Hereford Garden Rescue

With her can-do attitude, love of simple gardens

and decades of experience...

Hello!

..Charlie Dimmock is one of Britain's best-loved gardeners...

Looking good, boys.

..but the new kids on the gardening block are the Rich brothers.

We want to be the brothers

that change people's perceptions of gardens.

Winners of multiple medals at the Chelsea Flower Show...

-Oh, good turn.

-Amazing, isn't it?

..the boys have become known for their dramatic outdoor spaces.

Now these two different generations of gardening are going head-to-head.

I know they've got a gold medal, but I can come up with a few ideas.

They're meeting frustrated garden owners across the country...

The photos made it look tiny.

-It is, isn't it?

-I'm sure you've seen larger.

I don't know what to do with it.

..and will each pitch them a design based on their needs...

Wow!

..and budget.

That looks really exciting.

It doesn't look like it could be our garden.

The winner...

Ta-da!

Whoo!

..brings their design to life...

Hold on, hold on!

Sweet as a nut.

..and the loser has to help them build it.

Oh, I'm getting irritated now - we're sort of faffing around.

This is what happens...

Does he ever get irritating?

All the time.

..when different styles collided...

Who chose these?

One, two, three.

This looks like your design.

Yeah!

..to turn garden dreams into reality.

Wow.

Open your eyes.

Whoa! It's amazing.

It's beautiful.

Today, Charlie and the Rich brothers are competing over a garden

that has to work for two different generations.

So, this is a really lovely story.

It's the family home and garden.

Jackie grew up there, but Jackie and Neil have gone away,

have come back now to live with Dad, Mervyn...

Nice.

..and they bought the house off him

-to look after him in his old age.

-Nice.

Yeah, this is where I actually grew up, I got married from here...

..and it's always... I've always been very sentimental about it.

Once they decided to move back in with 88-year-old dad Mervyn,

Jackie and Neil sent the builders in for several months

to give the house a much-needed face-lift.

Dad's got his own little sitting-room and his own stairs

so that he can go up and down.

So he's got his own independence,

but we're the other side of the wall, that we can look after him.

It's only been a week since the house was finished,

but now it's almost done,

the garden is starting to look rather dated by comparison.

Although there's lots of memories, it looks a bit boring,

she wants something that says, "Come and sit in me,

"isn't this lovely space?"

Is the garden for Mervyn as well?

Yes, Mervyn loves the garden,

so we've got to think about the three of them,

-it's not just...

-Not just those two.

-..Jackie and Neil.

Jackie's dad, Mervyn, has lived here for more than 40 years.

I used to love the garden, cos I was into the birds, as well.

I had tame blackbirds come and sit by the side of me.

Actually, he's still around here now -

I know it's him because he's got a white spot on his side.

It'd be nice to have somewhere for Dad to be able to come out

and sit down and relax.

Unfortunately, right now, the garden doesn't suit anyone's needs.

Apart from a treasured magnolia tree,

it's become a collection point for leftover building materials,

and Jackie's eclectic mix of garden ornaments.

-There is a lot of clutter.

-Yeah!

And when you've got nice features like this magnolia tree,

you don't need to do too much, do you?

The work on the house

has left a serious dent in Neil and Jackie's finances,

so they only have a limited budget for the garden.

-Do you want the really good news?

-Oh, is it budget?

THEY LAUGH

How did you know I was going there?

-It's not vast...

-OK.

-..but you've got a good structure.

-Am I selling this to you?

-Yeah.

-Yeah!

-OK!

£2,000.

-OK.

-That's not too bad.

I think, for them, it's got to be, you know,

that there's light at the end of the tunnel -

-you have had the builders up to here, we want our garden back.

-Yeah.

-NEIL:

-I'm not daunted if other people are doing the work.

We couldn't undertake it ourselves, definitely not.

-No.

-It just wouldn't happen.

So, that's the challenge.

Now it's time for Charlie and the boys to battle it out

for the right to make over the garden.

So they're heading straight for Hereford.

They want to know more about how this garden can cater

for Jackie, Neil and Mervyn's different tastes and needs.

Except for a new conservatory,

all the building work has now been completed.

Wow, look at this!

Big old windows.

Really big doors, yeah.

Would be nice to accentuate the views out,

I think really capture the garden from the inside.

Or do you want to see the whole garden at once?

Maybe break it up a bit?

Break it up, some planting, some shrubs.

Something so you're not looking at that hedge.

I have to say that the garden sort of...

doesn't seem to have any character to it, really, does it?

No, it's a lot of lawn... and that's about it.

But that... It's that big lawn, planting around the edge -

must have taken ages to think of that(!)

Where do they come up with this stuff?!

Now the garden's been critiqued,

the boys want to see what Jackie has done

with the inside of the house...

It's got a very clean feeling, but quite feminine, isn't it?

-So light, as well.

-Really light.

Look, you can tell Jackie loves her flowers, look at this,

look at the seat!

..while Charlie wants to learn more

about the couple's decision to move back in with Dad.

So you used to live here as a child -

-so this was the family home.

-Yes.

So there must be lots of memories.

Oh, there are a lot of memories, and I think...

that's what has made it so emotional -

even the first day when the builders came

and started to knock part of it down...

and I didn't realise actually how much that was going to affect me.

But it's been exciting at the same time.

-And worth it in the end.

-Oh, yes.

It's been really worthwhile, now.

This is nice, isn't it?

Isn't that lovely? Quite contemporary.

It's quite architectural, as well,

so I can almost see that as a kind of slab.

-Yes, like a nice sawn stone or something.

-Love that.

If you grew up in this garden, there must be things here

that you definitely want to keep.

Yeah, I mean,

obviously the magnolia tree.

I would hate anybody to take the magnolia tree down.

I think anyone would be bonkers

-to come in and go, "Right, that's got to go."

-Yeah.

And even a little wall which came down

when the builders had to dig foundations and stuff out,

but you put it back for me.

OK, which was that?

This little one here.

Just along the edge, there?

The one out of breeze blocks?!

Yes, yeah!

-Why...

-You know, that's what the builders said!

Such a nice vista through that door, isn't there?

That's going to be the conservatory as well.

I reckon that's going to be the focal area.

Yeah, I think we'll put something there

that's really going to be beautiful to look at.

Yeah, so let's focus on that,

and give them a nice little display

so they can sit back and look outside.

Is there a sort of feel that...

I mean, there's lots of plants here,

but is there a feel that you want to go for?

Yes, I like a garden that...

I sort of walk into and think, "Ooh, what's over there?"

-OK.

-"What's hidden?"

-Or it takes me somewhere.

-There is an awful lot of bits and bobs about.

-Junk?

-Now,

-I

-didn't say that, Jackie.

She is renowned for her junk collecting.

I have a bit odd tastes now and again with old bits of pieces.

-She looked at me, then!

-No!

THEY LAUGH

This is a tricky one for the designers.

Jackie and Neil say they want a new garden,

but Jackie in particular is clearly emotionally attached to the old one.

So, without delay, Charlie and the Rich brothers

start formulating their ideas.

They both have to come up with a design

that they hope will deliver the perfect garden

for Jackie, Neil and Mervyn.

The family will then choose a winner,

and the losing designer has to swallow their pride

and muck in to help build it.

It's time for the pitch.

Charlie appreciates how big a role this garden has played

in Jackie's life...

but the boys have seen how the remodelled house

reflects their desire to look to the future -

and Neil and Jackie are very excited.

-Oh!

-Keep calm, keep calm!

THEY LAUGH

Did you want to do the pitch for me?

So, this is our design.

Oh, wow.

So we know one thing you really wanted to do

was to be able to break the garden up,

-cos, at the moment, you can kind of see everything.

-Yeah.

So we wanted to create individual rooms

and maybe create that journey between them as well.

So give the garden a purpose, you have to travel around it.

And we wanted to reflect the interior, so keep it quite modern,

quite contemporary, a little bit quirky, in a way.

And one of the ways we've done that is through the paving line.

-Oh, wow.

-Yes!

So your magnolia,

I wanted to highlight that focal point even more.

So I've put a lovely seat,

circular seat, underneath it,

and then I was going to use your leftover paviours

to pave under there,

to tie your patio area in with underneath the seating.

So, picking up on the timber theme,

I'm going to have some upright organ pipe posts,

and they're going to be dotted around in the borders,

-to give some height and structure there.

-Brilliant.

What we wanted to do was bring the planting

-so it kind of hugs the paving.

-Yeah.

So, you know, you've got nature coming up to you.

So it's a nice way of softening this quite contemporary feel.

And in the evening, the sun comes round to there...

Yeah. It'll be a really special spot, yeah.

The Rich brothers have gambled on spending all the budget in one area,

which means they can invest in some feature plants...

We've focused on giving you a specimen acer tree,

and then two cornus shrubs.

What's so good about these two cornus shrubs is going to give -

it's got berries, so, again, it's going to attract birds

into that little space

and it's going to be a very natural little haven.

-Dad would like that as well.

-He'd love it.

-Yes, definitely.

..but Charlie has redesigned the whole garden...

You've got lovely planting here,

but I wanted to sort of really glam it up by using things like iris,

agapanthus, alliums.

I've also got some obelisks, made of timber or willow,

with some really lovely clematis

to give you a bit more vertical height to the garden.

..and she's about to reveal her trump card.

And with all your lovely bits and bobs...

-Junk.

-Not junk, or tat!

We can use those to create focal points around the garden.

-It looks really good.

-It's lovely.

-It's covered everything.

-Yeah?

I think so.

The pitch is over.

Now it's up to Jackie and Neil.

I like the way the lawn's separated,

it just takes the squareness away from it.

That we've always had before.

-The arches would really frame, out through the kitchen.

-Yeah.

-I love it.

-I do, too.

Jackie got very, very excited when she saw mine.

-Oh.

-She was like - she did the pitch for me, basically.

-Didn't even crack a smile, did she, with ours?

-No.

No, I think you've won this one.

This is just hugely different, though.

-DAVID:

-We created two rooms.

Were yours curves?

-Yes.

-Straight lines.

-No!

-Straight to the point.

-Yeah.

This is lovely.

It's hidden away.

I would never even have thought of doing something like that.

I think Jackie, when it comes to it,

she's going to be, "No," she likes all her knick-knacky...

I don't know, the kitchen is so contemporary, I'm not sure.

It'll be quite interesting, cos I think both designs are so different.

Mm.

For me, I can picture Dad sat there.

That...

That would just make such a difference.

This is a really tough decision, I don't know what we're going to do.

Yeah.

I like them both!

Only one of the designs can win,

so will Jackie and Neil plump for

the Rich brothers' private seating area,

statement acers and elegant patio...

..or Charlie's two rooms

with a circular seat around Jackie's lovely magnolia tree?

It's decision time.

-Hello.

-Hi, guys.

Hey.

So, it was genuinely really, really difficult.

But the one we've chosen is...

THEY CHEER

-Awesome!

-Way to go!

-Nice. Amazing!

So, what swung it for you?

In fairness, your design did everything we wanted,

but this one was probably something

we would never have done for ourselves, so we thought

-we'd push our boundaries.

-Wouldn't have thought about it.

And maybe make the decision to try something different.

Well, there you go!

Sorry, Charlie.

Oh, I have no problems with that at all!

So the boys' bold design has won -

and what's more, Charlie now has to follow their orders

as all three of them work together

to build Jackie and Neil's dream garden.

It's day one of the build.

The Rich brothers are off-site,

pulling together their planting plans,

and have left project manager Paul and landscapers Andy and Lee

to start prepping the site.

The most complicated part of the boys' design

is the secluded patio area at the far end of the plot,

and it's even more complicated if you've left the plan in the pub.

We've got one slight problem here.

-What's that?

-Where did we leave the plan last night?

-Be honest.

-While we were having a chat...

-In the pub.

-Yeah.

-We've left it in the pub.

-In the pub.

And it's now on the front of the Hereford Times, apparently.

THEY LAUGH

We've got to scrub all this out now.

Fortunately, one of the landscapers has a copy,

so the boys can start marking out.

In the Rich brothers' design, the seating area has a fractured style,

where the planting is interspersed with paviours,

and it requires meticulous planning.

With a £2,000 budget,

the brothers have asked Paul to keep an eye on anything

that can be reused from the old garden...

This turf's coming out nice,

so I think we should save as much as we can.

..and, as soon as the turf comes up, he's on the phone to the bosses.

The turf is coming out really nice, really nice soil.

We're just thinking about stockpiling it

in part of the garden because...

I don't know, I think it might be a shame to get rid of it

and I don't know if we can do something with it.

You know like we have done previously?

'Yes, perfect, nice one.'

All right. Well, look forward to seeing you later.

So far, the team have been blessed with perfect gardening weather.

And they've attracted an audience.

All of Jackie's family have turned out to watch the transformation.

And it's very tiring watching people work.

At least this way Jackie can keep an eye on where her money's going,

and she's very excited about the latest delivery.

I want to see the slabs.

They've been here, on the drive,

and I've been so good not opening the packaging and having a look.

Oh, are they coming? Is the first one in?

Oh, yes.

Oh, brilliant.

Now they are not plain, boring concrete.

While the tiles get laid under Mervyn's expert supervision...

..Charlie and the Rich brothers have arrived out front

and are planning their next move.

-So this garden is not the biggest budget...

-No.

..but I definitely think - it's a little section of the garden,

but I think it's going to be really fun.

I think it comes down to being slightly smaller budget,

we need to give them as much as we can.

Yeah, cos one of the things I was thinking about,

cos we're getting rid of some of that turf and some of the soil

for the slabbing and the planting,

there's going to be quite a lot of stuff left over.

The boys want to focus on the seating area,

and have tasked Charlie with finding a home for Jackie's collection.

So I think reusing some of that quirkiness that we love...

She's got some really lovely things -

one or two things I would like to just move aside -

but there some really lovely things she's got.

-You do love your quirk.

-I do, I like all my knick-knacks.

So I can do what ever I want with the ornaments

and put them wherever I want?

You do what ever you want with those quirky bits, it's fine.

Just not in our little area.

Also, there's a little bit of budget left over, and we were thinking...

Well, we've got this little idea

-of coming up with a cool little screen for them.

-Oh, OK.

Something that's going to blur the lines slightly,

but be a bit transparent so you don't lose the views of the garden.

Ooh, getting very arty, aren't we?

-Yeah - arty, not farty. That's key.

-I stood next to you, I know.

Out front, the boys' plants have arrived.

They've invested over half of the two grand budget

on trees, shrubs and perennials to bring the seating area to life.

We've got a nice array of plants here, haven't we?

A very natural kind of feeling.

Beautiful, really nice. All the foliage complements each other.

-Look at this!

-They're going to be lovely.

It's quite a nice relationship cos they're both luscious and green.

Yeah. I think acer's beautiful, it's got...

You can overdo it with the red ones sometimes,

the one in the garden is not necessarily my taste.

But this here with that kind of more natural green colouring,

and then the autumn colour as well, it's going to be great, isn't it?

The cirsium looks beautiful now, doesn't it?

-Beautiful colour, isn't it?

-Especially with the chives.

-Yeah.

But there's a lot of landscaping to finish before any of them can go in.

Meanwhile, Charlie's in amongst Jackie's knick-knacks.

Jackie and Neil have got all sorts around here.

Lots of bits and bobs.

These could be handy...

for the other end of the garden.

Bit of Zen.

THEY CHIME

So much nice stuff around there!

Ooh, hello.

Make a bit of a water feature.

Oh, look at these, look at these!

Ooh!

I like that.

Cor, that's fab, isn't it?

Three of them.

Over in the seating area, Harry's straight onto the patio.

It's a really good tip to clean the underbelly of the paving slab

before laying it. It's great for two reasons -

the first, get rid of all the cutting dust and dirt,

and the second, it really allows it to bond with the mortar.

I would say that paving really highlights that twisted willow.

Suddenly it's gone, "Bing!"

Next door, David is working on the garden's big recycling project.

He's had an idea on how to use the turf from the patio area.

He and Charlie are creating a contoured mound.

If your grass is in good condition,

contouring is a great way to add a natural feature to a lawn.

Whether it's a circular seat,

a grass amphitheatre or even Teletubby-style mounds

for the kids to roll down.

If you've got the space, you can even create a giant man-made hill.

In Hereford, David's arranging the old turf in an arc

to add another dimension to the new seating area

and keeping the best turf for laying over the top.

It's surprising the amount of turf we will need to cover this.

-Yeah. Don't forget we need it down there as well.

-Yeah.

Now the patio's finished,

Harry's also letting his creative side run wild

and he's hoping to convince Neil and Jackie to go for the idea.

I don't like to ask.

It does look a little bit mad at the moment.

We know that, Neil, you said that

you wanted to have a bit of sculptural elements

a slight boundary.

-Yes.

-And we've come up with a little idea of using these steel rods

and looking at the twisted willow there,

-you can see how everything is quite organic in shape.

-Yeah.

And this is quite malleable.

We can bend this and create those kind of lovely serpentine curves.

Then the other idea is to grow some clematis up there.

I really like it's because it's different, it's a little bit odd.

But with something growing through, I think it will look great.

-Yeah, brilliant.

-Great.

Right from the conservatory as well, it's brilliant.

Phew! I thought it might have been too far for you.

-Never too far, is it?

-No, no, no.

-Not with quirky.

We've got more quirky stuff, don't worry.

Time will tell whether it works.

But by adding a bespoke piece,

Harry's hoping to give this garden some real personality.

Using sculpture is one of the most effective ways

to make your mark on a garden.

Classical statues in a formal garden can reflect wealth and status.

Whilst quirky, thought-provoking pieces

suggest an artistic sensibility.

But sculpture can also enhance the experience within a garden.

Contrasting stone or metal against soft landscaping

can accentuate the features of both.

Whilst a carefully positioned piece makes a great focal point

or exciting discovery hidden around a corner.

And you don't have to own a Henry Moore to make an impact.

Simple, elegant bird cages hanging from a pergola

can be just as effective.

Back in Hereford, having had the clients' approval,

Harry's cracking on.

So I'm just pushing the steel rods into a tanalised stake,

and that's great because they'll last for 15, maybe 20 years,

so it gives it a lovely base and a strong, firm anchor point

for where we can start curving them off

and creating a lovely little sculpture.

Steel is a very pliable metal

so it's easy to manipulate and, at less than £2 for each rod,

it's a dirt cheap way to add structure to the garden.

So, at the moment, this is just kind of going to nowhere

but what we want to do is to put the acer in this bed so that it gives it

a kind of bookend. So you won't see the sharp edges,

it'll kind of disperse into the tree

and hopefully soften it.

So we want to bend it from the top?

Yeah, the key to them is to have them as level as possible.

At the moment, they're all going up that way.

Or even make sure the ending is more level.

So both of them kink up there, don't they?

Whilst the bosses indulge themselves,

Charlie has been left with the less glamorous job of trimming

the turf of David's mound.

It might look laborious but this is actually quite therapeutic.

I'm basically skimming the bottom of the turf

so that they're an even thickness.

So when it comes to re-laying them, it's much quicker.

Back in the day, when I was doing my turfing course,

we used to drop the turf into a wooden box, a frame,

and then use a turfing knife to cut them off,

so every turf was the same depth

so it was easy to get a nice, clean finish.

But it's not long before the boys have another job for her.

One of the challenges with a new garden

is to make it work with the new extension.

A patio now runs the length of the property.

So, to soften part of it, the boys have designed

a long flowerbed and they want Charlie to take care of it.

So this is my bit of the garden, is it?

Yeah, this is your part of the garden, your planting bed.

What we wanted to do is to kind of blend this lawn area into

the existing patio, which will kind of have a nice relationship

with the rest of the garden when it's planted up,

have a nice view from the kitchen.

So it's just going to make the most of what is kind of

an unfinished little space of the garden.

With the planting areas around the patio prepped,

the boys are bringing in the first of the statement acers.

To offset the existing magnolia tree, the boys are using shrubs

and trees to make the seating area feel secluded and private.

It needs to straighten up a little bit.

Full-size acers like this one can cost hundreds of pounds.

You can buy them at a fraction of the size for around £20,

but they only grow 12 inches a year,

so it's a long wait to get something like this.

Oh, that looks nice from here. That branch is perfect, isn't it?

-Yeah. That kind of links them both, doesn't it?

-It does, yeah.

But now the first trees are in,

the boys are rethinking the sculpture.

Bend that down to like there, somewhere, however you do that.

If you do a bit more, it'll drop then.

-That second bend there needs to come in to the steel a bit more.

-OK.

Over on the other side of the garden,

Charlie is making her own claim for the Turner Prize.

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

CLANGING

Oh, that was loud.

Across from the acer, the boys are adding large corner shrubs.

So we've got three.

We've got two dogwoods and one Japanese maple and these are

quite dappled and they act as that really lovely natural screening.

-Should we get it out and put it in?

-Let's try it.

Ready? I'll hold it and you pull.

Good work, boss.

-Good strength.

-It's light.

-Beautiful.

-Yeah.

And these are going to look great, aren't they?

The cornus can grow more than ten feet tall,

so will balance out the acer on the other side of the patio.

But whilst the boys' backs are turned,

something strange is emerging from Charlie's flowerbed.

Like that.

Like that. For a bit of organ piping.

And then that's going to be a birdbath.

So Merv can clean it really easily.

So we've got a bit to go on top there.

And then we've got a bit of a water feature here,

which I'm going to plant up with an arum lily

and put a hosta draped over the side.

So it should look really sweet.

I do love this timber.

The first trees may have gone in, but there's still a lot to do

and the turf seat is yet to be finished.

Oh. Good for some, isn't it?

At least Charlie's not lying back on this.

I tell you what, done a good job here.

Well, it seems like it.

It's nice. It balances the tree really nicely.

It does. It's a nice, little feature, isn't it?

It's like a little drop-down chair.

On that note, don't go back.

-Flipping hell.

-Charlie, Dave's lying back again.

I want to stargaze. It's not quite dark.

We've got to teach this youngster...

By the time we've finished this garden, it WILL be dark,

so get on.

It may be a long way off, but the ultimate aim of the boys' design

is to create a private outdoor room

that's separate to the rest of the garden.

Turning a plot into a series of rooms enables the garden owner

to create different spaces with their own purpose and mood.

One of the best examples of this is York Gate,

a one-acre garden in Leeds that was built after the war.

Here, yew and beech hedges separate the space into smaller gardens.

The garden itself, because of the use of rooms,

has many different themes within it.

We have a white and silver garden, a kitchen garden.

Behind me, we have the canal borders with some very distinctive topiary.

We also have a small woodland garden

and even a miniature pinetum as well,

so you can see you can fit a lot into a small space.

We've got 14 different compartments,

each with their own flavour.

The way that the rooms are set out is that they

flow into one another so different vistas and focal points are captured

as you walk around the garden.

You have a great sense of being enclosed within the space,

but it's not too claustrophobic.

A good example of a small but effective garden room

is the fern walk.

So early in the season, you have lots of erythroniums,

dog tooth violets and then that's followed by

all the lush fern foliage.

As you walk around the garden,

you catch glimpses of the adjoining rooms

to the room you're currently in, and it gives a great sense

of journey through the space so you can say, "Oh, what's over there?

"That's an interesting focal point."

But then you arrive at the focal point

and then you're in another room

and something else catches your attention.

With the different garden rooms,

each have their own distinctive feel,

but that means they've got their own distinctive collection of plants.

So one minute, we could be working the veg garden,

the next minute, you could be maintaining the topiary.

You could be looking after the waterlilies,

staking in the herbaceous borders.

We've got alpine troughs, a small succulent house,

so the variety is really quite immense.

Back in Hereford,

Charlie's determined to create some interesting views of her own.

Did you want a hand?

-I think we're done, actually.

-Oh, are you sure?

CHARLIE LAUGHS

Why I oughtta!

-That's a good-looking hand.

-Isn't it good?

You found that in the back of the shed somewhere?

Well, you scratch my back...

Actually, I'll scratch my own actually.

-Oh.

-Oh, that's nice.

-That's really nice.

-What do we do with that?

Do we just have to put it in like that?

No! Help! Help!

Buried too deep!

THEY LAUGH

It's time to get serious.

With the statement trees all in, the boys are keen to start planting.

But first, the top layer of the new turf seat needs to go on.

Just laying on the new turf now on the mound.

It's quite tricky cos it's a curve, so you have to keep altering it

and then filling in the triangles.

But as long as you've got a sturdy knife with you, a good sharp edge,

you know, little bit rough,

then all you do is you just fold one under the other,

cut down the line, and then they pair up really nicely.

When laying new turf, it's really important

to keep it watered to start with.

It's very prone to drying out, especially at the edges,

so as long as you keep it watered until it starts rooting

then it should be fine.

With this, definitely won't be able to get a mower up it

if you want to get a clean cut

so I'd recommend maybe just some shears, something like that.

It's quite nice to leave it a little bit shaggy, little bit long

so if you're lying back in it, it'll be a lot more cosy.

The brothers have given Charlie free rein

to create some new quirky features for Jackie,

but I'm not sure what they'll make of this one.

Right then, Lee...

CHARLIE GIGGLES

Hmm! This may or may not work, eh?

What I'm thinking is cutting the top off the head

and then planting it up.

I mean, Jackie loves her quirky stuff, but...

I mean, it was only £20

and, if it works, it's going to look fantastic,

Or it'll be going straight into the skip.

OK? All right, then.

Up for a challenge, you know that.

This is one of the wackiest things yet.

-But we'll give it a go.

-They'll be putting it in the skip.

CHARLIE LAUGHS

It's all right, don't worry! Bye!

-What did I hear?

-Nothing.

-All right.

-Nothing.

- What's that behind you there? - Nothing.

What's that? Sorry?

While Lee decapitates Charlie's mannequin,

the boys have moved on to planting between the slabs.

They've been laid in a staggered fashion so they can be interplanted

with perennials and grasses that will grow over the edges

and add to the intimate feel of the space.

Next door, Charlie's mannequin is ready for a new hairstyle.

I'm going to plant it up with some carex.

This is Frosted Curls, a bit like curly hair.

And then some sempervivums, or houseleeks.

These were called houseleeks because they used to use them

to plug up the holes in the roof, hence "house leaks".

Or they are also known as hens and chickens.

These are your hens and these are the baby chickens.

And they're really easy to propagate from,

so all these bits, or chickens, that have fallen off,

I'm going to make into cuttings

that I'm going to put in the top over here.

Like so. Won't that look cute?

Don't know whether this will look cute.

I think the hair first.

It's a bit...

Does that look like bed hair?

A bit like... Argh!

CHARLIE WHISPERS INDISTINCTLY

What does that look like, then, Lee?

Very good. Like she's got a fascinator on.

What are we going to call it? Bob?

-Bob.

-Bob.

These gaps in the paving are looking quite harsh at the moment,

so what were going to do, we're going to use Alchemilla mollis

to really soften those edges.

It's a great plant, really hardy, and it self-seeds freely,

so it's great for filling up space.

Has a lovely yellow flower in the summer

and that's what helps itself seed, but if you cut that off

then you'll help reduce its spread.

Alchemilla really is bombproof.

It puts up with most soil conditions,

very happy in sun or shade.

And also, a nice little tip - if you cut it back in August then

these new, green shoots and leaves come out and it keeps on going.

An interesting fact where the name alchemilla comes from

is it originates from the word alchemy,

and that's due to the fact that

if you get water droplets on the leaves

then they rest as little spherical balls,

kind of like mercury or quicksilver

and this was thought to have healing or magic properties.

CHARLIE GROANS

It's time for Bob to find a home in the garden.

CHARLIE LAUGHS

Dun-dun-DUN!

So, we've nicknamed it Bob.

-Yeah.

-And where would you like Bob to be positioned?

Centre stage. Right in the middle.

-Right in the middle.

-I think you did a great job.

It looks like it's got a fringe coming down.

Off the catwalk in Milan.

Yeah. It's a fascinator.

That'll become the new thing now for fashion.

Macabre.

So do you really want it down there?

-No. I think we'll leave it out for now.

-See! Leave it out for now.

-I do like it.

-I think you did a great...

You couldn't actually have done any better with that.

I'll just have the head, I'm all over that.

You want me to plant it that deep in the ground.

Up to the neck, the neck will be fine.

But Charlie is determined to convince the boys.

And I think she's got to be side on.

Bob's sort of doing that.

-Nice. I like that.

-Come hither.

Poor lady. She's got a muddy face, hasn't she?

Now they're getting carried away.

Do you want it laying down in the...? Ooh!

Oh, you've done it now.

-I think you should draw a face on it.

-No!

Can we get a picture of Charlie's face and put it on there?

No, stop it. Right, go on, push off.

A less divisive feature is the turf mound, which is just about done.

Finally, I'm just giving this turf a good bashing.

That's just to make sure

that the roots make contact with the soil beneath.

The boys have focused more than half of the two-grand budget

on planting for the seating area and Charlie's bed by the extension,

and it's now heads down to get them filled.

What we've tried to do with this planting scheme is to create

a very naturalistic character.

Not one plant stands out from the rest

but instead they all kind of fuse together

in a very understated, simple way.

Harry and David are employing a muted colour scheme,

blending vibrant cirsium

with tall, flowing penstemons

and the elegant pink skyrocket,

the tiarella, to give the garden the calming, soothing feel that Jackie,

Neil and Mervyn are all looking for.

What's really lovely about this space is that you've got

the magnolia, you've got the holly, you've got the twisted willow

and then it drops down to the dogwood and the acer

and that really does create this lovely, dappled space

so when you're sitting in here, it feels very relaxed.

This garden has been the product of hard work and lots of imagination,

a blend of art, recycling and ingenious design

and, as the last of the plants and knick-knacks go in, it's done.

Just a few days ago, Neil, Jackie and Mervyn's garden

was stuck in the past.

Although it held precious memories for the family,

they wanted something that looked to the future.

Now, thanks to the boys' design,

it's the perfect garden for their new life together.

To make the two-grand budget work,

the boys have focused the money on the key area of the garden

that Jackie and Neil wanted to change.

At its heart is a new secluded seating area

based around the boys' staggered patio.

Coming in at just short of £500,

it's been interplanted with subtle shades

that will grow and spill over the edges.

The boys spent more than half the budget on new trees,

shrubs and perennials to add privacy.

And Harry spent just £50

creating a home-made steel sculpture

that echoes the lines of the willow tree.

To break up the long lawn, Dave has added a new zero-budget feature,

a circular turf mount to highlight the magnolia tree.

And, thanks to Charlie,

Jackie's love for the unusual is still a big part of the garden...

in the shape of a new birdbath,

and Bob the mannequin.

When they contacted Garden Rescue,

Jackie and Neil were looking for a space

that reflected the new interior of the house,

whilst being a calming spot for them and dad Mervyn.

I have to say, Bob the mannequin could either be a fantastic hit

or a complete no.

It's time to find out if they got what they paid for.

Are you guys excited?

-Yes.

-Very, actually, yes. And nervous.

Right. Three, two, one, open your eyes.

Oh, hey...

-Oh, look at this.

-That's lovely.

That looks really good, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-That's Charlie's little area.

There's a bit of quirk there.

Smiling. Smiling. Smiling's good.

You did mention that we couldn't out-quirk you...

and we had a go.

THEY LAUGH

How strange is that?

-That is really good.

-Have we out-quirked you?

I love it. That's brilliant.

Jackie likes it.

Neil looks a little perplexed, but he is smiling.

Well, my best bit in the garden.

You're meant to be able to lie back on this.

They've done it so you can do a bit of stargazing. Look at that.

Different heights as well.

I did catch him sleeping on this earlier.

-I was. I had a little nap.

-It definitely has been tested.

-JACKIE:

-I'm not going to test it now because I won't get back up.

-What do you think about the slabbing?

-Oh, it's amazing.

I'm not sure anybody was going to be allowed to walk on this.

-You're fine to walk on it.

-Thank you.

What do you think of the acer?

It's stunning. That is beautiful.

It's a big tree, isn't it?

I think it's great the way the boys have kept

a lot of things that remind Jackie of growing up here.

What do you think of the sculpture?

It's amazing.

-Get the plants growing along it, it'll be great.

-Yeah.

It'll definitely soften over time.

The way it moves in the wind, we quite like.

The wire sculpture is very subtle.

You sort of see it but you don't sort of see it.

It's very clever.

So you grew up in this garden and it's changed now since then.

How do you feel about that?

A bit emotional about it, actually.

Yeah. Mum would have loved this.

It's just absolutely lovely.

Thank you very much.

It's happy tears, it really is.

I have to say I think it's lovely.

For you, what element do you think works the best?

Definitely the mannequin.

Oh, all right, all right.

I'm chuffed to bits with it all. It looks great.

I really love the sculpture, the metal rods.

I think it's just something you just don't ever think of.

The planting is my favourite bit.

It just has a nice feeling to it.

Has that kind of woodlandy, dappled kind of gentle, isn't it?

THEY CHEER

And it looks like dad Mervyn is a fan, too.

It's something that goes with the house now, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-You know, it's in keeping with the house.

So do the family think it's £2,000 well spent?

-They told me it was 5,000.

-LAUGHTER

For £2,000,

it's not a huge amount of money in doing a whole garden in one go,

but, for us at the time, it was a lot of money to put towards it

-and it's worth every penny.

-It is.

They've done a fantastic job.

-We couldn't have done something like this.

-We couldn't have dreamt it.