0:00:02 > 0:00:04Do you have a small garden, but a big idea?
0:00:04 > 0:00:07Do you know what you'd like it to look like,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09but no idea really of where to begin?
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Well, you're not alone.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Over the last year, I've been working with people right across the country,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19helping them to make their garden dreams become reality.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23Monty Don has listened to their hopes and plans.
0:00:23 > 0:00:28It's an absolutely crazy idea and I love it.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30He's given advice...
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Don't be frightened to push plants into crevices.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35..and he's rolled up his sleeves.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Let's not talk about it, let's just do it.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Talk about a lean, mean gardening machine.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Things haven't always gone to plan.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45I thought we were going to make four raised beds.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48I'm a bit worried that we might have killed it.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50But it's been worth it.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52What a beautiful garden.
0:00:52 > 0:00:53I'm so happy.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55- Thank you, Monty!- ALL: Cheers!
0:00:55 > 0:00:59I do believe that however small your garden is,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02everybody can cultivate a big dream.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12This time, Monty works with two couples
0:01:12 > 0:01:17who dream of bringing far-off places into their back gardens.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19They test Monty to the limit.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21I can't even get my fork in.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23- To your right.- Are you sure?!
0:01:23 > 0:01:26From creating a mountain and a stream...
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Cold! That's cold. That's cold.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31..to bringing the Far East to the South East.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34That's where it wants to be, it wants to be out like that.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37And they find the elements bring them to their knees.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42There are times like this and you think, "This was such a silly idea."
0:01:42 > 0:01:44They will move heaven...
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Step away from the Buddha.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51..and earth to turn their small spaces into big dreams.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53- Well done.- Cheers.- Thank you.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Our first dreamers come from the village of Marnhull in Dorset.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05Helen met Tim seven years ago when he moved to the area.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Erm, we met socially and then Tim and I started walking the dogs.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Becoming more familiar with the highways and byways of Dorset,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17as well as Helen's dogs, was not the only thing on Tim's mind.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20That's when you could say, yes, I did ask her out, in a way.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23It was definitely love me, love my dog, though, because Tim...
0:02:23 > 0:02:25The dog I had at the time, Tim said to me,
0:02:25 > 0:02:29"And how long do they live for?" And I thought, "Watch it, mate."
0:02:29 > 0:02:33"If you've got any ideas, the dog's staying, you're not!"
0:02:33 > 0:02:36But Helen agreed to leave the dogs at home,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38get herself a passport for the first time
0:02:38 > 0:02:40and go on the honeymoon of a lifetime.
0:02:41 > 0:02:47My overall impression of Norway was of greenery, ferns, grasses,
0:02:47 > 0:02:52rocks, boulders and the movement of water going over the stones
0:02:52 > 0:02:55and that's really what I want to try and get into this garden.
0:02:55 > 0:02:56My Norwegian garden.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Our second gardeners live in the London suburbs of Bromley.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Joan and David have been here for nine years,
0:03:07 > 0:03:12but gifts like tonnes of paving and purchases of lots of plants
0:03:12 > 0:03:16has so far led to a garden looking like a dumping ground.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20I work for a big international marketing company.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22For me to come into my own space
0:03:22 > 0:03:26and have somewhere to chill and relax is key.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Joan has a busy working life as a graphic designer
0:03:30 > 0:03:32and has decided to turn her garden
0:03:32 > 0:03:34into a haven of peace and tranquillity.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41The Japanese-theme garden came about really cos my eye was drawn in
0:03:41 > 0:03:44and I found it very peaceful and tranquil,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48so I think that kind of guided me into... Down that line.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Joan isn't the only one looking for peace and quiet.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Her husband, David, has his own plans.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58I had a shed out there for a long while,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01but I haven't been able to get into it
0:04:01 > 0:04:05because of all the... All the extra stuff that goes in there.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10It'd just be nice to have a bit of room in there
0:04:10 > 0:04:13to store some of my stuff.
0:04:13 > 0:04:19Maybe have a little TV as a bit of a chill-out place to go
0:04:19 > 0:04:22and keep out of the way sometimes.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28THEY GIGGLE
0:04:39 > 0:04:43It's late autumn and in Dorset Helen is anticipating a visit
0:04:43 > 0:04:45from Britain's top gardener,
0:04:45 > 0:04:49so a last-minute tidy-up and a bit of weeding is in order.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53I'm looking forward to Monty coming.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55I am a little bit anxious about what he's going to say
0:04:55 > 0:04:58about my garden. I think possibly most gardeners
0:04:58 > 0:05:01are a little bit precious about their baby.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05Helen knows that she has some unusual plans, wild dreams even,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09given the tiny space. She's worried she won't sell them easily to Monty.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- So...- Here we are. This is the plot.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18So just this area here?
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Just this area, yes. It is rather small.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23And what do you want to do with it?
0:05:23 > 0:05:27We want to recreate something of what we saw
0:05:27 > 0:05:29when we were on honeymoon in Norway.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31We just saw the nice gardens they've got there
0:05:31 > 0:05:33and so we just thought,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36"Well, why not have a garden here from Norway and bring it home?"
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Not technically, of course, but...
0:05:39 > 0:05:43A Norwegian garden is pretty unusual.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- Yes.- I mean, in fact, I'll be honest,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47it's the first people I've ever met who said,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49"I want a Norwegian garden."
0:05:49 > 0:05:52What did you see when you were on honeymoon in Norway?
0:05:52 > 0:05:54We were inspired by a walk we took.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57We were in Gol and we walked down one day
0:05:57 > 0:06:00from the big, white church on the mountainside
0:06:00 > 0:06:05and we got these glimpses of little glades almost amongst the trees,
0:06:05 > 0:06:09with streams and rocks and little waterfalls all running through.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16So what we want to do really here is to have
0:06:16 > 0:06:19water running over rocks and then into a pool and then a stream
0:06:19 > 0:06:23- and bridge and build an arbour. - Hang on, bridge? What bridge?
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Well, over the stream, I'm hoping to have a bridge,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30because I've got the water running away on the stream
0:06:30 > 0:06:32and you've got to be able to cross it to get to the arbour...
0:06:32 > 0:06:34- Arbour?!- ..that Tim's going...
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- Tim was going to build on the back of the workshop.- OK.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Erm...fine.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- I have big ideas...- You certainly do.- ..only a small space!
0:06:45 > 0:06:48After they've rebuilt their garage
0:06:48 > 0:06:51and a remaining budget of £1,500 to £2,000
0:06:51 > 0:06:53for the four-by-five metre plot,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57Helen and Tim's dream is to have water falling over boulders,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00leading to a pond, which will then flow from the pond to a bridge
0:07:00 > 0:07:04and in turn that will lead to an arbour.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08And, if that wasn't enough, they also want a bog garden and some decking.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Monty is stunned by the scale of the dream,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16but slowly he begins to warm to the Norwegian theme.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19You need a touch of the sinister to make it work.
0:07:19 > 0:07:25You do something that is radical and, erm,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28has a sort of Grimm's fairy-tale element to it, you know,
0:07:28 > 0:07:34and it becomes a, sort of, Gothic, rich idea rather than a twee...
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Don't want to do twee. Do not want to do twee.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42If ever there was a chance or an opportunity to use dwarf conifers,
0:07:42 > 0:07:46it's here. Now dwarf conifers, I don't know how you feel about them
0:07:46 > 0:07:50or what you know about them, but for most of my adult life
0:07:50 > 0:07:55have been about as unfashionable and untrendy as it's possible to be.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Helen and Tim need to simplify their plans dramatically.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05I would drop the arbour and the decking
0:08:05 > 0:08:08to avoid the small space becoming too cluttered.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11And the stream must either be linked to the rest of the garden
0:08:11 > 0:08:13or screened off.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17And I do think they should go all out for the dwarf conifers.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Today has been a real eye-opener.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24It's certainly made me think about the garden in a different way.
0:08:24 > 0:08:29Well, this is a truly tiny space and a whooping great idea.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31It's going to be holding on to what was our idea,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34but I think incorporating some of the really good input
0:08:34 > 0:08:35that he's given us today.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Watch this space and see what we come up with.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42Over in Bromley,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45it's Joan and David's turn to prepare for Monty's visit.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49The big tidy-up is under way to turn a dump into a blank canvas.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53So far, the extent of Joan's gardening
0:08:53 > 0:08:55has been about buying plants.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Keeping them alive has been quite another story.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02- These can go down the dump, David, they're dead.- All right.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05No, they're rubbish.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Apart from the long commute, the long hours,
0:09:08 > 0:09:13we both have a responsibility to my dad, who's 91, disabled,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16and we spend the evenings with him, really,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18making sure he's had a hot meal.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24Now Joan and David want to make time to create their dream garden...
0:09:24 > 0:09:26with Monty's expert help.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Now, tell me, what's the idea?
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Erm, well, we'd like to clear a lot of this
0:09:36 > 0:09:39and have a Japanese-style theme.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43I see, erm, three separate sections in the garden.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46One area near the house for dining,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50the middle section probably for more of a seating area, for entertaining,
0:09:50 > 0:09:55and then the third area much more, kind of, exclusive, if you like.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59- OK. That's the usage.- Yes.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01But describe to me how you think that'll look.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Well, I think I'd have, sort of, planting
0:10:04 > 0:10:08coming right the way across the garden to make the sections.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Is it going to be flowers or hedge or trees or shrubs?
0:10:12 > 0:10:14I mean, do you see it as spiky, soft?
0:10:14 > 0:10:17I kind of like bamboos and grasses
0:10:17 > 0:10:20and sort of the movement and the noise of it
0:10:20 > 0:10:23is really kind of peaceful.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Why Japanese?
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I suppose, I'm just really drawn to the tranquillity and
0:10:28 > 0:10:30all the different colours going on.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33And what will be on the ground?
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Well, we've got rather a lot of paving stones to...
0:10:36 > 0:10:38It's funny, I had noticed that!
0:10:38 > 0:10:42I couldn't help but see that most of your garden is taken up
0:10:42 > 0:10:44with piles of paving stones.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47That's true.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52Because David and Joan have been given 22 tonnes of stone paving,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54they want to use it in their Japanese tea garden
0:10:54 > 0:10:59dividing their 20-by-7 metre plot into three sections.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04The first area will be a dining space, framed by planted screens,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08and Joan would also like vertical, wooden moving screens
0:11:08 > 0:11:10for extra privacy.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13The second area has more seating, for entertaining guests,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15with an ornamental acer as a centrepiece
0:11:15 > 0:11:20and the third area is designed to be more tranquil and secluded,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23and their budget is £8,000 to £10,000.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Are we thinking of a building at all?
0:11:27 > 0:11:32- Toying with the idea. - Are you?- Hmm. He doesn't know yet.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34That's the first I've heard of this!
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Looks like the designer is keeping a few surprises up her sleeve.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42Well, now we've broached the subject, let's go on with it.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47- What sort of building?- Erm, almost like a pagoda kind of thing.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50I mean, you said you wanted a tea garden,
0:11:50 > 0:11:52would you consider a teahouse?
0:11:52 > 0:11:56- Might be nice.- It'd be in keeping, wouldn't it?- Yes, it would.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59- Erm...- We've got the shed down that end, though, so...
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Well, you've got a shed, you've got a teahouse, there you are, isn't it?
0:12:02 > 0:12:04I mean, it's...
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Moving swiftly on from the shed,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Joan addresses another common feature of a Japanese garden.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11I mean, we hadn't considered a water feature,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14but maybe that's something that we could look at.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Why haven't you considered a water feature?
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Erm, probably cos of the expense.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21- Well, it's your garden.- I know.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26I mean, what is the point in having a dream of what you'd like to do
0:12:26 > 0:12:30if you then nip that dream in the bud and squash it before it's even begun?
0:12:31 > 0:12:35I think that Joan and David should go all out on the Japanese theme
0:12:35 > 0:12:37and include a teahouse.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42It should be free flowing rather than created in symmetrical blocks,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45so they do need to rethink that aspect of the design.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50By all means, use plants to divide the space,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53but I would lose the moving screens,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56although it would be worth considering a fence
0:12:56 > 0:12:58to protect the plants from wind.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00And to complete the Japanese effect,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03it really must include a water feature.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I notice that you're not contributing to this,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09- so you're just... You're just going with it.- This is all Joan's.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13That is except for the shed, but more of that later.
0:13:13 > 0:13:20I'd like a garden that is very nice to look at and maintenance free.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24I've got news for you...
0:13:26 > 0:13:31..that garden only exists in a pie in the sky.
0:13:31 > 0:13:32THEY CHUCKLE
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Well, we are talking about dream gardens here.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37I like the idea of the Japanese garden.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42I think it'll be stylish and also Joan will get that meditative garden
0:13:42 > 0:13:43that's so important to her.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46I feel very, erm, energised by it.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Monty bought clarity to my plans,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52because there was confusion about whether to keep it really structured
0:13:52 > 0:13:54or go the more traditional Japanese route.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58But they do need to do something about those slabs.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03I mean, 22 tonnes of stone blocking the garden is crazy.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Looking forward to Monty coming back,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08to learn more about plants themselves,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11helping out with the planting will be great,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14learning from an expert, excellent!
0:14:14 > 0:14:16I don't know what'll happen with the shed at the end.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Will it be a pagoda?
0:14:18 > 0:14:19Will it be a tearoom?
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Or will David's shed just get a new roof?
0:14:29 > 0:14:30A few weeks later,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34to help Joan and David see what goes in to a Japanese garden,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Monty has sent them to Tatton Park in Cheshire.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42It's one of the most famous examples of its kind -
0:14:42 > 0:14:44a tea garden inspired by the owners' visit
0:14:44 > 0:14:48to an Anglo-Japanese exhibition in London in 1910.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51The head gardener, Simon Tetlow,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54sets our dreamers off on their journey of discovery.
0:14:54 > 0:15:00This idea that you want to take tea in a nice, quiet and restful place.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03That's essentially what this garden is.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08It's kind of looking at linking long views up in a very small space.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09What's behind that tree, you know?
0:15:09 > 0:15:13It could be the road to a mountain top,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16it could be the road to a wellhead or back to the town.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20It's kind of hiding things, it's revealment and concealment.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23This is exactly what you can do in a relatively small space.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26And some good news for David.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28It is about the very simple arrangement of plants.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31There's nothing very complicated about the planting,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33- you'll be pleased to here.- Yes!
0:15:33 > 0:15:37It's a very, very limited kind of palette of plants
0:15:37 > 0:15:39used in a Japanese garden.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41It's just kind of learning a very few simple things
0:15:41 > 0:15:45on how to shape them and position them.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48What are the kind of things that you'd like to take away with you?
0:15:48 > 0:15:49What are the kind of elements of it?
0:15:49 > 0:15:52I'd love the water, I think this is fabulous and the bridge,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54it's exquisite.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57The lanterns, everything, it's just absolutely beautiful,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00so if I could wrap it up and take it with me, that would be super.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08A tea garden, perhaps its most important thing is water.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13The idea that you were to draw pure water for the tea ceremony.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15It's that retreat to the mountains -
0:16:15 > 0:16:19you're disappearing off into the woods for meditation
0:16:19 > 0:16:21or a spiritual experience.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27The shady, dewy path through the trees.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30And in case Joan was thinking
0:16:30 > 0:16:32she could get away with a Japanese tea garden
0:16:32 > 0:16:34without that water feature...
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Being in the space that we are now,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38it's more about the sound of water
0:16:38 > 0:16:42than it is about the actual water itself and if it is the tea ceremony,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45it's that thought that somewhere behind the bushes there
0:16:45 > 0:16:48is a well with spring water coming in
0:16:48 > 0:16:51that we can make a pure cup of green tea from.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54It's that illusion that it may be there.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Ever the practical one, David brings them down to earth.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01What was maybe putting us off was
0:17:01 > 0:17:05- the actual construction and maintenance.- Yeah.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- Do you need a main water supply? - Yeah, yeah.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13I'm in the building business, but I'm not a plumber.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Fair do's.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19No, it's as much illusion as it is reality, you know what I mean?
0:17:19 > 0:17:22It doesn't have to be there as a big pool.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25It could be something that's just moving water from one place
0:17:25 > 0:17:28to another and a simple pump will do that for you.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Joan is blown away by it all.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36I feel very inspired. It's been a great trip,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40talking to Simon has put a lot of things in a bit more clarity.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Really loving the idea of the water feature.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46- Yeah, that's good. - Bit more research, I guess.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49David is realising just how much work is involved.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55You could do a roof like that, couldn't you? Or we'd buy one.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01I'm certainly going to go back home, look at our plans again.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03I've really got a flavour now of, you know,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05the winding paths and everything.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Before I was trying to be much too structured.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11I think this is much more free flowing, if you like,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13and that's the look I want to achieve now.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17With Joan's plans crystallising in her head,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20it will now be up to David to get on with some of the hard graft.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33In Dorset, Helen and Tim are starting on their big project
0:18:33 > 0:18:37to turn their small patch of lawn into their Norwegian dream garden.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41But they're having to contend
0:18:41 > 0:18:43with one of the wettest winters on record.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48The flooding was in the Somerset Levels,
0:18:48 > 0:18:50which are about 20 miles north of us.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54The water levels has made it very difficult this winter
0:18:54 > 0:18:56to do any gardening.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Helen was so determined to get going on the garden,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01she decided to rebuild the workshop in January,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04during the worst of the wet weather.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08We got terribly tired, desperately tired trying to do it.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Back and forth, back and forth.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Well, Dad mixing the concrete, I mean, they got a cement mixer,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15but they had to mix everything by hand.
0:19:15 > 0:19:16We reckon he shovelled
0:19:16 > 0:19:20something in the region of 2,000 shovels of sand and cement.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23And Tim's dad, Terry, a bricklayer, is back for more.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29It was a long punch
0:19:29 > 0:19:32and if it wasn't my boy, I wouldn't have done half that.
0:19:33 > 0:19:34Along with Terry,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Helen has pulled in the help of friends and a neighbour
0:19:37 > 0:19:39to get fences painted,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42the turf up and the stream design laid out.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45You know, watch out, head gardener's on site.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52If I just give you that, please, and just roll it out.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Tim, whose day job is being a plumber,
0:19:54 > 0:19:55gets to work with his father
0:19:55 > 0:19:58and together they find a way to get the water feature installed.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03This is a good way of plumbing, this is.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08We've got it. Roger's got it.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Ta-da.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Well, that's that bit done.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Next Monty suggested Helen should mark out
0:20:14 > 0:20:18exactly where the new stream should go using a garden hose.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Don't worry, we'll put it out roughly then.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23The head gardener knows exactly what she wants.
0:20:23 > 0:20:24I could hear Helen coming out
0:20:24 > 0:20:26and it sounds like the foreman coming on site,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28directing the labourers at work.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30So are we left a bit or right a bit, Sue?
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Getting her plans to match the space isn't so easy.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40No, I know, it's just getting the curve in at about 18 inches.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Right, well, that looks a lot smaller than I was anticipating!
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Working in this small space
0:20:46 > 0:20:49means the boulders that are part of the overall plan
0:20:49 > 0:20:51are now getting in the way.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53An ancient solution is the only way to go.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Are you sure this is how they did Stonehenge?
0:20:59 > 0:21:02I wasn't there, I'm not actually that old.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08- You've got to be quicker than that. - Now stop pushing.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10What direction are we going?
0:21:10 > 0:21:13We just need to get it out of the way at the moment.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Right, up a bit. That's it, now leave it like that.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17- That's a good idea. - And walk away majestically.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22We can drop it back on them later,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24when you want to put it in a place
0:21:24 > 0:21:27where Madame's made up her mind where it's going.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29I knew this bit was going to be the interesting bit -
0:21:29 > 0:21:32it's whether we can all stay friends.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Whoever said creating a dream garden was easy?
0:21:36 > 0:21:40I don't think they'll talk to us if we've got this wrong, so...
0:21:40 > 0:21:43The head gardener keeps her team on the job.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Finally, she has the space to go on designing
0:21:46 > 0:21:48her Norwegian-style stream.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Over in Bromley,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56pressure is mounting to get the hard landscaping done
0:21:56 > 0:21:59before Monty returns to give them a hand with the planting.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01And with wet weather delaying progress,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Joan and David need all the help they can get.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Five months on, the burning question is...
0:22:07 > 0:22:10how much of that paving do they really, really need?
0:22:12 > 0:22:17So far, it's 2 tonnes down, only 20 tonnes to go.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20We still might have a bit left over.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24I'm sure someone else might want it.
0:22:26 > 0:22:27David is smiling,
0:22:27 > 0:22:31not least because he's come up with a cunning plan to save his shed.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Why not build a new summer house or is it a teahouse?
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Joan's happy to go along with this idea.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42The boys are starting the teahouse,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45so they've been studying the plans this morning
0:22:45 > 0:22:48and I think it is a bit of the blind leading the blind,
0:22:48 > 0:22:49but we'll see how it goes.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55So I reckon the walls go straight onto here.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58The paving has made a good floor for the new structure.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Now all they have to do is figure out
0:23:00 > 0:23:04how 1,000 pieces of wood fit together.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09It is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle but, erm, I think once we get the...
0:23:09 > 0:23:13the base set up properly and then the rest of it should, erm,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15should all fall into place, really.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19Joan looks on encouragingly.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20Do you know what you're doing now?
0:23:22 > 0:23:25David just has to keep remembering
0:23:25 > 0:23:27that this is how he's having his dream shed
0:23:27 > 0:23:29and let Joan pursue her fantasies.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33We're going to have a bridge, not an arched bridge,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35but a sort of zigzag bridge
0:23:35 > 0:23:37that you quite often see in Japanese gardens.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40We're going to have a waiting area,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44which is traditional before you go to the teahouse
0:23:44 > 0:23:47and after, sort of, speaking to Monty
0:23:47 > 0:23:50and also after the visit to Tatton Park,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54we realised that we absolutely must have a water feature.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Down this side, mate.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05That's it, that all looks straight.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08I think I kind of underestimated the budget.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11I hope it doesn't go into five figures,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14but you never know, especially when I go shopping.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17To achieve the traditional Japanese look,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Joan will have a good excuse to go on a spending spree.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22There are lots of new things
0:24:22 > 0:24:25that she can legitimately add to her shopping list,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28including lanterns and other statuary.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31And there's the all-important plants,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34including acers, which produce the most stunning colours,
0:24:34 > 0:24:35especially in autumn.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Joan heads for a specialist garden nursery
0:24:41 > 0:24:44for that greatly anticipated shopping spree.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47I've come to buy a lantern, some plants
0:24:47 > 0:24:50and I want to do a small water feature.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52That's £135.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56The snow lantern, £315.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Joan picks out trees and shrubs, which she has seen in Tatton.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02She's in her element. Money no object.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Acer, £325.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10So beautiful.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12So far, so good,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14but it's what happens to the plants next
0:25:14 > 0:25:16that may not come quite so easily.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30It's spring and time for Helen and Tim to work out exactly
0:25:30 > 0:25:34what plants will give their garden the Norwegian look.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Monty has sent them off to Longstock Water Garden
0:25:37 > 0:25:38near their home in Dorset.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44It was all dug by hand in the 1940s.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47The main features are islands and bridges
0:25:47 > 0:25:49and it has lots of interesting planting
0:25:49 > 0:25:51around the edges of the water.
0:25:52 > 0:25:58It's a rich and stunning mix of flowers, trees and shrubs.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02The grounds manager, Rob Ballard, gives them some interesting tips.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Certainly from our water garden's point of view,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08we try and grow things over the edges of the ponds
0:26:08 > 0:26:10to soften the feel of them.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14They can immediately see the wonderful effect of the plants
0:26:14 > 0:26:16being reflected in the water.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20Wherever possible, we try and plant in big, bold groups,
0:26:20 > 0:26:25because you have this giant mirror and it'd be silly not to use it.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28Over there, we have the Iris pseudacorus,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31which is actually planted in a planting pocket
0:26:31 > 0:26:34on the edge of the lake and, as you can see,
0:26:34 > 0:26:38- they're quite happy there and they give really good reflections.- Yes.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Looking at the tricks used to make the most of this garden
0:26:45 > 0:26:47has given Helen new ideas.
0:26:49 > 0:26:50As we've walked around,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54we've really appreciated the power of reflections and colour,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57the colour into the water.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03Cos if you look at the acid yellow with the dark green behind.
0:27:03 > 0:27:04Yeah, it really shows itself.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Which is what will happen for us with the conifers.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14And there's nothing like some instant gardening.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19Helen and Tim head straight for the nursery to complement their design.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23- Where do we start? - Right, here are the astilbes.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Oh, look, there's a...
0:27:25 > 0:27:27- We've already got those.- Yes.- OK.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29I think that'd make quite a good clump
0:27:29 > 0:27:31and then we'll have blue and yellow.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Would you put yellow and purple together?
0:27:33 > 0:27:34No, I'd have just yellow to one side,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37and the purple, so big, big clumps of each.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41- I got one of these the other day. - Too much varieties.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43The trip has left Tim's head spinning
0:27:43 > 0:27:45but he and Helen manage quite quickly
0:27:45 > 0:27:49to run up a trolley full of plant purchases.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Meanwhile, it's time for Monty's next visit to Bromley.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55I came away from here last time with some real worries,
0:27:55 > 0:28:00because although I knew that Joan and David had lots of enthusiasm,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03a bit of money and a good eye,
0:28:03 > 0:28:05I didn't feel that they really understood
0:28:05 > 0:28:07what they wanted from a Japanese garden.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12Hello. How are you?
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Very, very nice to be back. You've clearly been busy.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Yes, very busy.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18And you've clearly been buying plants.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Yes, I've been shopping.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23With a vengeance, good for you,
0:28:23 > 0:28:25That's the way to go.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Remind me what the original plans were,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30cos it looks slightly different to as I imagined it would.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33I have a memory of three sections and sliding panels, is that right?
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Oh, yeah, I had some wild and wacky ideas at the beginning.
0:28:36 > 0:28:42I think I wanted this idea that it could be sort of multi-functional,
0:28:42 > 0:28:46really, but not practical in the slightest, so...
0:28:46 > 0:28:47No.
0:28:47 > 0:28:52Joan's first plan was to pave over the whole garden with stone
0:28:52 > 0:28:55and divide it into three sections. It was very ambitious,
0:28:55 > 0:28:57with moving wooden screens,
0:28:57 > 0:29:01but it just didn't feel like a Japanese tea garden.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06I haven't been here for, what, six months?
0:29:06 > 0:29:08So what I'd love you to do is to walk me through.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12- OK.- This was going to be a seating area, wasn't it?
0:29:12 > 0:29:14Yeah. Completely changed that.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18And it was going to be a plain path running down the side which was...
0:29:18 > 0:29:21So all this will be planted?
0:29:21 > 0:29:23- Yes.- Beautiful.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26I'm pleased to see that Joan has freed up the design
0:29:26 > 0:29:32and let it evolve asymmetrically and has been shopping for plants,
0:29:32 > 0:29:36but I think they won't get the protection they need without a fence.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41So Monty gets to work and he begins with a bamboo screen,
0:29:41 > 0:29:45that will at least give a little protection from the wind.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49It will also give Joan the privacy she is after.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54OK, we've got some Phyllostachys nigra here.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Phyllostachys is a Chinese bamboo
0:29:57 > 0:30:02that makes beautiful, tall, quite dramatic plants.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05They can spread,
0:30:05 > 0:30:07but people worry much too much about bamboo spreading.
0:30:07 > 0:30:12There are certain types that are very invasive - sasas, pleioblastus.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Getting it out the pot can be fun and games.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19You see, look, it's completely splitting up.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22- It was the roots, yeah. - We're going to have to cut that out.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Joan admitted to Monty that she bought these online.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28This was definitely not one of her best buys.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32See look at that thing - it's really woody.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34You should always be able to take the plant out of the pot and
0:30:34 > 0:30:37inspect the roots and if you can't,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40- or they won't let you, don't buy. - Don't buy it.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44Those roots are never going to grow out in a good fashion,
0:30:44 > 0:30:50and what we can do, and it wouldn't hurt to, is just take that off.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52You see, look that's where it wants to be,
0:30:52 > 0:30:53it wants to be out like that.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57And we're going to plant it a little bit deeper,
0:30:57 > 0:31:02which will lose you some height, but roots will grow from the culms.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06So you're going to strengthen it and also stop it rocking so much.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10The happy shopper may have made a mistake,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13but she fares better with her next, more extravagant purchase.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17she's bought not one, but nine Japanese maples or acers.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21If you haven't worked out exactly where you want things to plant,
0:31:21 > 0:31:25a good idea is to get all your plants and start placing them.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28Right at the stepping stone - do you mean over here?
0:31:28 > 0:31:30- Erm...- Here?
0:31:30 > 0:31:33- No, the other side of the path. Towards... Yeah.- Here?
0:31:33 > 0:31:36- Round about...to your to your right. - Here?
0:31:37 > 0:31:41- No, that's not going to work, is it? - I was going to say, are you sure?
0:31:41 > 0:31:45I was thinking a bit closer in but it's not going to work there anyway.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48All that shopping - that was easy next to this.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50My instinct would be to put it there.
0:31:52 > 0:31:53That's what I thought.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59- You can't see the big rock then. - Well, you can from here.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08Erm, no, I prefer that...
0:32:08 > 0:32:12Right, go on, David, you take some grief now. I've suffered.
0:32:12 > 0:32:13Right.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17This has to be decision time for Joan - they haven't got all day!
0:32:18 > 0:32:22- Can you swivel it round, please? The other way.- Other way round.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24That's it, so it faces the...
0:32:24 > 0:32:27That's lovely, look at that.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Not many people plant what,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32one, two, three, four, five, six,
0:32:32 > 0:32:38seven, eight, nine Acer palmatums in one go.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43Most people, it would be the biggest event in their gardening year,
0:32:43 > 0:32:46just to do one, Joan!
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Next, a vital lesson for Joan about something
0:32:49 > 0:32:52she hasn't managed to do so far -
0:32:52 > 0:32:54how to keep these expensive plants alive.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58You need to keep them watered, so if it gets too dry,
0:32:58 > 0:33:01the crucial thing is try and keep them out of wind.
0:33:01 > 0:33:06A harsh warm wind, a harsh cold wind will do them no good at all.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08But other than that, they're easy plants to grow -
0:33:08 > 0:33:09if they're happy, they're happy.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11- Wind is the enemy.- Yeah.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18There's yet one more extravagant Japanesey purchase that Monty
0:33:18 > 0:33:19helps them with.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25I see you've bought yourself an example of cloud pruning.
0:33:25 > 0:33:31- Yes.- This is again typical Japanese, where everything is controlled,
0:33:31 > 0:33:32but nature is revered.
0:33:32 > 0:33:37So you have this funny relationship between man absolutely controlling
0:33:37 > 0:33:41literally every last leaf, but trying to make it look natural.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44So the very idea of cloud pruning, you know, how do you prune to the
0:33:44 > 0:33:46clouds, the clouds shift?
0:33:46 > 0:33:50- So there's no set shape and it's called "Niwaki".- Niwaki.
0:33:50 > 0:33:56The time to prune this is sort of middle of May to beginning
0:33:56 > 0:34:00of June, so it's growing strongly, lots of new growth,
0:34:00 > 0:34:01and then you cut into that and shape it,
0:34:01 > 0:34:04- and then again probably in September. - OK.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09- Oh, nice.- How's that?- Perfect!
0:34:11 > 0:34:14You have a very, very Japanesey feel evolving.
0:34:15 > 0:34:16Getting there.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19When I come back I want it all finished.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23And I want to sit in your nice garden and I'll have a cup of green tea
0:34:23 > 0:34:27and maybe something a little bit more celebratory.
0:34:27 > 0:34:28Sake and sushi maybe.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30Sake and sushi! I'll tell what - I'll hold you to that!
0:34:30 > 0:34:34That is an absolute promise. I love it.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37It's nice to be proved wrong sometimes because last time
0:34:37 > 0:34:41I was here, I suspected this would be a bit of a mishmash.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44I think the lessons of Tatton Park have come home -
0:34:44 > 0:34:45they know what they want to do,
0:34:45 > 0:34:48but they're expressing it in their own way.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51- Still quite a bit to go. - Yep.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53Yeah, a fair amount really.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58The only thing, perhaps, I would worry about is that Joan has bought
0:34:58 > 0:35:02a mass of plants without really thinking where they're going to go.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05I'm not going to rush anything. I think we'll take our time.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Getting the planting right will make or break this garden.
0:35:12 > 0:35:18In Dorset, spring is well under way and so is Helen's dream garden.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20She's been working flat-out to get the landscaping done
0:35:20 > 0:35:24ahead of Monty's visit in just a few days' time.
0:35:24 > 0:35:30She has dug the entire pond, bog and stream by hand and by herself.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33I don't know how many tonnes of soil I've moved,
0:35:33 > 0:35:35but it's been very hard work. And then laying stuff over it
0:35:35 > 0:35:38and not really being able to see the pattern, and then the rocks have
0:35:38 > 0:35:41gone in and you can see the form a bit better.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43Helen is nothing if not a perfectionist,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46but she is desperate to be ready for Monty.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48When the plants go in, it's going to be a huge difference.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50I'm really looking forward to it.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58This garden is one that intrigues me
0:35:58 > 0:36:01because I really don't know what to expect.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05I left last time pretty uncertain that they knew what they were
0:36:05 > 0:36:09trying to achieve and I certainly wasn't absolutely sure, but there
0:36:09 > 0:36:12seemed to be a germ of something genuinely interesting in there.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15The hard work has clearly taken its toll on Helen.
0:36:15 > 0:36:20If he's not impressed with that, I shall sit down and bawl my eyes out.
0:36:22 > 0:36:23Tim, do you want to lead on?
0:36:23 > 0:36:26We'll take you round and you can see what we've been up to.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31I don't know if you'll be insulted or pleased
0:36:31 > 0:36:35but I genuinely had not expected this.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39- Really?- No. And I'm very impressed, very impressed.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Now, so where are we now? I mean, obviously you've rebuilt that...
0:36:42 > 0:36:45- Yes. - ..you've bought all this stone in.
0:36:45 > 0:36:50I hadn't really taken on board the extent to which the water was
0:36:50 > 0:36:53- going to work through here, which is fantastic.- Good.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55And you have built that wall up there,
0:36:55 > 0:36:57- which I was worried about the division...- Yes.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00- ..with the rest of the garden. - We took that on board.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02We mulled over everything you said to us,
0:37:02 > 0:37:07and basically trying to do mountainside stream on a flat plot.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11It looks as though Helen has gone quite a long way to creating
0:37:11 > 0:37:13a natural mountainous landscape.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16And now the important thing is to make sure that the planting
0:37:16 > 0:37:20fits in with this and maintains that naturalistic look.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22Top of Monty's plant list for this new project
0:37:22 > 0:37:24were those dwarf conifers,
0:37:24 > 0:37:26and Helen certainly pushed the boat out.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30- You've got a lot of dwarf conifers. - I have.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33- That one.- Good.- That one.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35And another.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38- And another, right. - You've got larger arms than I have.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Let's get going along here for a bit.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46Next, Monty uses the large selection of plants to begin to
0:37:46 > 0:37:48populate the space.
0:37:48 > 0:37:53- If you want to create a landscape rather than a rock garden...- Yes.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56..then you've got to think how do landscapes work -
0:37:56 > 0:37:59where are the tallest trees? Tallest trees will be lower down.
0:37:59 > 0:38:00Yes.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06The whole point about doing this - we can move them round endlessly.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09But Helen decides to put a very tall plant in amongst the carefully
0:38:09 > 0:38:13- choreographed small ones.- Just sneak it in whilst he's not looking.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17Well, that's interesting.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20This one might be too big.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24- What's he said too big? What's too big?- That.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27Babies. It was going to go in that corner.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30- Well, I think that would be better. - Good.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39- I think it's beginning to fall into shape.- It is, it is.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Next, a top planting tip for Helen.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45They need to be planted surprisingly deeply these.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48You've got to remember that they are trees
0:38:48 > 0:38:51and they will behave like trees, so they don't want to get waterlogged.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55- No.- You see that looks better - much better instantly.
0:38:55 > 0:38:56I can see what you mean -
0:38:56 > 0:38:59the density of planting really helps to give that feel of...
0:38:59 > 0:39:02Well, it gives you the feel of your Norwegian fjord
0:39:02 > 0:39:06and forest, as opposed to a rock garden.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08Now, advice on the bog garden.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11The thing to understand about bog -
0:39:11 > 0:39:14- bog is simply ground that never dries up.- Yes.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17- There's no more or less to it than that.- Right.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Helen has created a careful lining which would be watertight,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23but Monty introduces some offcuts, which he scores.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26- That's going to make a huge difference.- Right.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28That's going to transform it as a bog.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31Now already the water is going to go under there
0:39:31 > 0:39:34and drain away, but most of it's going to be held.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38And so what you see is you've got these fundamentally holding the water
0:39:38 > 0:39:40but not nearly good enough for a pond.
0:39:40 > 0:39:41- If it was a pond it would leak. - Yes, yeah.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43But because it's going to be full of soil,
0:39:43 > 0:39:47the soil will act like a sponge - we want wet soil, not a puddle.
0:39:47 > 0:39:48Yes. OK.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52So we just make some holes, like that and like that
0:39:52 > 0:39:53and like that and like that...
0:39:59 > 0:40:0120 wheelbarrows of topsoil later,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04some compost and Monty is ready for the fun part.
0:40:06 > 0:40:11So, plants. A perfect bog plant - hostas.
0:40:11 > 0:40:16- I have some.- Well-prepared as ever, Helen has not one, but five
0:40:16 > 0:40:19different varieties of hostas, ready to go.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21There's a rule with hostas -
0:40:21 > 0:40:24the sunnier they are, the more moisture they need.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27So the shadier they are, the less moisture they need.
0:40:27 > 0:40:32But they thrive in sort of half shade, half sun moisture.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34Right.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37And lots of other plants bought at Longstock too.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40Let's get the geums, let's get the primulas, let's get 'em in.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42I wonder how many more she's brought.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48Right, how are you feeling about this?
0:40:48 > 0:40:49Looking pretty good.
0:40:49 > 0:40:50Obviously we've got your hostas,
0:40:50 > 0:40:55- which are essentially foliage plants, but have flowers.- Yes.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57And quite dramatic, beautiful flowers at that.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00They're herbaceous perennials so they will totally disappear
0:41:00 > 0:41:05- until March.- Yes.- Your primulas are going to come and then go.- Yes.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08Even Tim is getting into the swing of the planting now.
0:41:11 > 0:41:12Every time you water it,
0:41:12 > 0:41:18what should happen is that you'll reach saturation point.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23And of course the reason you mulch, even though it's a bog garden,
0:41:23 > 0:41:25it's always the same three reasons -
0:41:25 > 0:41:29it is one, to suppress weeds, because you're blocking them of light,
0:41:29 > 0:41:33two, to stop evaporation, which keeps water in,
0:41:33 > 0:41:35and three, if it's organic material,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38it will work in and both feed the soil,
0:41:38 > 0:41:43depending on what you use and really importantly, improve soil structure.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47That should be the garden finished.
0:41:47 > 0:41:48From a hole to this.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52Monty leaves our dream gardeners satisfied.
0:41:53 > 0:41:59Now, I've got a confession to make - of all the gardens that I've
0:41:59 > 0:42:04been visiting, this is the one that I had least expectations of.
0:42:04 > 0:42:09I really couldn't see how they could make anything
0:42:09 > 0:42:10out of their proposals.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13We've looked at their landscaping for so long,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16and been planning and working on it for so long,
0:42:16 > 0:42:18or that's how it seems, to actually have some...
0:42:18 > 0:42:21- Life into it.- And some plants in it, yes, it was amazing.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26I think what they've done has shown real vision, bags of energy -
0:42:26 > 0:42:30Helen after all has dug that all out herself, by hand.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34They've got on with it, they've expanded on their original ideas,
0:42:34 > 0:42:36and yet they've been true to what they've wanted.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39The thing I've learnt today from Monty is he's given me
0:42:39 > 0:42:43more confidence in planting, in playing around with ideas,
0:42:43 > 0:42:46looking at plants in relation to one another, so probably make me
0:42:46 > 0:42:50bolder into trying other things for the rest of the garden.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53It looks good already, but in five weeks' time when I come back
0:42:53 > 0:42:58to see the final thing, I expect to see it looking spectacular.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03After that exhilarating day with Monty, Helen felt she was on track
0:43:03 > 0:43:06and all that time she'd battled with
0:43:06 > 0:43:09the elements to prepare her dream garden had been worth it.
0:43:11 > 0:43:16Two weeks later, however, and everything has gone pear-shaped.
0:43:16 > 0:43:21The rain is back and progress is really slow.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23It's like, uh, January all over again.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28There are times like this and you think, "This was such a silly idea."
0:43:31 > 0:43:35It hasn't actually filled my wellies yet, so that's quite good.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40He's going to brain me. Just a minute. Yes, he nearly got me.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44So this is only a light shower but we had heavy rain overnight,
0:43:44 > 0:43:47I could hear it, and it just makes it so difficult to work.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50It's not just the elements conspiring against her.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Tim's working solidly for the next six weeks,
0:43:53 > 0:43:56so today is our last day - we've got to do all the construction
0:43:56 > 0:43:59today because it's the last day I've got him here to help me.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02You all right, because that's a slippy board?
0:44:02 > 0:44:05The first job is to disguise their reservoir pump by creating
0:44:05 > 0:44:07a log pile.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11It's precarious work, not helped by all the mud from the constant rain.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13Ooh! It's going to pull me in!
0:44:13 > 0:44:16Next, Helen wants to copy the waterside planting at Longstock,
0:44:16 > 0:44:20so there's nothing for it, but a dip in her new stream.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24Cold! That's cold, that's cold.
0:44:24 > 0:44:25That is cold.
0:44:26 > 0:44:27It's very heavy now.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30There's a whole area still to go
0:44:30 > 0:44:33and muddy patches of earth where plants should be.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37We're just going to move the plants, Tim, and then I think
0:44:37 > 0:44:41we can get the patio up.
0:44:41 > 0:44:43Finally, Helen and Tim are now back on track,
0:44:43 > 0:44:47and Helen even has a confession to make about the bog garden.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49When Monty was here, I forgot to give him
0:44:49 > 0:44:52the grasses that I planned for the bog garden.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55So we've put a lot more, erm, bog-loving grasses in there,
0:44:55 > 0:44:59so it looks more like a woodland glade now with some flowers.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02I have to admit I pulled everything out and started again
0:45:02 > 0:45:05and I don't know what Monty's going to say about that.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22Summer is finally here, and in Bromley, Joan is adding her
0:45:22 > 0:45:26own extra flourishes to the new garden.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30They're like little bird feeders. So these can hang up.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39- Oh, dear.- Do you like them? Look!
0:45:40 > 0:45:42Yeah, lovely!
0:45:42 > 0:45:45Yeah, it does seem a bit of a long road.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48Some points, I didn't think we were ever going to make it.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50They're still nervous about one thing.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52Time to show Monty, yeah.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56I think the critical thing for Joan and David is whether they've
0:45:56 > 0:46:00managed to pull together all the disparate elements of this garden.
0:46:00 > 0:46:01Whether Joan has managed to resist
0:46:01 > 0:46:04plonking in plants just because she's bought them,
0:46:04 > 0:46:10and whether David has transformed the summer house into a teahouse,
0:46:10 > 0:46:12and the whole thing comes together in
0:46:12 > 0:46:16the Japanese dream that they originally conceived.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19Last autumn, Joan and David's
0:46:19 > 0:46:22outdoor space barely resembled a garden.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26With overgrown grass, covered in rotten apples, paving stones
0:46:26 > 0:46:30piled high and no fence, it looked like a forgotten building site.
0:46:32 > 0:46:37It's been many months of hard work - time for Monty to give his verdict.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41Well, well, well. Wow!
0:46:43 > 0:46:44What a change.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47That's a transformation, that's a real transformation.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56There is a spacious patio with seating and dining table,
0:46:56 > 0:46:59this leads out into the Japanese tea garden.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04The unsightly paving stones have been elegantly refashioned
0:47:04 > 0:47:09into a zigzag path and the Japanese theme has been extended everywhere.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15The lily of the valley bush complements the many
0:47:15 > 0:47:17varieties of acers on display.
0:47:22 > 0:47:27Lush green hostas are surrounded by pebbles, lanterns and rocks.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32The water feature and waiting area complete the
0:47:32 > 0:47:36traditional Japanese tea garden, en-route to Joan's teahouse.
0:47:39 > 0:47:43This is a big area now, isn't it? I don't remember this being so big.
0:47:43 > 0:47:48And then you're looking out on a very complete theme.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51Having spent around £15,000,
0:47:51 > 0:47:53that's nearly double the budget,
0:47:53 > 0:47:57Monty has to ask the all-important question.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00- Are you happy? Are you pleased? - So glad, very happy.- Very happy.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04- Yeah.- When was the moment when you knew it was going to come good?
0:48:04 > 0:48:06About ten o'clock last night.
0:48:08 > 0:48:09So it's been a last-minute thing?
0:48:09 > 0:48:10Yeah.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14The trellis looks great.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18And the fact that on both sides balances up, it makes the space
0:48:18 > 0:48:23what I think every garden has to be - it feels private and personal.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29And I like the way that you look through the planting and you want to
0:48:29 > 0:48:32see what's round the corner, you can't see everything.
0:48:32 > 0:48:33That's really nice.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37- I can hear water. - Yes, our little water feature.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39- Ah, you've rigged up your water feature.- Yes, yeah.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41It's great!
0:48:41 > 0:48:44- And I love the ferns around the back.- The ferns are beautiful.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46- They work well. - It's fresh, isn't it?
0:48:46 > 0:48:48- Yeah.- And the water just makes it feel fresher.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50Really, really nice.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54Monty can't resist giving Joan and David a last bit of friendly advice.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59Plants mainly need the water at their roots,
0:48:59 > 0:49:02which then goes off to the leaves.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05A little bit of moisture around leaves is not a bad idea,
0:49:05 > 0:49:09but it's a very inefficient way cos at this time of the year,
0:49:09 > 0:49:12most of the water that goes on the foliage will evaporate.
0:49:12 > 0:49:13Oh, I see, yeah.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17Far better to direct the water absolutely at the roots,
0:49:17 > 0:49:20and water enough so that you see the water puddling around it.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23- Right. - And do that once a week is plenty.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28Zigzag twisting path. Is this representing a dry river?
0:49:28 > 0:49:29The dry river running through here, yes,
0:49:29 > 0:49:31and down the side of the teahouse.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Joan has even indulged her love of shopping inside the teahouse.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44It's very nice. It's got a good feel in it, and you can look
0:49:44 > 0:49:46back on the garden.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50And I bet you look back with pride, do you?
0:49:50 > 0:49:53Yeah, I've got a smile on my face when I look at it.
0:49:53 > 0:49:55Yeah, I'm really pleased.
0:49:55 > 0:50:01David, I know that you went along with this to please Joan.
0:50:01 > 0:50:06Yes, but I'm really pleased with the outcome.
0:50:06 > 0:50:10Joan could see a vision.
0:50:10 > 0:50:17I couldn't see a finish and now I'm really pleased.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21But there was one more question Monty has been dying to ask.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23Did you did you ever get your shed done?
0:50:23 > 0:50:27It's, er, still a work in progress, but it's started.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30Let's go and have a look. Let's have a look.
0:50:33 > 0:50:34My little sign.
0:50:34 > 0:50:35OK.
0:50:38 > 0:50:39Oh, yeah that's...
0:50:39 > 0:50:41Oh, look at that! Look at that!
0:50:41 > 0:50:43It's getting there.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45I'll tell you what, what else could you need?
0:50:45 > 0:50:50So you've got your armchair, you've got your telly - brilliant.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55And as promised, a Japanese-style celebration.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57Well, well done! To happy gardening!
0:50:57 > 0:51:00Cheers. Thank you for your help. Thank you.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06I think this garden is a really good example how collaboration can
0:51:06 > 0:51:09produce something that is greater than the sum of its parts,
0:51:09 > 0:51:13cos neither David nor Joan would or could have done this garden
0:51:13 > 0:51:14without the other's help.
0:51:14 > 0:51:19David, who trusted Joan's vision and faithfully executed it,
0:51:19 > 0:51:23and Joan who trusted David to do the difficult things, to make it happen.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26Everybody's worked really, really hard on it,
0:51:26 > 0:51:30but, erm, you know, I think you've done a fabulous job.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32Joan's never had a garden before.
0:51:33 > 0:51:39She wanted her dream garden and now I can see why...
0:51:40 > 0:51:42..because I think it looks beautiful.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48And best of all, they have each got their quiet retreat.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52David will be in his annexe.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56I've got to get a lock on the indoor, on the inside.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59But I can lock you in there too, think about that.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03So for now at least the doors stay open.
0:52:08 > 0:52:12In Dorset, Helen and Tim now face the daunting prospect of
0:52:12 > 0:52:15showing Monty their ambitious garden.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17Will it live up to the dream they presented to him?
0:52:18 > 0:52:21It's a bit intimidating having someone visit your garden
0:52:21 > 0:52:24that really knows what they're talking about.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26I think I know what I'm talking about,
0:52:26 > 0:52:29but I probably don't half the time.
0:52:29 > 0:52:30So it's...
0:52:30 > 0:52:32I think it's why I'm
0:52:32 > 0:52:35a little bit anxious about him seeing the garden, as to whether
0:52:35 > 0:52:39I've I have got it right or whether I've done something really stupid.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44On my last visit here, I was really impressed by the energy
0:52:44 > 0:52:49and effort that Tim and Helen have put into making their garden.
0:52:49 > 0:52:54But for all the hard work, energy and effort don't finish a garden.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58It's what it looks like, regardless of how much work you've put in,
0:52:58 > 0:52:59that really matters.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03Last autumn, Helen and Tim's garden was an unloved patch of grass
0:53:03 > 0:53:07with a border, running up to an old garage and workshop.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11It was neither used, nor appreciated and every day they would look
0:53:11 > 0:53:15out at this dull space from their living room windows.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17- Hello.- Hello.- How are you? Nice to see you.
0:53:17 > 0:53:22- And you and you.- Nice to meet you. - Well, it's finished.- It is finished.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25It is finished and utterly transformed.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35Using plenty of dwarf conifers to give the effect of a forest
0:53:35 > 0:53:37sitting against a rocky bank,
0:53:37 > 0:53:41they have created the Norwegian mountain landscape in miniature.
0:53:44 > 0:53:45Large boulders form a waterfall
0:53:45 > 0:53:48leading into a beautifully clear pond.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54Iris and marsh marigolds softens the edges.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03The flowering hostas mingle with grasses,
0:54:03 > 0:54:05and there is already a water lily.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12A picturesque and natural-looking stream gently flows to the bridge.
0:54:17 > 0:54:22The bog garden is full to bursting with hostas, geums and astilbes
0:54:22 > 0:54:25and the whole scene has been enhanced with small,
0:54:25 > 0:54:28but bright flashes of colour in the gravel bed.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34I'm sort of digesting the changes
0:54:34 > 0:54:38because it's got a really established feel to it.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40I did not see this coming...
0:54:40 > 0:54:41Did you not? Oh, right.
0:54:41 > 0:54:42..when I first came here.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45I wasn't quite sure how the
0:54:45 > 0:54:48idea of Norwegian garden was going to translate.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51It's probably a bit misleading to call it a Norwegian garden
0:54:51 > 0:54:55because people assume it's going to look like the gardens of Norway,
0:54:55 > 0:54:57but what we've tried to reproduce here is what
0:54:57 > 0:55:00we saw in the countryside that we so enjoyed.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04Monty's professional eye soon spots something's changed.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06I can see you've actually
0:55:06 > 0:55:08done some re-planting and re-jigging, haven't you?
0:55:08 > 0:55:12I have. The bog garden, I have to say - rearranged.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15- Right.- Um... - And why was that?
0:55:16 > 0:55:20It was lovely as it was, but we actually want it to look more like
0:55:20 > 0:55:22a woodland glade.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24So I'm afraid we took everything out
0:55:24 > 0:55:27- and I added in some more grasses. - Right.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30So you've got your boggy woodland glade.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32I have my boggy woodland glade, yes.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34So that was a total rethink,
0:55:34 > 0:55:36but Helen can point to advice she has followed.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39One of the things when you first talked about a design,
0:55:39 > 0:55:43which I was worried about, was delineating the edge,
0:55:43 > 0:55:46so you're glad that you built a wall?
0:55:46 > 0:55:47You said we needed to have a boundary
0:55:47 > 0:55:49and it would make the space seem bigger.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52It has, of course, given us the added advantage we've been able to
0:55:52 > 0:55:55get some height because we can build up against it.
0:55:56 > 0:56:00So it's become a very useful boundary.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03Helen ditched the arbour, as Monty suggested,
0:56:03 > 0:56:08but she did build a stone seat to give another view of her garden.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11It's looking great now and you've got plenty of flowers coming
0:56:11 > 0:56:14through from the water lily - I'm very impressed you've got
0:56:14 > 0:56:16that flowering straightaway,
0:56:16 > 0:56:19and the yellow loosestrife,
0:56:19 > 0:56:23and those pretty, pretty foxgloves in the background.
0:56:23 > 0:56:27But this is essentially a green garden with touches of colour, isn't it?
0:56:27 > 0:56:31Yes. I didn't want vast patches of colour.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33It is supposed to be a woodland glade.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36But there is great scope for bulbs -
0:56:36 > 0:56:39you could have quite delicate bulbs coming through here.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41Helen and Tim have already spent nearly £3,000,
0:56:41 > 0:56:44almost double their estimate. Still, Monty is impressed.
0:56:44 > 0:56:48You've dramatically changed your garden.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52You've created something that is meaningful to the two of you.
0:56:52 > 0:56:56Yes, well, we have we have a long-term Norwegian holiday here.
0:56:56 > 0:56:57Yeah.
0:56:59 > 0:57:03And after all the months of hard work, it's now time to relax
0:57:03 > 0:57:06and celebrate, Norwegian style, of course!
0:57:12 > 0:57:14That is an extraordinary,
0:57:14 > 0:57:18magnificent cake - or is it a cake or biscuit?
0:57:18 > 0:57:21Well, it's the traditional Norwegian wedding cake.
0:57:21 > 0:57:23I think it's pronounced "kransekake".
0:57:26 > 0:57:27Well, cheers!
0:57:28 > 0:57:31Here's to a very, very successful garden.
0:57:31 > 0:57:32Thank you very much, Monty.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41Well, they've come through triumphantly.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44They've made a garden that works really well for them
0:57:44 > 0:57:48and is superbly finished and completed.
0:57:48 > 0:57:49He was pleased, so I'm pleased.
0:57:49 > 0:57:54It is just amazing, you know, suddenly this whole new vista
0:57:54 > 0:57:57is out there instead of that boring lawn and the back
0:57:57 > 0:58:00of a very grotty old garage.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04It is amazing to wake up and see that each morning.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07I think of all the gardens I've seen, this one exemplifies
0:58:07 > 0:58:11the fact that it doesn't matter how small your back garden might be,
0:58:11 > 0:58:14and how big the dream you might have,
0:58:14 > 0:58:18if you've got the energy and the determination,
0:58:18 > 0:58:20you can make it come true.