.
41:13I mean, this is just the first part of the garden.
41:15Should we journey through and look at the other part?
41:17Yes. Please tell me. Come on, follow me.
41:20Now, Leslie, I know that you wanted no lawn because you wanted low maintenance,
41:24but how's this for an alternative?
41:26It's unbelievable. It's just so different, so modern.
41:32Do you know what? I feel like the garden's square.
41:34Yeah.
41:35It's made it look square, hasn't it?
41:37And that's the trick of cutting off the end of the garden
41:39and putting it all on the 45 degrees.
41:41You've taken the longest point of the garden.
41:43It's just more than I could have ever imagined.
41:46I'm still in shock.
41:49Well, I tell you what, if you're in shock,
41:50should we go and have a sit down in the last part of the garden
41:52where you can recuperate?
41:53Yes.
41:54Come on, follow me.
42:01So here we are, underneath your custom pergola
42:04that's going to represent being on that mountaintop
42:07somewhere on a Greek island in a taverna.
42:10I know.
42:11Oh, yeah, and you've got grapes that you can eat as well.
42:16They're amazing.
42:17I know, I can't stop looking at them.
42:19You'll have to get a wine press and you can start trampling your own grapes, Leslie.
42:25Don't give her any ideas.
42:26So, the million dollar question, Leslie, was it worth it?
42:29Oh, wow, Lee, goodness sake, what do you think?
42:34Absolutely worth it, 150%, just amazing.
42:39I can't thank you enough.
42:40Oh, you're welcome.
42:41The team have worked so hard.
42:42Chris has been brilliant.
42:43And thank you, Chris, wherever he is as well.
42:45That was just amazing.
42:46Yeah.
42:47Wonderful.
42:48Brilliant.
42:49So, so good.
42:50Really, really good.
42:57I mean, what a transformation overall.
43:00It's completely changed the dynamic of this garden,
43:02it's changed the shape,
43:03and it's given Leslie this Greek paradise that she really wanted.
43:07Well done, Lee, it's an amazing job.
43:12Well, Lee has just done something that I could never have imagined.
43:18I can't wait now for my friends to come round
43:22and family to come and enjoy it with me.
43:52Bye-bye.