Episode 6 The Instant Gardener

Beautiful gardens are one of Britain's most glorious sights.

But if your green space is more mess than majestic,

making it over can be a daunting prospect,

especially if you're short on time and money.

'Well, the instant gardener is here.'

Da-dah!

'Danny Clarke is an expert at transforming gardens.'

And these are really bringing a smile to my face.

'Each time, our gardening guru will be showing you

'how to create gorgeous garden makeovers.'

Doesn't that look great?

'Each transformation will be packed with brilliant ideas to help you

'get to grips with your own outdoor space.'

Just continually deadhead

and you will keep getting that plant to flower.

'He'll be turning garden junk...'

Oh, look at that.

'..into garden jewels...'

It's going to be used as a planter

and I think this is going to look absolutely terrific.

'..and showing you how to spend a small budget wisely...'

-That's why Danny makes me bring a list!

-OK.

'..be it on shrubs or salvage.'

Would you like that in your garden?

'And because Danny is the instant gardener,

'everything you see will happen in a single day.'

-Oh, my...!

-Oh, wow!

That's unbelievable.

Today, we're in Cumbria, my home county

and home to some of England's most Outstanding Areas of Natural Beauty.

Its gorgeous rural landscapes are also some of

the most sparsely populated in the country.

Yes, Cumbria has beautiful scenery but not everybody gets to enjoy it.

We're here to meet a couple whose rural retreat

has been anything but restful

and whose dreams of a perfect garden have had to be put on hold.

-Good morning.

-Hi, there.

-Hello.

-Nice to see you.

-Hiya.

-Hello.

-Look at this!

-Lovely.

I mean, you are living the dream.

-We are trying to, certainly, yes.

-It is gorgeous.

Lecturer Richard and historical steward Andy

have been together for 22 years,

finally marrying last summer.

They moved to Cumbria so that Andy could retire

and green-fingered Richard could fulfil his long-held hunger

to create a wildlife haven.

To do this, the couple had long saved for a large piece of land.

But just as they were settling into their new place,

near disaster struck.

Andy suffered a life-threatening brain aneurysm.

No sooner was he back on his feet,

then Richard was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Thankfully, both are now in recovery

but with their health seriously compromised,

their dream of turning this large plot of land

into a wildlife haven has turned into a bit of a nightmare.

The workload they once relished is now a bit overwhelming

and they have no means of meeting the challenge.

But no need to despair, I know just the man for the job.

Danny's only got one day to help Richard and Andy,

so he's going to focus on a particular feature

of their wildlife project -

an abandoned pond that's choked with plants and dead leaves.

A week ago, he headed up for a first look.

Now, I know the pond is down this way somewhere.

Ah, here we are.

This is what I've come to see. You know what?

I love ponds and I think every garden should have a pond,

if possible. But maybe we could give some sort of marker to this area

and give you a reason to explore the garden,

to bring you down into it.

The pond needs a good old tidy up.

There's leaves in there, it's looking tatty around the edges

and it needs a bit of definition, it needs a lift.

I'm thinking waders here.

I mean, we're going to have to get in there

and clear that pond out.

I think this is going to be quite a challenging thing to do.

I hope it's not too deep because I can't swim,

so I'd better bring my armbands along with me.

It's just thick-full of debris,

so I think we've really got our work cut out.

You know one of the things that I've noticed around here,

it'll be a nice place to relax, wouldn't it?

A nice place to visit and come and spend some time,

so seating is one of the things I think that we must address.

Now, what's interesting here is that I know that the couple

who live here have got foraging rights,

so maybe we can explore that woodland over there

and bring back some goodies.

Now, there is an absolute stunning feature here

and it's this water pump.

I think this is great.

And, erm, you know what?

I've got a feeling we might be able to do something with this.

And, you know, there's lots of plants,

although I think too many and they need thinning out but,

you know, it's got the main bones of something really interesting.

'That's what I like to hear.

'And a week later, Danny's packed his waders and is back with me

'to meet the couple.'

-Danny.

-Hello, Helen.

-Hanging by the pond.

-This is Andy and Richard.

-Hello, Richard.

-Hiya, hi.

-Hello, Andy.

-This is Andy.

-Hello, Danny. Good to see you.

So, this is a huge garden, how are you finding it?

It was all fine for a couple of years.

Now it's more of a challenge.

-Because you had a brain aneurysm?

-Yes.

-Requiring some quite big surgery, I imagine?

-Yeah.

I've got two platinum coils in my head

that keep my brain together and that's kept me going,

and apparently I'm fully fit and OK now.

But that's for Richard to tell you.

-Yeah.

-He seems pretty sparky from where we're standing.

-He is, yeah, he's much better now.

-What about you?

-How are things for you at the minute?

-Good.

I'm on the way back now.

The cancer's gone and I'm just in remission, so it's really good.

But being in remission must mean that kind of affects how fit and

strong you are, and able to take on a garden like this.

Very much so. I mean, when we moved here,

I was fully fit and able. I was able to, you know,

to look after the place very well.

Now, my strength is quite depleted and

I may not ever get back to full fitness again,

-which is why we need help.

-But it would be nice to see

this garden really reach its potential, wouldn't it?

Absolutely, that's why, yeah.

Let's turn our attention to this pond, then.

What do you make of it, Danny?

I think it's great but it is neglected.

-It needs some work.

-Definitely.

-As you can see,

it's massively overgrown, so really it's just up to us

-to get in there and sort it out.

-Yes. That'll be good.

What would you like to see from the pond?

Really it's always been designated as a wildlife pond

and the bottom part of our land is covered by SSSI.

-So SSSI is Site of Special... BOTH:

-Scientific Interest.

Yes. There are rare dragonfly species down there,

one called the white-faced darter, so we've always wanted to encourage

the wildlife to sort of come up the garden so that we can see it.

-Yeah.

-So this pond would be a really good addition to do that.

I know you are semiretired, but you've got one more day of work

ahead of you today, Andy. We're going to leave you

in Danny's capable hands to help out with the pond.

Richard and I will get out of your hair.

We'll go and do some shopping for you though.

We will, of course, help. Anything you need in particular?

-Whatever's in the book.

-OK.

-The usual.

The usual? A floating garden?

Floating garden?

-That's an interesting puzzle.

-I think I know a place.

-Yeah? OK.

All right. Well, we'll let you guys crack on.

-See you.

-See you later.

-Thanks, bye.

-See you later.

-HELEN SIGHS

'While Richard and I make ourselves scarce,

'Danny has a plan in mind to transform this poorly pond.'

We're going to make this into a lovely wildlife pond.

It needs rejuvenating.

We're going to clear it of all the debris that's floating around.

In the pond, we're going to put a little array of aquatic plants,

so there's going to be lilies going in here, for example,

and we're going to add some bog plants

just around the perimeter over there.

This pond needs definition

and it also needs a sense of place in this garden.

I'm going to put some architecture at this end of the pond

in the form of large posts which we're going to paint a funky colour.

It's going to look absolutely wonderful.

I'm going to have a path swinging around here,

following the contours of the pond

and on either side we're going to have lovely plants.

And this path is going to swing in to about here,

and we're going to have a bench for Andy and Richard to sit

and just watch the wildlife.

Now, this is very interesting, it looks like the remnants of a fence

and I've got an idea for these.

I'm going to use them as stepping stones amongst the gravel.

And over here, we're going to build a lovely jetty

which is going to go across the water

and what that's going to do is take you into the pond,

take you over the pond

and this is another area where Andy and Richard can come and relax.

So Danny plans to restore this pond to good health

with a thorough clear-out

and the addition of oxygenating aquatic plants.

A bold sculpture of large posts will provide a striking focal point,

with a gravel path and a new plant bed adding further definition.

This will lead to two viewing points,

a small bench and a large timber jetty.

But with just one day to create this eye-catching wildlife haven,

there won't be any time to sit and admire the view just yet.

Fortunately, Danny has AJ on hand to take care of the carpentry,

along with sidekicks Luke and Amyrose.

And reluctant gardener Andy has roped in friends

Dave and Sarah to help tackle that pond.

Someone needs to get in that pond

-cos we need to clear all that debris out.

-OK.

We should have a vote on that, shouldn't we?

-I vote for Danny.

-Yeah, do you...?

-SARAH:

-I vote for Danny.

-That's a full house, Danny.

-You haven't voted yet.

Oh, yes, I have.

THEY LAUGH

-I can't swim.

-So it's me, then? Nor can I!

-Nor can I.

-We'll keep an eye, I promise.

-You'll keep an eye?

-We'll send up a flare.

-OK. Thank you very much.

Any idea how deep that pond is?

I can tell you it's variable.

It's from a couple of feet to something over four feet,

but I couldn't tell you because I've not been in.

Could it be over 5'9"?

It, it could be.

But I don't know, but you'll find out.

Poor Danny is a bit outnumbered,

but at least he's not getting wet just yet.

-Because I'm going to be going in there...

-Yeah.

-..I want to see where I'm going.

-Yeah.

-Because I don't know how deep that is.

-All right.

So what we're going to do,

-we're going to gradually go from the edge of the bank.

-Yeah.

Clearing out your pond costs nothing, but can make an instant improvement

to both its appearance and its healthiness as a wildlife resource.

But remember, it's important to pile up the debris

in a safe place nearby. This will allow any wildlife, like frogs,

a chance to get back to the water.

Although in its current stagnant state,

that's not an inviting prospect.

It smells absolutely rancid.

DANNY LAUGHS

And the stubborn pond has already claimed a victim.

Danny. We have one broken rake.

Oh, is it your muscles that's caused this

or is it because it's thick?

I think that's because it's thick, not my muscles.

-That shows that we've got our work cut out, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

Up at the house, AJ's got quite a job on his hands as well,

building that jetty.

But at least he's nice and dry.

If you imagine the pond is sort of like a rectangle shape, like this...

..triangle across the one corner there

is where the jetty's going to go.

So I'm using the thicker wood here, mainly for the strength,

so it can then be just anchored down either side of the pond,

so then there doesn't have to be anything in the middle

of this timber that will go into the pond,

potentially puncturing the pond liner.

Right, then, that's the last piece cut.

Now it's just a matter of screwing it together.

Meanwhile, Danny's avoiding getting into the pond

just a little bit longer.

He's helping Dave cut back the overhanging trees so that

in the future, fewer old leaves will find their way into the water.

I know that I'm going to take out those two lower branches there,

I can see them, the one nearest to us, the one just behind it.

-Yeah.

-And I think that will more or less be it for this tree

and then we just repeat the process for the other one.

And then just let that drop.

Make sure you do little, short, sharp strokes like this...

because if this slips out like this and you go back,

you could blend the blade and break it.

-I think I need my energy for other things.

-I think you do.

-So can I leave this with...

-Leave it with me.

-..you for the time being?

-Leave it with me, Danny.

-OK.

Well, you'd better be quick, AJ's going great guns with that jetty.

Now the framework's done,

we're going to use scaff planks as the actual deck.

So I'm going to start off with the long one in the middle,

directly straight down, get that in place,

screw it into the joist, and on this end,

we're going to have them sort of offset a little bit

to make it look more like a boardwalk.

You could buy decking boards for this jetty,

but recycling second-hand scaffolding boards saves cash

and gives a nice chunky, rustic look.

We can just test the strength of it.

I think this'll be...

..be quite good.

Hope Danny's pleased with this.

I think Danny's got other things on his mind at the moment.

I'm not looking forward to going in this pond, I must admit.

I can't swim for a start, so I hope it's not too deep.

Anyway, here we go.

While Danny prepares to get his feet wet

and Andy gets his hands dirty, I'm taking his other half Richard

off for a spot of garden inspiration.

Who does the gardening, is it you or Andy?

We share it, really.

I can do things like weeding and things like that,

and Andy tends to help me with the heavy stuff.

So we have a good partnership, really, we share it.

I guess you need to be a team to tackle a garden of that size

-because it is massive, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah, we are a good team.

I think that's why we've been together for such a long time.

We are heading to a place that I think you're going to like.

I think it has the kind of atmosphere

that you guys are going for.

It certainly has the wildlife you're going for, so fingers crossed

we can get some inspiration and pinch some ideas.

That sounds good.

Kingstown Wildlife Pond is a green oasis and a haven

for wildlife on the edge of Carlisle.

In fact, you can just about hear the hum of the A7

among the bird calls and buzzing insects.

So, Richard, this is what is referred to as a green corridor

for the wildlife.

It links two different parts of the nature reserve, so it means

that wildlife can make it from one area to another quite safely.

But what, for me, is bizarre about this place,

it's right next door to a very busy industrial estate.

-Did you know this was here?

-I had no idea it was here at all.

But it's incredible, isn't it?

It is lovely, a very peaceful place to come and visit.

But also very practical for wildlife because plenty of places -

-fallen logs, fallen twigs - for them to seek them shelter.

-Yeah.

And a nice cycle track and walking path for people like us.

Yes, it's brilliant.

'There's a particular reason I've brought Richard here

'to this peaceful spot.'

Here we have...

a wildlife pond, right on the edge of the city.

-What do you think of this?

-It's an amazing place.

The first thing I noticed is that it has actually got some water in it,

which... Our pond has got a little bit of water,

but I think the plants have just overtaken it so much,

it'd be nice to have some open water in our pond

because that's what we need. In the winter, there's a little bit

but in the summer, it just tends to be solid iris, really.

So that's why it needs to be cleared.

This is the vision that we actually had for the wildlife pond,

with clear water in the centre,

good vegetation around the edge for the wildlife

and somewhere to sit and watch and get really close to the wildlife,

so if we can get anywhere near this, it would be great.

No pressure, Danny.

Back in the garden, it looks like this pond has a long way to go

before it reaches full fitness.

Danny's got to get in it first.

And Sarah's making sure he's well secured before he does that.

So, Sarah, where did you learn to tie a knot like that?

I used to work at Outward Bound on the Lake District,

it's what brought me up from London in the first place, really.

-Right.

-So I used to be a bit of a climbing instructor.

-Oh, did you?

-Yeah.

-Excellent. That is really reassuring now.

-Good.

-I'm feeling a lot more confident...

-You'll be all right.

-..about getting in that pond.

-Yeah, you'll be all right.

Well, I never thought I would see Danny on a tight leash,

but it's a good reminder not to tackle any pond job alone.

With no idea how deep the water is,

Danny's certainly in need of a helping hand.

So Luke's holding on to me here.

Right, OK.

That is deep.

I don't think I should be doing this.

Look, that's still going.

I think that might be the bottom.

So although I would like to wade in to the middle of the pond,

it's not going to be possible, just from a safety point of view.

If I go in there, who knows?

I might just keep sinking and sinking and sinking.

So I'm going to work from here.

Even though the middle of the pond is a no-go zone,

with our Danny, every problem brings a solution.

While I'm doing this, I've just come up with an idea.

It's an idea that's going to save us a little bit of time as well,

so it's quite a plus, really.

And I'm thinking maybe treat this as an island

and make this into a wildlife haven.

I think we'll put some logs on here and, you know,

that'll attract the birds and the bees and the insects, etc.

I think we can make this into, like, a little floating hotel.

A bug hotel - great idea, Danny!

You never know, it might even attract those dragonflies.

And Danny's good work isn't going unnoticed.

You've got a smile on your face, Andy.

Well, I'm enjoying watching a man work.

-You're doing a great job, so thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-I'm enjoying it.

-Thanks for the support, Andy.

-Indeed.

I shall watch from afar.

AJ's arrived with his jetty frame,

or maybe he just wants to enjoy the view as well.

I see there's some rare wildlife in the pond there.

Are you referring to me?

Yeah. Yeah, very rare. Very unique.

But do you know what? This rare wildlife needs to be preserved.

-It does.

-So could you help get me out, please?

Do I have to?

Anyone got a knife?

Behave yourself, AJ!

So Danny's taking a break from the water

and marking out where he wants the new gravel path to go.

-AJ.

-Mm.

-This is looking really good, mate.

-Thank you.

Got to raise it this side, get it level.

-Yeah, it's nice and solid-looking.

-Go on, try it.

-I tell you what,

-I'll try it when you're finished, how's that?

-All right.

-I'll catch up with you later.

-Yeah, see you in a bit.

-Cheers.

-One.

-SARAH:

-To you.

-There we go.

Up by the house, Andy and Sarah have discovered

Danny's rather funky colour choice for his larch posts.

I think Richard is going to find this quite interesting...

-Definitely.

-..as a colour.

-I agree with you...

-But we shall see.

-..on that entirely.

Now, I take Danny's point about being a focal point

-and I take his point that we'll be able to see it...

-Definitely.

..and we'll certainly be able to see it.

And, er, but I shall leave judgment to that to Richard, that's fine.

-That's what I'm going to do. We shall see.

-Yeah.

We shall indeed.

Ooh-ooh.

Way... Way-way-way!

But Danny's still got more heavy lifting to do

before the creative bit can start.

Right, let's clear some of this out.

'If Danny ever makes it through the debris, I'm hoping there'll

'eventually be a lovely pond for the boys to enjoy and maintain.'

So, Richard, this is a pond and a half, isn't it?

It certainly is, yeah.

'Over at Kingstown Wildlife Pond,

'I'm keen for Richard to get some tips on how to do just that

'with Green Spaces manager Phil Gray.'

-Phil. Sorry to interrupt.

-No, don't worry.

-Nice fishing net.

-Thank you!

-Tell us about this pond.

How do you get to a point like this?

We manage it to keep it as a pond.

We've got to maintain plenty of sunlight getting onto

the water surface, plenty of open water

and marginal vegetation,

vegetation around the edges of the pond that is a habitat

in itself for small creatures that live there.

So how do you stop the vegetation from getting too much in the pond?

A way to keep it under control is to physically get in there

in the wintertime and remove it by hand, in a small garden pond.

We've got to physically remove some of the vegetation

that would otherwise gradually fill up the pond

and eventually turn it back into a woodland.

-That's all ponds really want to be - woodlands.

-Yeah, OK.

-So you have to stay on top of that constantly.

-Yeah, exactly,

and that's part of the art of pond maintenance,

on a pond of this size.

Garden ponds are, generally speaking, easier to manage

-because they're smaller.

-In terms of the vegetation,

what are the key plants, or best plants at bringing wildlife

to a pond like this?

Well, you need stuff in the water itself, so water plants

that then oxygenate the water from the bottom of the pond,

as it were, and what we call emergent plants,

plants that grow with their roots in the water

and then emerge out of it, like these yellow flag irises here.

We've got bulrush here, the tall ones,

that people will recognise from ponds, which are great.

We've just seen some small birds taking the seeds from the seed heads

of those, so they perform all sorts of functions in ecological terms.

But they are very invasive, so you have those in a small pond,

-every year, you'll have to take out enough...

-OK.

-..to keep open water

because they're very quick at colonising.

OK, that's a good tip.

If you get the management right and you get the plants right,

what can you hope to attract to a pond like this?

Well, the main things in a pond like this, I guess, Helen,

are the small creatures, things like frogs and toads and newts

and all sorts of insects.

Pond beetles, there's dragonflies

and it's fabulous in the summer to see a dragonfly nymph,

as you can see them coming out of the water

and climbing up a stem of a plant like this,

and then hatching out into the adult dragonfly.

It's just magical and that's the beauty of ponds.

I mean, they're great for wildlife

but they're great for people as well. Yeah.

-I suspect that's music to your ears, Richard.

-It is because

that's what we want to actually achieve,

to bring some dragonflies into the pond, that's what we're aiming for.

Excellent, yeah.

There are lots of ways to encourage wildlife into your garden,

pond or no pond.

Leave a bit of your lawn untrimmed, this will encourage butterflies,

as they like to lay their eggs in tall grass.

A well-stocked bird feeder is a sure-fire way

to bring colourful guests to visit as well.

And if you have a fence, make a hole in it to allow hedgehogs

and frogs into your garden, but make sure it's no bigger than a CD case

if you'd rather keep foxes out.

Back at Richard and Andy's plot,

we're halfway through the day already.

Although the jetty is taking shape,

the rest of Danny's ambitious design is emerging more slowly

as he continues to plough through that pongy pond muck.

You're doing a grand job.

I mean, you are doing, all seriousness,

it's a dirty job but somebody's got to do it.

Yeah. And it wasn't going to be you, was it?

Once I get this in the ground a bit, I'll come in and help you.

-Yeah, but I'll be finished by then.

-That's what I'm hoping.

At least the end is almost in sight, Danny.

So that's the island complete.

I've got water going round this little bit of land here.

Yeah, really pleased, it's really taking shape.

Just get this last clump out for the time being

and I'm going to take a little rest because I think I deserve it.

I think you do.

The last bit is always the heaviest, isn't it?

DANNY GROANS

Time for a spot of delegation, I think.

Andy, what would be great would be some more edging here.

-We're a bit low on it.

-Mm-hm.

Do you think you can get some for me?

-I think I know just the place where to go, yeah.

-OK, brilliant.

Yeah, yeah. How much do you want?

Well, I need enough to kind of go into this edge here.

-OK. That'll keep me busy.

-Yep. Keep you busy for a while, OK.

-Right, off I go.

-See you later.

-OK, I'm going to go.

-Cheers, bye.

Richard and Andy have foraging rights on this neighbouring land,

meaning they can take away old wood.

Always check with the landowner before removing anything

from woodland spots like this.

Danny's thoughts have turned to his eye-catching timber sculpture.

That's going to go in the ground here

and I'm using larch posts,

so I'm just going to signpost where I want the holes to be.

I'm just doing them a bit off-centre...

..so it doesn't look too contrived.

I kind of want it to look like someone's thrown the posts up

in the air and we've put them in the ground

exactly where they land.

'Let's hope Richard and Andy agree with that element of chaos.

'Certainly their new life in Cumbria hasn't gone to plan

'and I want to find out more from Richard about the challenges

'they've faced since moving in.'

You're five years into your Cumbrian dream,

a few unexpected surprises when you got here

-because you were both in good health when you moved up to Cumbria.

-Yeah.

Then Andy got ill.

Yes, that was a really scary six months while that was all happening.

-For both of you.

-For both of us, yeah.

-And then following that...

-Yes.

-..you got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

-Yep.

I was ill and the doctors were finding it really difficult

to pinpoint what was wrong.

Eventually they sent me for a scan and found it.

I had to go into hospital and have a really massive operation.

I was lucky that they picked it up when they did.

-So you are in remission...

-Yes.

-..now. Great news.

-Yes.

Physically, you are a very different man now, aren't you?

I'm not as strong as I used to be.

Yeah, I've lost over 5st in weight through ill health,

not a recommended diet.

But having been through what you've been through,

how did that affect you both?

We sort of, we came up here to live the dream really

and we felt that our dreams had been put on hold and

it left us very uncertain about the future and about, you know,

whether our health was going to stand up to it, really.

So, yeah, it was a difficult time but we're through that now.

How important is gardening to you?

It's been one of the things that's got me through the illness,

to be honest. When I was in hospital,

Andy used to bring me my garden magazine every week

and it just helped me get through knowing that

when I got out of hospital, I could do that and I could plan that

and that we could carry on with our dream.

We might have to change the dream and adapt it to suit.

And when I got out of hospital,

going into the garden with everything,

it was a massive part of my recovery.

And having been through what you've both been through,

how nice would it be to have somewhere to sit and reflect,

-recuperate, look forward?

-Sitting by a pond would be lovely,

because we both like watching wildlife

and it would just be a great place to chill out really.

Well, hopefully we can kick-start that and get that back on track.

We're never going to get it finished though

-if we don't go and get what's on Danny's shopping list.

-No.

-So to the garden centre, I think, Richard.

-OK. Thank you.

A floating garden...

'Yes, time is ticking on and back at the garden,

'there are only a few hours left to get this pond shipshape.

'It's all happening.'

This is what I like to see, men at work.

It's a hive of activity.

Dave's over there, sawing up the logs for the edging for the path.

Luke's just started up the hole borer machine.

And Phil's doing the edging for the flower bed, so the flower bed

is going to sweep round here and follow the contour of the path.

And AJ, AJ's obviously ahead of time because, look,

he's just relaxing there.

So he seems pretty pleased with himself

and pretty pleased with progress.

But I've got to do my least favourite bit,

I've got to get in that freezing cold pond.

Aw, Danny, hopefully this is the last time.

I actually think you're starting to like those waders.

Hello, Dave. I'm just going to make a bug hotel here.

So if you could pass me those pieces of birch.

-That's great. Mind you don't fall in.

-No.

And I shall stack them neatly.

Stacking bits of wood anywhere in your garden is a simple and free way

to attract insects, which in turn will attract birds

and other wildlife.

Well, I'm happy with that

and I hope the bugs and the insects are too.

AJ is getting his hands dirty trying to fix his jetty framework in place.

I'm trying to dig down deep enough

to get a nice pole post in there still,

but, of course, cos I'm going lower than the water level there,

the water's coming in, but that's not a problem,

that will help with setting the cement.

And the larch posts have been cemented in. No going back now.

I think that looks brilliant.

Do you know what?

This might be in the Tate Modern next year.

Whisper it...

but this is starting to come together.

Now all it needs is moisture-loving plants.

This pond has given me the opportunity

to plant an array of gorgeous plants.

Like this hosta, for example,

that's got this bluish tinge to its leaf.

These hostas will thrive here

because they like the damp conditions.

Zantedeschia, an absolutely gorgeous plant and I love them.

They've got this exotic look

and I'm going to bring a touch of the tropics

to this part of the country, and they are surprisingly hardy

so you can grow them virtually anywhere in this country.

They're absolutely wonderful.

While those plants go in, how about that funky paint?

Definitely more shocking pink than red, I'd say.

Well, I certainly think it's different.

I'll be very interested to see the contrast when we step away from it.

So, yeah, it's certainly going to be a focal point

and we'll certainly be able to see it from the house.

'Richard certainly has a surprise in store when he gets home.

'But we need to get a wriggle on with our end of the deal,

'fulfilling Danny's unusual shopping request for a floating garden.'

So have you ever heard of a floating garden?

Never heard of a floating garden. I've got some ideas though.

Good.

At least one of us does! RICHARD CHUCKLES

'I'm not afraid to admit I'm a bit out of my depth with this one.

'Hopefully Carolynn at the local garden centre can help.'

-Carolynn.

-Oh, hello. How are you?

-This is Richard.

-Hello.

-How are you doing?

-Hiya.

-We are after a floating garden.

-Do you know what a floating garden is?

-No.

-Right.

A floating garden is a container that actually

floats on your pond with moisture-loving plants in it.

Get different colours of plants, different types, just floats around.

-Sounds good.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Something different.

-How do we make one of those?

-Right, I'll show you what you need.

-OK.

-Yeah.

First off, we need a suitable container.

-These are specially designed.

-OK.

This is made out of polystyrene so this is going to float.

And this is like a weed-retaining fabric, so it lets the water in.

And what do we put in there?

Right, first off, in there you would have to put potting grit...

-Right.

-..because that's going to add to drainage.

I think it's amazing, I've never seen one of these before.

I think that's going to be really good on the pond, actually.

-It's a fun idea, isn't it?

-It's a really fun idea.

-Next, you're going to need soil. This is aquatic soil.

-Right.

Which is slightly different to what your normal compost would be.

So why do you need aquatic soil?

It's free of harmful chemicals and fertilisers

-that sort of make algae bloom in your pond.

-OK.

So we've got some grit, we've got some soil,

-we've got a base, all we need now are plants.

-Just plants, yeah.

-OK?

-Yeah.

While we look for treasures to fill our little floaters,

the garden team are hard at work filling that new bed.

There are only two hours to go now, but after a lot of banging,

AJ's rather lovely-looking jetty is finally complete.

Voila!

One pontoon deck over the water done.

But, of course, his work isn't done yet - oh, no.

He's putting together Richard and Andy's second viewing point,

a wooden bench made from some useful leftovers.

I'm going to use these four pieces of wood here for the legs

and the scaff board in the middle there.

What we'll do is get the bracing bars

that go between these legs in here and in here.

I'm just marking these, so then I'll cut into these legs.

So this piece of wood here will be inserted slightly,

so some of the weight, the pressure coming down

when we're sitting on it is actually taken by the actual whole leg.

You could just screw in a couple of screws,

but they'll get really sort of weak.

Wood on wood is the best strength going.

And there we go.

So then I've just got to do the other three legs

and then we can start screwing it together.

The materials cost nothing

and this will be brilliantly in keeping with the rustic setting.

Only half an hour to make, but this bench is built to last.

There it is, you've got the legs, the cross beams

and then this bit here in the middle,

which is obviously joining the legs together,

is also going to support the actual seat so it doesn't, like, bow.

While AJ gets busy with his bench,

Danny is making use of that newly-revealed open water

by popping in some pond-loving plants.

Every pond has got to have a waterlily,

without a shadow of a doubt.

And these plants, they provide shelter and shade

for all the creatures that will inhabit this pond.

It's going to sink.

But it won't go down too deep

and eventually, the leaves will find their way to the surface.

To make sure they'll have room to breathe in this pond,

Danny's got some oxygenating plants.

These help keep the water fresh and keep algae at bay.

So what I'm going to do is just place this over the water

and just let it sink...

gently in and then that will find its own way.

Meanwhile, Richard and I are busy with pond plants too.

We're at the garden centre where Carolynn is helping us

pick out the final ingredients for our floating garden.

Right, this is our plant section.

What would you recommend?

Right, you'll have to put moisture-loving plants in.

Iris is a good one.

You're going to get those lovely flowers on.

It's a rhizomatous plant, this one.

So that means it's going to send out rhizomes

which you'll be able to chop up and make more of them.

-More plants.

-Yeah.

-Great.

-With a nice purple flower.

-Yeah.

-And your pond is quite green, isn't it?

-It's very green.

So to actually have some flower would be excellent.

-Well, I've got the perfect thing for you.

-OK.

You need Lobelia cardinalis.

-Right, this is going to grow to about a metre.

-Right.

-All right?

And it's going to be stunning red flowers.

-That sounds lovely.

-Absolutely stunning.

It's going to give you a bit of a wow factor, isn't it?

-It will do.

-OK, so shall we get a couple of those?

-Oh, definitely, yeah.

-Brilliant.

-I know you said your pond's green,

but I have an absolutely stunning plant here.

This is called a Juncus and it's a twisted grass.

-What do you think of that?

-That's incredible.

-Look at the twists!

-Yeah.

-That is so cool, isn't it?

-Isn't that lovely?

-That is really lovely.

-Yeah, and it's so unusual.

-Yeah.

-Imagine that just floating about on the top of your pond.

OK, well, let's pop one of those in because that's something different.

-Carolynn, thank you so much for your help.

-No problem at all.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Thank you very much.

-Yeah, no problem.

-That's great, thank you.

-Thanks.

-Bye-bye.

-Cheers.

-Bye now.

'But our work isn't quite done yet it seems.

'Danny's come up with an idea to set off those funky poles.'

Hello?

'Hello, Helen. It's Danny here.'

I've just realised we're short on some contorted hazel.

Contorted hazel, OK.

-Could you get four for me?

-Yep, I... Don't worry.

-That's great.

-'Something I can do. All right.'

All right, Helen, thank you very much.

-Crack on.

-See you later, bye.

-Bye.

-Bye.

'We don't know why we're getting them,

'but like a pair of deadly homing pigeons,

'it doesn't take long for us to track down our targets.'

-OK, contorted hazel.

-OK.

-How do you feel about these?

-I think these are amazing.

I've always wanted one actually, but never bought one, so...

-Well, you're going to get four today.

-..to get four is a bonus.

However you react at the end of the day,

I'm going to take it as a good day because that's a good smile.

-This is a good smile, yeah.

-OK.

-I love these.

-Well, let's get them back and get them in the garden.

-OK.

Oh, I'm pleased you're happy.

If you hate the rest of the garden, at least you like my bit.

Yeah, it'll be good.

'Only joking, Danny!

'I have complete faith in you, of course.'

This looks amazing!

'But there's only an hour left now, so on my return,

'I've left Richard hidden away in the house and come to lend a hand.'

-I'll come and meet you halfway.

-This looks amazing!

Oh, you bought these. These are lovely, aren't they?

-Is this what you wanted?

-Yeah, they are exactly what I wanted.

I don't really want to do any more, I just want to sit here

-and take it all in.

-Why don't you just sit here,

-take it all in...

-Because it's not finished!

-..while we carry on

-with the work?

-It's not finished.

-I was giving you a get out there.

You know me, I like to bish-bash-bosh, get it done.

You like to get it done.

'Everyone's mucking in now

'and there are plants going in left, right and centre.'

I love these lilies.

I mean, they look really exotic, don't they?

They're absolutely beautiful.

I don't want to judge a book by its cover, but this looks

-a bit too exotic...

-Yeah.

-..to survive this Cumbrian climate.

Yeah, they look exotic, they are hardy.

I mean, they do die down in the winter.

Let's move it up there.

'With the lilies in their new home,

'we can launch our other exotic additions.'

-You're dying to do this bit, aren't you?

-Yeah, I know.

-So am I!

-They're great. Shall we go, then?

-Right.

-This feels quite heavy.

-Yeah.

So there we go, just put it in gently and let's see what happens.

-Let's hope it doesn't sink.

-Race!

-OK.

-In fact, there you go.

-Oh, that looks brill.

-Oh, look at that.

-Superb.

-I love those.

What's great about these is that you're going to have

an ever-changing picture, aren't you?

Because they're going to be floating around this pond, so

they're not going to be in the same position all the time, which is cool.

'And Danny is soon adding my other treats,

'those contorted hazel to set off his pink posts.'

They're going to give a bit of contrast with the form.

Cos you've got these linear lines with the posts at the back,

but these hazels, look,

they're all twisted so it just gives a bit of contrast

and also, just look at this lovely sort of yellowy,

limey green flower.

That will make a great contrast to what's going on behind.

Just look at that, I think that looks absolutely beautiful.

'It's taken a Herculean effort by the whole team

'to get this pond in shape for Andy and Richard in just one day.'

I'm getting the impression that Richard is not the kind to kind of

dwell on what's gone on. I mean, he was as ill as it gets, wasn't he?

-Yeah, he was.

-Pretty much.

He didn't know how much of the year he was going to see ahead,

and he has done and he's on the mend, thank goodness.

When he sits there and he looks around and he sees,

-he will think to himself, "I may not have had this moment."

-Yeah.

-And he'll think that a lot over the next months and years ahead.

-Yeah.

'And here comes the final piece of the jigsaw.'

Someone order a bench?

AJ, I think that looks brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

-Come on, then.

-I've got a great home for it.

-Shall we get it down quickly?

-Yeah.

-Oh, look at that.

-Whoa!

-Solid.

-Absolutely solid.

-Just need to light the fire.

-Yeah.

Well, I think they deserve a sit down.

Before today, this pond was clogged up, stagnant and unused,

failing to attract many of the wonderful birds

and insects of this corner of Cumbria.

But after just one day, it's been transformed into a tranquil

and inviting wildlife haven.

Danny's breathed new life into the pond with a thorough clean-up

and the addition of oxygenating plants.

There's a welcoming bug hotel in the newly-formed island

and a floating garden to provide ever-changing interest.

The whole area has been given definition by the new gravel path,

interspersed with old sleeper steps, which is lined

with an array of plants that'll thrive in this soggy spot.

Danny's striking timber and hazel sculpture

is a welcoming beacon of colour in this corner of the garden.

And AJ's recycled timber jetty

provides the perfect spot for Richard and Andy

to enjoy what will hopefully become home to an array of local wildlife.

But what will discerning gardening Richard make of it all?

I'm a little bit nervous.

Do you think he's going to like it?

-I think he'll love it.

-Let's hope so.

You may now look up and walk towards...

What?

That's unbelievable.

Oh, my...!

They've worked hard.

That is phenomenal, honestly, that is amazing.

-Thank you so much.

-It's all right, my pleasure.

Yeah, I'm feeling a bit cut up now so... No.

I feel like you're a bit emotional, is that fair?

Yeah, overwhelmed actually.

Yeah, you've done just an amazing job.

It's so brilliant. Thank you.

-That's your viewing platform...

-That's amazing, incredible.

..to look, you know, over the pond and back at the house.

-And those pink sticks over there.

-Yeah.

That's our little bit of architecture

-to sort of draw your eye to this part of the garden.

-It's lovely.

How different is this part of the garden now, then?

Well, it's completely different.

You wouldn't think it was the same pond actually.

It was unusable before, wasn't it?

-And now it's a space that can be used and enjoyed.

-Yeah.

-And developed over time.

-Exactly. So what we've done, really,

we've given you a kick-start. When you design a garden for somebody,

you're not really sure how they're going to react,

so it's really a relief that you've come back and you like it.

-Oh, I absolutely love it.

-Yeah.

-It's fabulous.

-I genuinely can't get over it.

-Are you happy, Andy?

Yes, I'm very happy

because it's making him happy, and I like it as well. That's a bonus!

And let's be honest, you've been a bit worried about it.

Well, yeah. Yeah, because there's so much we wanted to do,

haven't been able to do it and thanks to some inspiration

and some hard work and a bit of courage going in there...

DANNY LAUGHS

It's lovely and I think it just lifts the spirits.

-It really does.

-I feel like after everything you two

have been through, hopefully this is a good way to bookend one chapter

-and start an exciting new one.

-Absolutely, yeah.

It's brilliant.

'Congratulations, Danny, on a job very well done.

'Join us next time for another instant garden.'