Episode 2 Big Dreams Small Spaces

Do you dream of having your own special outdoor space?

A small garden that you can admire, enjoy and call your own?

And then you stop and think, "I have no idea how to make it."

Well, you're not alone.

Over the past year, Monty Don has travelled up

and down the country visiting amateur gardeners

and working with them to make their dreams come true.

He's cast a critical eye over their plans...

Don't be too horrified, OK, Monty?

Everything's possible.

-I know it seems unusual.

-It's just profoundly unusual!

..and given advice.

-Just pinch that off.

-But they took so long to grow!

He's got stuck in...

-Monty Don in my garden!

-Oh, my goodness!

..and everybody has worked incredibly hard.

Look at the size of that!

The results are truly exciting.

-It's really nice!

-CORK POPS

CHEERING

I do believe that everybody, however small their garden,

can cultivate a big dream.

This time, Monty is meeting amateur gardeners with very different

approaches to creating their dream gardens.

From plans to design a historically inspired London back yard...

The Victorians really loved plants, they loved nature -

would love to get some of that into our garden.

Well, it IS small.

Exotic plant collection, what's that?

It would be good to know whether we're being totally crazy or not.

..to a chaotic cottage garden in Hereford.

I want to look out of the front door and for it to

look like a united garden

rather than just bits everywhere.

What you're looking at is one of the grandest, most expensive,

extravagant structures in the history of gardening.

And that's what you want.

Will our gardeners be able to achieve their dreams?

It's got to be perfect.

Oh, so no pressure.

Frankie needs to be kept in check, otherwise...

Who knows what will be in the garden?

Oh, no!

I think I might get the mother of all telling-offs, and...

Yeah, I'm absolutely petrified!

Our first garden belongs to Frankie, a fundraising manager

and keen sailor from Hereford.

She bought a house eight years ago,

and has been trying to create a dream garden ever since,

often under the watchful eye of her mum, Pat, a retired hairdresser.

Frankie's garden means a lot to her.

Even more so after her older sister, Jane,

was killed in a tragic accident five years ago.

I think having the garden got me through the time after the accident,

because you can just go out there, weed, and when you're in the garden,

when you're doing the actual act of gardening, you just forget.

My saviour, in a way, and that's why it would be fantastic to have it

looking gorgeous, you know, to put something back

and thank the garden, as well, for looking after me.

And at first glance, it doesn't look in bad shape for the time of year.

It is an English cottage garden,

and I want to keep an English cottage garden.

I want to look out, come out of the front door and for it to look like

a united garden, a cohesive whole, rather than just bits everywhere.

-You want it to be quite magical.

-I do, yeah.

Our second garden is in Clapham.

It belongs to Jack, who works in new media,

and his partner, Chris, a computer programmer.

They recently bought their flat, and are keen to get cracking

on transforming their tidy but bland back garden.

The vision for our garden is to make it a plant lover's dream.

Always loved plants, I've loved collecting different things

throughout my life, and I think this is our first opportunity, our first garden.

Collectaholic Jack wants to draw on the past to create

a garden that will showcase his love of plants.

This was inspired by a holiday spent visiting Victorian

gardens around the UK, such as Cragside and Biddulph Grange.

The Victorians really loved plants, they loved nature, to the point

where they loved collecting it and showing it off, it was really fashionable for them.

I feel a little bit like that,

and I'd love to try and get some of that into our garden.

But Chris has his own ideas.

The garden will bring about new opportunities for me

to get lots of new gadgets,

so we want to have things like rain gauges, which will be

connected to the internet, and weather stations

and pH monitors,

so we'll be able to bring the garden into the modern time.

It would be good to know whether we're being totally crazy or not!

It's March, and in Hereford,

a very excited Frankie is preparing to meet her idol, Monty.

I'm absolutely terrified that Monty Don is going to be walking

round my garden any minute now, and all the things I've

planted from the Monty Don gardening book, he's going to be looking at!

I bet he'll notice things that you didn't prune last autumn!

SHE CHUCKLES

Rebus is looking all alert.

-Oh, my God, Monty Don!

-Oh!

-Hello.

-I'm Frankie.

-Hello, Frankie.

-This is my mum, Pat.

-Hi.

-Very nice to meet you.

-And you.

This...

..is your garden.

So why do you want to change it?

It's not...

It's not complete and it's not whole.

What I want to do is link.

Keep the nice bits, but take my grotty bits, which is...

That's a long-awaited pond, have a pond...

-So you want a pond in there?

-Yes.

With a sort of slight Roman ruin twist.

-Right...

-Which I hope you can help me with.

Rome in an English cottage garden setting.

Then leading through into an orchard area up there.

Lovely fruit trees with daffodils and irises underplanting them,

and just have a lovely meadow area,

and to try and make the whole thing...

link up.

-Possibly past a mud head...

-No, no!

-..but that's slightly controversial.

What is a mud head?

Like they've got the giant's head in the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

If it's in terrible taste...

There are... It sounds appalling taste!

There... There are...

THEY LAUGH

Not very keen on... But then, it's your garden.

Well, I thought it's like... It's an English cottagey garden...

What's prompted you to do these changes - why now?

Well, it's...

It's a sad story, really, erm... cos my sister,

she was killed about five years ago in a train crash.

The garden's been kind of my saviour. It's got me through.

And then last month, out of the blue, I got a cheque,

a compensation cheque for £4,000,

so I just think that that cheque from my sister is like a gift to me

from my sister to do something that I love, that makes me feel good.

-So that's your budget.

-Yeah.

It's a nice idea, that, isn't it?

-I think Jane... I think Jane would love it.

-Yeah.

Then there's no question, you have to do it,

because it's the right, joyful, positive thing to do.

What I would advise above all else

is preparation, preparation, preparation.

-Coupled with a nice cup of tea.

-Yes!

-In we go, come on, Rebus, you can put the kettle on.

-DOG BARKS

It's time for Monty to see

whether Frankie's unusual ideas make any more sense on paper.

But when Monty sees Frankie's plans, he spots a big problem.

What's apparent is that it's random.

Things are left out, things are put in, and it's floating.

It's not accurate, and nothing is connected to anything else.

Frankie wants to use a derelict space to create a Roman-style

wildlife pond, complete with wooden ruins,

an orchard with a wild flower meadow underneath...

Next to this, an enormous mud head completes her dream plans.

Each item - pond, head, orchard -

is seen as totally separate.

-They have to be connected.

-Yeah.

And...

the obvious and simplest way to do it is with a path.

-You need to work out where your paths are going to be...

-Yeah.

..and they are as important as the beds.

Also, your face, your head...

Tell me what you mean by a mud head.

This is a photo that Mother took

of the giant's head in the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

You see this head literally coming out of the ground,

with amazing planting on the top.

Not easy.

-No.

-Really not easy,

I mean, just the undercutting of the nose

and how it's held, and...

I can't believe that's mud.

No, if it was simple, everybody would have one!

I promise you, they wouldn't!

Why not make a topiary head?

-Oh, I'd love a topiary head.

-Well, that can be done.

Monty thinks that the mud head should be scrapped,

and replaced with topiary.

Frankie should add paths that will connect up

different parts of the garden.

He suggests covering the back wall in trellis

and growing plants on it, and he wants her to rethink her dream pond.

Now...

Blimey, is what I say.

Here we have Hadrian's Villa,

which I have been to a number of times.

What...

What you're looking at is one of the grandest, most expensive,

extravagant structures in the history of gardening,

and that's what you want.

THEY LAUGH

If you're going to dream, dream big.

I don't quite want the Roman...

I want the FEELING of Hadrian's Villa in the garden.

Forget your Hadrian's villa and your pillars and the rest of it -

-that can come later.

-Yeah.

Monty wants Frankie to focus on the shape and size of her pond

and he's determined to help her make these decisions

while he's around to supervise.

Luckily, some of Frankie's friends have also come along to lend a hand.

-Hello!

-Hi!

-Hello, I'm Monty.

-Catherine.

-Catherine.

-Nick.

-Nick, nice to meet you.

-Chris.

-Chris, and you are...?

-Mandy.

-Right. We've got three things to get done this afternoon.

The chicken fence needs to be completely removed

and then all the scrubby undergrowth cut back, raked up,

made into a heap for a bonfire,

-and we've got to dig a pond. No pressure(!)

-OK!

-This afternoon? Right, no problem.

-Good!

Can I suggest you four start on the chicken surrounds,

then we can tackle the undergrowth,

while Frankie and I mark out the pond.

And I'll make the coffees and teas, if anybody wants one.

Good. And beautifully said.

While Pat puts the kettle on, the volunteers get to work.

You have to be a very good friend to do this for someone.

-They're a good, a good team.

-Yeah.

So keep our fingers crossed they'll all still come!

It seems the volunteers might have their own reasons for helping.

We're neighbours, so we've got to look at it every day

and Frankie needs to be kept in check,

otherwise who knows what will be in the garden?

Maybe Monty thinks so too, as he helps Frankie mark out her pond.

So if I stand marking some sticks out and you just say

-if you're happy...

-Yeah.

He explains that marking out the pond before digging will

give an idea of the size and shape and avoid expensive mistakes.

Is it the sort of size you want and the sort of shape?

Yes, the size is perfect and the shape is lovely.

It's just as well, because Monty isn't planning on wasting any time.

We've hired a mini digger. It's waiting round the corner.

Time to get into action.

ENGINE STARTS

-It's Monty Don in my garden with a digger!

-Oh, my goodness! Watch out!

Monty in a digger, that's all a girl needs!

I mean, it's exciting seeing Monty Don come down your garden path,

but seeing Monty Don in a mini digger coming down your garden path

is just like...

You want to go and have a lie down and palpitations, basically!

With the pond dug out and the plan agreed,

Monty leaves Frankie with some homework.

I will come back in a few weeks' time to help with the planting,

by which time I would expect that top area to be cleared,

raked, prepared, and then we can think about planting.

Frankie's plan is fascinating

but totally ignores paths and entrances and steps and exits,

the practical bits and pieces that if you don't get right

don't hold the garden together.

I now see that if I'd started on my own,

it would have been horrendous.

He's nailed it and we're going on the right track,

so I feel confident that I can get on with it.

Monty is in Clapham

and he's on his way to meet Jack and Chris for the very first time.

Just keep it chilled because I know you're a big fan!

-OK?

-I'll be calm.

DOORBELL RINGS

Ah, there is someone there. Hello.

-I'm Monty. Nice to meet you.

-I'm Jack, nice to meet you.

-Chris, nice to meet you, Monty.

-Pleased to be here. Thanks.

-Here we go.

-The garden's down this way.

But what will Monty make of their tiny 30-metre-square garden?

-Well, it is small.

-Yeah!

-It is small.

-But it's a nice space, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It feels good.

It is very nice. We do love it. It's a great space

but it doesn't have that wow factor.

Jack hopes that his plans will add that wow factor.

We're going to put in a living wall down the side, full of ferns.

That's our modern take on a Victoria fernery,

which is something we're really excited about,

and then just otherwise it's lots and lots of colour.

-So you're the gardener? And then what about you?

-I'm the labourer.

I like the sort of technical aspect of it,

so we've got lots of gadgets around the garden that I was able to get.

I mean, for someone of my generation

it's an interesting angle to come at it.

What in particular are you thinking of planting?

You talk about wow plants, big impact - what have you got in mind?

Definitely dahlias, so they need to feature heavily,

so I think particularly, some of the really giant...

-Why do they need to feature heavily?

-Uh... I love them.

-Right!

Because they're so large and loud and colourful and bright.

What's your budget?

-£2,000 for everything.

-OK.

So that includes all of them, all plants and all the pots.

Aside from the budget,

there's something else that could really scupper their plans.

We're going to be having some work done.

We're going to be moving the bathroom and having some nice

double doors at the back and another door out into the garden.

So you're going to be reshaping your house at the same time as

-you're making the garden.

-We are.

Has it not crossed your mind that the builders will have mess

and rubble and that it will spill out into the garden?

It has, but we'll have to manage that.

Let's hope those aren't famous last words.

Jack and Chris want to make the most of their small space

by cramming it with plants

in both the existing beds and dozens of pots.

At the back, they want to create a living wall packed with ferns.

And in the centre, they want an area to entertain guests.

As soon as Monty sees Jack's plans,

he notices something unusual for an amateur gardener.

Along the side here you've got

"dahlia and exotic plant collection in large plots."

Exotic plant collection? What's that?

I am a bit of a collector, so once I start collecting things,

I want more of them, and to get the full set

but I think also it adds variety and interest to people.

And when it comes to his collections,

Jack refuses to settle for anything but the best.

-It's got to be perfect, so once you start...

-Oh, well, so no pressure.

-So you've got to go for it and it's got to be perfect.

-Yes.

Big challenge?

THEY LAUGH

First time for everything!

So the big dream is to have the perfect garden,

the perfect collection.

One of the standard design tricks

or rules, even - in small gardens,

it works very well to have fewer things but bigger things.

A few really big things give you more room and it ups the scale.

Lots of little things make it seem cluttered and crowded.

Monty understands Jack's vision

but thinks that he needs to control his collecting habits.

He suggests scaling back on the number of plants in the garden,

which will open up the space.

I think there's a few things that jump out

-where I'd love to have your help. Dahlias is one of them.

-Yeah.

I would love advice on that because I love them,

never grown them before, but also

I think, for us, it's the living wall of ferns, making that work.

We'll need to do our research and see what's best, you know,

for the space we've got.

I have to say, the combination of gardening and hi-tech

is not one that I've ever really come across.

It's much better having someone here than reading it

in a book or online, I think you get a lot more

and he's got so much experience,

so we'll try and draw out as much as we can.

This could be the beginning of something very special.

I genuinely can't wait to see the end result.

It's April, and Monty is back

in Hereford to see what Frankie has been up to.

Hello.

-Hello!

-Hello.

She's trying to create her dream cottage garden

and Monty has suggested that she needs to focus on the basics

like building paths and sorting out the ugly back wall.

As ever, Frankie's trusty team are hard at work.

-I like the green paint.

-It makes a difference, doesn't it?

It does, it gets rid of that horrible grey.

Are you going to put the trellis along or not?

Yes, there's a place up the road that does lovely cleft chestnut.

So tell me about these trees you've got, looking very new.

I've got an apple, a pear and a quince.

Wonderful, now where do you want them to go?

-Along the back ridge, I think.

-Can you show me?

-Yeah.

Put sticks where you think they ought to go.

Frankie seems to like being instinctive with her planting ideas.

I'd like the quince at the front

-because I like the quince blossom the best.

-Right.

I'm not sure if the pear should go there

because it's near to the other pear, and that might help it pollinate.

-The proximity for pollination is utterly irrelevant.

-OK.

-As long as it's within the same garden, it's fine.

-Oh, good.

The other thing to bear in mind is that apples need best drainage...

-Right.

-Pears need good drainage and can cope with a little bit less sun.

Quince prefer it to be slightly moist,

so I would always plant my quince

at the bottom of the slope, not the top.

So if we put that there, like that,

it means that the quince, which we want as low as possible,

and could take a bit of shade,

again as a bush, doesn't want to come much lower than that,

-could come back a bit like that.

-Yeah.

Say there.

See, I would plant another one here.

-Now, how's that looking?

-That looks really orchard-like.

-Good.

So let's get planting.

Monty explains that when planting a tree

always dig a bigger hole than you think you need.

Stake trees into the prevailing wind.

Water well and apply mulch to the top,

rather than in the planting hole.

Keep well watered for the first year and remove stakes after three years.

OK, watered, mulched, we just need to tie them. Have you got any ties?

-I've got some string.

-String...

is better than nothing, but not very good, because string either

holds it tight or else it chafes against the string.

-You want the tree to move in the wind.

-Yeah.

And the more strength it has, the more wind resistant it is.

-The stronger it is, yeah.

-I would buy some rubber ties.

-Right.

-Not too big. And use them.

-Specialist ties?

-Yes, you buy tree ties.

-Right, tree ties.

Trees planted and staked,

the next item on the to-do list is Frankie's meadow.

Monty recommends that when planting a meadow,

it's important to get rid of all the weeds first.

For poor soil, choose seed mixes with perennials,

like bluebells, and for rich soil a mix of annuals, like poppies.

The things to remember about sowing seed is don't be tempted to

sow thickly. You'll get no better results by sowing thicker.

These are individual plants

and if you crowd them they'll just be thin and weedy.

So that's the number one rule.

And two, when you've got them in the ground, tread all over them,

push them down against the ground or roll them. You want to get contact.

-Right.

-In other words, don't rake it, tread it.

-OK.

-Flatten it.

And the third thing, and this is absolutely critical,

don't let it dry out.

-It just looks fantastic, doesn't it, Mum?

-It looks like an orchard!

It does!

I hope I've managed to introduce the idea of a little rhythm

and spacial harmony without losing Frankie's lovely free spirit.

It's starting to feel like it's coming together a bit more.

It's been like a smashed egg omelette for weeks

-and it's been hard work. It's fantastic having Monty back.

-Yeah!

Can we have him every week?

So if she can get that bank sown, the pond filled up

and some decent planting, there's a garden there waiting to come alive.

But no sooner is Monty's back turned than Frankie is ignoring

all his advice about her mud head.

My garden is looking so lovely now,

but it's just missing that...

thing that makes it different from everybody else

and I just think it needs a mud head.

I still think it needs a mud head.

Oh, no!

-Monty will be surprised!

-Yeah, he will.

-Good surprised or bad surprised?

-PAT LAUGHS

Frankie is mixing up some cob - a mixture of straw

and subsoil to cover her head.

-What are you going to call the mud head?

-Monty!

SHE LAUGHS

He'll be immortalised in mud. What greater honour can we give him?

LAUGHTER CONTINUES

Look at that! It sticks!

I feel like a master sculptor.

And along with some help from her volunteers,

the mud head is brought to life.

I think this is something I'd remember.

If I saw a mud head in someone's garden I'd remember that.

Yes, Frankie!

But what will your hero Monty feel

when he realises you ignored his advice?

Back in Clapham, Monty's visit has spurred Jack and Chris on

and they're keen to get on with building their fern wall.

To turn their dreams into reality, they had to get some help

from Mum and Dad.

I think he'd rather we all backed off

and he could just get on with it.

No, he's really good. He knows what he's doing.

Green walls like this are being used increasingly to bring

vegetation to urban settings, often with architectural touches.

These larger designs need special racks and watering systems.

Jack and Chris have bought fence posts, which they plan to

combine with planks of wood to make shelves to house

their collection of potted ferns.

It isn't long before it all starts going a bit wrong.

There. It stops.

-There's something there.

-It's a stone.

Perhaps it's the concrete of an old fence, John.

There's a lot of rubble and flint and stones down there.

You could put the post in on its own without this.

Let's try and get the stone out.

Ever the perfectionist, Jack isn't going to give up.

That's going to reach Australia in a minute.

And after a lot of digging, it finally pays off.

Yay!

CHEERING

Problem solved, Dad gets back to work.

And before long, he has the last panels in place.

Perfect fit.

Look at that!

Dad's done a brilliant job

of actually turning our idea into a reality.

I'm really pleased it's happened.

I don't know, maybe this was the easy part. I don't know.

I don't know how many of these we're going to need.

To help Jack and Chris work out at the next steps for their fern wall

and get some tips for their plant collections,

Monty has sent them to the Chelsea Physic Garden.

Head gardener Nick Bailey is on hand to take them round.

-Hey!

-Hi, guys, welcome to the garden.

-Nice to meet you.

The garden is home to a huge collection of rare plants

from around the world.

Many of these species were brought to Britain by plant collectors,

who used a simple yet effective device to transport their finds.

There's about 5,000 species sitting here today,

and of course many of them would arrive in these wardian cases.

Nick explains that the wardian case was created by Nathaniel Ward

in 1829, to allow plants to survive long journeys.

And Jack has a bit of a connection to its inventor.

The guy that invented it lived two minutes away

-from our house in Clapham.

-OK!

I was wondering, did he ever work here or...?

He didn't work at the Physic Garden,

but he was an associate of the Physic Garden, he was an adviser.

Knowing Jack is a big fan of plant collections, Nick shows him

one of the garden's best examples.

I've never seen such a variety of pelargoniums before.

Some I've never seen before.

I mean, this, I suppose,

is the lovely thing about a collection, that it really

shows you the diversity and just how different these plants can be.

There's one that virtually looks like a cacti over there.

These are some of the scented leaf forms.

This is one called Attar Of Roses.

Have a crush and a smell.

It often get used in perfumery

and it's got that sort of rose water scent to it, so it smells like...

-Turkish Delight.

-Yeah, Turkish Delight, yeah.

Next, a collection which should have some good plants to inspire

Jack and Chris.

This is one of our British native ferns.

It's called Asplenium scolopendrium.

It's a broadleaf fern, so it doesn't have

any of those divisions that you often see on ferns.

And is probably one of the easiest ones to grow,

so it could work really well in your wall.

Are there any major pests of ferns that we should be aware of?

There's a few things to think about. Western flower thrip

is a real issue, and unfortunately there's very

little available on the market to deal with it.

But the answer is really good growing in the first place.

The other problem you often get is with slugs and snails.

Of course there's numerous organic methods you can use to control that.

You can get some organic sprays which make leaves taste

really horrible.

You can also use daggings,

which is trimmings from a sheep's rear end. Um...

And put that around your plant and they won't crawl across that.

But probably the easiest thing to do is just an evening hunt with your...

Particularly on a rainy evening, go outside with your torch.

You'll find they'll all be out looking for something to eat.

-I'd rather do that than handle dagging.

-Yeah!

It's been really exciting.

We've taken in so much information. Nick's been fantastic showing us around.

It's been nice to see that we are on the right track.

It's given us a lot more excitement about getting to the end

and having this, you know, really cool garden.

Back in Hereford, Frankie still seems to be ignoring Monty's

to-do list.

She's cooking up an unusual treat for her mud head.

So, you got lots of moss, lots of yoghurt...

And there is a moss milkshake.

LOUD WHIZZING

-Whoo!

-LAUGHTER

It looks absolutely disgusting!

Look at that!

-Do you want to try some?

-No!

Here we go. Pour that in there.

Lovely!

-This is going to be painted on the front of the mud head.

-Yes.

And the idea is,

all those little bits of moss will stick to the mud head

and spread so that the whole face of the mud head will be

covered in moss and be green.

So it won't look muddy, it'll look green and gorgeous.

Moss milkshake made,

all that's left to do is to paint it on and hope it sticks.

It's beautiful! Look at that!

Frankie, put some on its eyebrows -

on both the eyebrows - and make them a bit bushy.

-A bit Denis Healey.

-Yes!

Do you know? I bet, in America,

women would probably pay to have this done.

SHE LAUGHS

This is... sedge grass called frosted curls

and I've got seven plants, I think.

I'm going to put three in the head, to make the hair,

and I've put some holes...

I've chiselled some holes in, so I don't know.

I've not tried this before.

So, the idea is we'll have some on the top,

some in the side. And they grow to 30cm, so, eventually,

this should grow and cover the whole mud head.

So, if I put that down there, to make more of a fringe,

if I plant them slightly sideways...

..to come down. They've got good roots on them.

-Hey, look...

-It's brilliant.

It's brought it to life...

With the moss all over its face and the hair.

You're liking the mud head now, aren't you?

Well, I'm accepting it, I just have to.

You like the mud head.

No, it isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

I'm slightly coming round to it and I like its hair.

That's because you're a hairdresser. I think it's wonderful.

So, that's Pat converted, but what will Monty think?

It's May and Monty is back in Clapham

to see how Jack and Chris are getting along.

I'm very interested to see how much Jack and Chris

have developed from the original discussions we've had

because it seemed to me then that the key to this garden,

for them at least,

was to indulge

and engage in this slightly geeky passion for collecting

and to really focus on just a few plants that excited them.

Jack and Chris are creating a plant lover's paradise,

packed with dahlias.

They're also making a living wall full of ferns.

But their lack of experience is beginning to show

and they need some basic advice from Britain's favourite gardener,

particularly when it comes to potting on their ferns.

We need to pot up the ferns because some of them

are coming bare root, others are coming in small pots

and they need to be put into bigger size.

We want Monty's help with it because we've never done that.

There's a lot of conflicting stuff about the kind of soil that's

needed for different kinds of ferns

and I think we need a bit of clarity on how different it needs to be.

My feeling is you do more damage obsessing about details with compost

than just buying a good bark-based peat-free compost.

If you want a little bit more drainage,

add some vermiculite, horticultural grit or perlite.

If you want to hold moisture a bit more,

you can buy either a soil improver or make your own garden compost

and add 20% of that to it.

Honestly, I'd keep it as simple as that.

Right, one little tip I can show you if,

if you have a lovely fern like this,

which is fantastic, and you want to put it into a bigger pot,

put some compost in the bottom like that...

Stick that on top.

Just gently pour soil - don't push or pack around it...

All the way around.

Carefully lift that out...

So these are whole.

Pull that out. Pop it in. THEY LAUGH

Water it in gently.

It will subside a little bit.

The roots will find their own way out.

If you want to top it up a little bit later, you can do that.

And that's potted on.

And that...you've got the right proportion all round it.

You've got exactly the same space all around,

it's got room for it to grow into, and that's fine.

Ferns potted on, it's time for them to take their place on the living wall.

OK, space them out how you want them.

Now what strikes me...

is you've got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,

you've got eight ferns there,

so you've going to need at least eight per section.

One, two, three, four, five.

You've got ten sections, so you need 80 ferns.

Go shopping. THEY LAUGH

Take out thy credit card, walk to the fern shop

and buy another 40.

A fern shopping spree? Music to Jack's ears.

But first, some advice about his other obsession.

Let's look at dahlias

because I know dahlias have sort of eaten into you, haven't they?

-Yes.

-They've got you.

-Yes, they have.

But you haven't got much experience of growing them.

-Never grown them.

-Right.

This is a very nice example of a healthy dahlia plant.

What I like about it is...

That you've pinched out the top.

Was that on purpose or accident?

It was on purpose, but I didn't know what I was doing

so I stopped on that one.

Can I just tell you that, instinctively,

you did exactly the right thing?

Can you see that you've got nice side-shoots

growing from where you pinched it out?

Lovely strong side-shoots from below, more side-shoots down there.

These side-shoots are going to have the flowers.

So, in principle, at this time of year,

cutting it back, pinching it out,

will produce more flowers that will last longer and later.

There are around 20,000 types of dahlias,

and they come in all shapes and sizes,

and give colour well into the autumn.

But as Monty explains, when the frosts start,

either cover them or dig them up and store them until spring.

It's early summer

and Frankie and Pat are about to get a masterclass in what

goes into giving a garden structure and form.

They've travelled to Bryan's Ground,

a stunning Arts And Crafts-style garden,

to meet one of the owners, Simon Dorrell.

-Hi.

-Hello.

-I'm Frankie.

-Hello, Frankie. I'm Simon.

-Hello, Simon. Nice to meet you.

-And this my mother Pat.

-Hello, Pat.

-Hello.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you as well.

-Welcome to Bryan's Ground.

-Your irises are just beautiful.

-They're looking splendid, aren't they?

-It's stunning. Really lovely.

-Let me show you the rest of the garden.

-Looking forward to it.

Set over eight acres, the gardens at Bryan's Ground

have been created from scratch

by the present owners over the last 22 years.

They meticulously planned every inch of the space

and did all of the planting and landscaping themselves.

Principally, I thought that the garden should have a very close

relationship to the house,

so a lot of the vistas that are the backbones of the garden

emanate from doors and windows in the house.

So I took canes and string and I laid out vistas across the garden,

which today form the backbone of the design.

I planted many more hedges and avenues of trees,

and I've used a lot of topiary as well cos they're wonderful

at articulating that space.

They have wonderful form and structure.

The thing with my garden.... And Monty said it,

it just looks like a load of borders plonked in with no structure.

I feel that you need to just impose a bit of order

and then you're much freer with your planting.

You can do absolutely anything you want to do.

It's getting the big things...

I think it's getting the bones right very early on

and then everything else falls into place.

In the past, I've always been a bit worried about topiary because

my garden's not...it's a normal size, but it's not huge.

I always thought I'd have to come to a big garden to see topiary, but...

But obviously I'm gardening on a very large scale here.

We're in a part of the garden...

Just this part is 5.5 acres, so obviously very different for you.

But I think, even in a small garden,

it lends a wonderful sense of scale and progress.

Simon shows Pat and Frankie lots of examples of topiary.

They are made from box and yew and he shows them

how successful shapes can be created by growing over frames.

The real secret to success lies in how to clip the bushes.

They're gorgeous.

Yes, this is yew topiary and, here, I clipped it into a pyramidal form.

These I cut twice a year.

You can get away with cutting them once a year, about September.

What do you use to cut them with, Simon?

Well, I used hand shears.

I know a lot of people use electric shears,

but I like to use hand shears.

I think it is a much closer cut and you can refine it as you go along.

I would think that this is quite difficult to do,

this kind of cutting,

-because it isn't a straight line down...

-No.

-..like that.

It takes a degree of concentration,

-but you do get your eye in quite quickly.

-Do you?

And if you lay the shears on the plane and cut across,

you can get this flat face.

I'll show you what I mean.

-I see. You cut across, but not...

-Yes.

-..down.

So I'm going across, like that, all the time.

Not taking very much off.

So, I think you should have a go and see how you get on.

-I'll hold your stick.

-Make sure you're side on to the plane.

Absolutely brilliant.

Looks like our retired hairdresser Pat is a natural.

You can come and cut all my topiary for me.

SHE LAUGHS You've got the job.

For Frankie, the visit to Bryan's Ground has been a revelation.

Coming here, you can see that you can put the structure,

the topiary, the fencing, the lines in,

and still have this gorgeous, gorgeous planting.

And it's just fantastic.

This is just the sort of garden I want to take my shoes off

and run around in the morning, which is what I wanted from day one.

It's July.

In Clapham, Jack and Chris are struggling

trying to renovate their house

and create their dream garden all at the same time.

But even building chaos can't stop Jack's plant collecting.

-There we are, look.

-Add that to the pile.

-Brilliant.

I promise, these are some of the last few to arrive!

I don't think we can... I don't think we can take any more.

I think the main challenge is, when the first works started,

there was loads of dust and it was a bit of a panic at that point.

The building work has turned Jack into an overprotective parent.

He's been OK. I think seeing him almost dusting down the leaves,

I think the neighbours will probably think he's a bit crazy.

But, you know, it's a labour of love.

And Chris has been busy, too.

So...this gizmo is one of Chris' additions to the garden.

It's a rain gauge. Chris is really obsessed with gadgets.

He loves tracking every part of his life - his heartbeat to how much

rain and pressure there is every day - to keep a record.

I think he's actually got more into gardening because of it.

Back in Hereford,

Frankie has been hard at work building her paths.

But still feeling inspired by her visit to Bryan's Ground

and her topiary lesson,

she wants to trim her yew trees into a pillar shape.

Luckily for Frankie, Pat's decided to oversee her efforts.

Go on, I'll be your supervisor.

Like... Like in the salon, when you're teaching someone...

But it's a lot harder than Simon made it look.

Ooh, my goodness, that doesn't look very good.

The gaps look worse.

But I think...

I think that gap will fill.

Pat's hairdressing know-how comes in handy.

Actually, we could tie it back.

That's a bit of a genius thought, Mother.

Get a bit of string and fake it.

It needs a bit more work.

-Is it better than you expected?

-Yes, it is.

Whilst Frankie may be pleased with her yew-cutting efforts,

the wild flower meadow has gone badly wrong.

Frankie's friend Mandy has arrived

to give some much-needed moral support.

What do you do?

-It's a bit of a disaster.

-Dig it up and start again?

Well, this is supposed to be a meadow

but it's just absolutely full of weeds.

Perhaps, in her enthusiasm to get started,

Frankie didn't allow enough time to kill off the weeds.

Summer is racing past

and Jack and Chris have a deadline to face.

Monty's coming in just over a week

and we need to bulk up our collection of ferns.

We are short, aren't we? We've only got two-thirds of the wall full.

I have to admit, I am extremely stressed.

I think we've got a bit of Monty mania going on.

It's time to act on Monty's advice and go shopping.

Here we go.

Oh, my word! That is a lot of ferns.

Right, we've got to get going.

We've got some ferns to buy.

We need 15 or 20...

-Yep.

-..that are not on this list. That are...

If we double up, it doesn't matter too much. OK.

Yeah, this one's perfect. Got one of those already.

-Got one of those.

-I've never been panic fern shopping before.

This is a first. You think this one is better than that one?

I think the other one cos it's got less...

No, the other one that you had.

-Jack, this is a fern and a banana.

-HE LAUGHS

We have to get this - a few bananas.

-Brilliant.

-I've gone bananas.

He's very particular, as you can see.

We had to get exactly the right one.

It looks as though Chris is getting almost as carried away as Jack.

If you get too many, is that a problem?

It's worse not to have enough.

-And give them to friends.

-Yeah.

Spread the fern love.

Ferns bought, it's time for Chris to reflect

on their unusual shopping trip.

Most people have to put up with their partner's going out

buying clothes and shoes -

I have to worry about Jack going out and buying flowers,

-plants and ferns.

-HE LAUGHS

-Thanks, Chris.

-The terrible truth.

But back at the flat,

it's clear that the building work is nowhere near finished.

Perhaps they should have listened to Monty after all.

I think we were quite confident but really, looking back, very naive...

to think that the two projects wouldn't interact

with each other at all and clearly that's...

In retrospect, that's a bit silly.

It's made both things hard for everyone.

It's made working on the garden harder and it's made working on

the house harder for the builders.

I'm panicking if we can actually get it all done in time, honestly.

It's going to be a really interesting few days

before the party.

I think we're going to have to really pull out all the stops.

Over the next week and a half, Jack and Chris move heaven and a

lot of earth to get their garden finished in time for the party.

And before they know it, the big day has arrived

and Monty is due in just a few hours.

We haven't got time to pick it all out, so we're just going to

sweep it under the outdoor equivalent of the carpet, which is under a fern.

They're quite useful for that.

Really excited about the party, but extremely nervous as well.

Everything still needs loads of prep doing.

Don't know what to do with them!

While Jack is fussing with his flowers,

Chris is showing off his gadgets.

One of the things you can do is talk through the camera.

So Jack can talk to his plants when he's out.

I have been known to talk to the cat, but not the plants.

Into the garden now.

As ever, no detail is overlooked by Jack.

Not even a speck of dust.

Essential party preparations, labelling the plants.

Never mind the food - make sure every plant's got a label.

414 plants accounted for.

Gymnocarpium dryopteris.

-That is one of the ferns in the fern wall, yeah?

-Yeah.

-It's important to have the family.

-Yes.

-That's one.

-One. OK. 149 to go.

A week ago it had scaffolding, dust everywhere,

a big hole for the drains and things.

-These weren't here, these big doors.

-Yeah. Some late nights.

Some late-night gardening.

So excited for Monty to be coming round to look at the fern wall and dahlias.

Hopefully we have done him proud in terms of what he advised.

Yeah. I'm looking forward to him seeing the transformation.

And I hope he thinks we stuck to plan

and we did everything we said we were going to do.

Six months ago, this was a bland and uninspiring back garden

with more concrete than plants.

Well!

It's certainly grown, hasn't it? Haven't they grown!

Now Jack and Chris have brought this space to life.

Their fern wall is thriving.

And there are a variety of dahlias,

adding height, shape and lots of colour.

They even have their very own Wardian case.

The two things it seemed to me you were focusing on, dahlias and ferns,

have...one taken over from the other or are you still...?

Is it double loyalties?

I love the ferns, but I think the dahlias just

how surprising they are and how they change so rapidly.

I think you've been surprised how hardy everything has been, given what's gone on.

Monty wants to know if Chris's geeky gardening gadgets have come in handy.

Where did the technology come in?

Things like the rain gauge, when access was limited and it was

difficult to water, it was really useful having that data to say,

actually, there's been enough rain today, you don't need to water.

I think that would interest a lot of gardeners, actually.

Jack's obsessive cataloguing hasn't gone unnoticed either.

I have never seen labels in a private amateur's garden

that are so professional looking. Where's all that come from?

A bit of madness, but also at the Chelsea Physic Garden

they had them, and what I love about that is anyone can go there

and see a plant they like and can get the exact one.

It's... Without being patronising, it's sort of sweet,

but it's also a bit bonkers, you've got to admit.

It is a bit bonkers, and it is a bit over the top. I've enjoyed it.

Time to hear the verdict from some of their friends.

It's brilliant. It's really inspiring. So much going on.

I didn't realise how much you can do with a garden.

It's amazing, what they made of it.

The amount of green, and this space, it really brings the space...

Makes it larger, not smaller.

I think the garden looks amazing.

The last time I saw it, it was literally just pavements and fence and walls.

It is definitely a seal of approval

seeing someone like Monty Don in their garden.

And the man who gave them advice on their visit to the Chelsea Physic Garden

has come to inspect their work too.

These guys have done a great job.

And so much diversity, so many different species in here.

I think the challenge is going to come in that some of them

want to be growing at the base of a waterfall, really damp and covered

in water, others want to be growing in rock outcrops and really dry.

So that's really going to test their horticultural abilities to keep all that going.

I think, though, with their technologies, they should be able to manage it.

Jack and Chris have one more thing to celebrate - Chris's birthday.

You should be feeling a combination of pride and relief, I guess.

Having to battle through builders to reach this point,

and not just well done both of you, but I think happy birthday.

-Thank you!

-Happy birthday.

I'm proud of the garden,

because I think it still works as a garden as a whole even though

there is lots of different plants and a collection, it still gels together.

Yeah, it's calm and it's a nice space.

I think it will work well as a garden.

We've actually come in under budget because we grew

a lot of stuff by seed or from plugs,

so we budgeted at 2,000, it came in about 1,800. Overall.

That said, we are going to have to sacrifice a few things, aren't we?

Yeah, I think we'll have to hold off furnishing the flat a little bit, I think,

so we might be sitting out in the garden longer than we anticipated.

That's fine.

I think Jack and Chris's garden shows one really important fact,

that when you set out to make a garden,

you must find the thing that spurs you on.

It doesn't matter what it is.

But you need to find that one passion that makes you want

to get out in the garden in all weathers and in all circumstances.

For Jack it is a lot of dahlias and ferns,

and a little bit of technology from Chris.

But whatever it is, if you find that kernel, then you're hooked.

It's the day before Monty's final visit to Frankie,

and the garden is a hive of activity.

It's going to pour with rain from three o'clock onwards. Yep.

Might start at two. Starting now. So we've got one hour.

-I haven't finished my tea yet.

-No time for tea!

There's bits of path that need cutting.

We're just sort of filling gaps, plugging things,

and it just feels like there is not enough time.

I could do with another week and a team of people.

So it's all hands - and even paws - on deck to make sure it gets done on time.

Come on, then, come on. Help me dig. That's it. Good boy!

Can you dig a big hole for this big plant?

I'm absolutely bricking it at the thought of Monty Don

walking down my drive and seeing my mud head.

I think I might get the mother of all telling offs.

Yeah. I'm absolutely petrified.

We've put the work in, but it would be just nice for him to say,

you know, "I like it."

Back in March, Frankie's garden lacked shape, colour and design.

-Look at this! It's looking wonderful.

-You like it?

-I love it!

Six months on, it's totally transformed.

Grass paths connect the garden's key elements.

A wildlife pond surrounded by plants is alive with nature.

Beds planted with cottage garden flowers bring the colour Frankie wanted.

The orchard is thriving, and the ugly back wall has been covered in cleft chestnut.

And in pride of place, Frankie's mud head watches over everything,

adding a real sense of fun and individuality.

I can see talking to you originally it was a bit like maths homework.

There was a lot of nodding and you didn't quite get it.

No, I didn't get it at all.

I had to sleep on it, and the next morning after you'd gone,

the first thing I did was get up with sticks and strings

and mark out paths, because suddenly the penny dropped.

What happened to the sort of Greco-Roman villa that was going to be there?

Hadrian's Villa, from oak, yes, that was the idea.

Was that... jettisoned?

Woke up bolt upright at three o'clock in the morning and thought, "What am I thinking?"

No, it was when you said that Hadrian had 4,000 slaves to build it and I didn't.

And mud head, he got in here!

She had to have mud head.

But he is subtle, he's horticultural.

He's not subtle!

Well, he's sort of...

-He's outrageous.

-The hair's good, though.

The hair is genius. The hair is a triumph.

And if it makes you happy, then it's wonderful.

Yeah, I come out of the door every morning and see that, and I laugh.

I really do. I love it.

-And you don't think it lowers the tone at all?

-I hope it does!

Yes, good.

So that's more or less a thumbs up from Monty for the mud head.

Next, an inspection of Frankie's skills at clipping a yew

into the beginnings of topiary.

Ah, yes, I remember this. You have cut it back a bit.

We have cut it back quite a lot.

-That is actually a real mistake.

-Oh, is it?

-Yes.

Never tie any plant, any living plant, with wire.

-That will cut into the bark.

-Yeah.

Always tie things up with softer material than the thing you are tying.

-Right.

-It's a really good rule of thumb.

Finally, Monty wants to see how the orchard he helped plant is coming along.

So the orchard is now established.

-Trees... I see you have completed the planting.

-Yes.

The wild flower meadow,

I gather it wasn't as big a success as it might have been?

No, it was a disaster.

It was full of weeds, it swamped everything else,

so we just strimmed it. And I think it looks better

from down below when you look up to the garden.

-Does it feel like an orchardy sort of space?

-Definitely. It really does.

And it's going to have bulbs planted to come up in the spring,

and I've got fruit already.

-Things have gone well.

-They have gone well.

As Pat and Frankie's friends start arriving, it's time to toast

the garden and all of the hard work and people that made it possible.

When I first came here, I realised within a minute or two

that this was a madhouse, and that the garden had some lovely things in it, and some lovely bits,

but it was chaotic, it was all over the shop.

But, and it is a big but,

the transformation has just been wonderful.

I have seen a lot of gardens in my time,

and this has given me as much pleasure today as almost any.

It's a joy. I know exactly what it takes to do all this.

Masses of laughter, perhaps some tears, and it shows.

Gardens are not about plants, gardens are about people.

I would just like to thank everybody for coming today.

I don't want to get weepy, although it's coming.

The garden has come about because of Jane, my sister,

and you all know and love Jane, who died five years ago.

And this has been her last gift.

And we've had such a blast, haven't we?

Absolutely.

-To Jane, for still making things happen.

-Still making us feel better.

Thank you, Jane. ALL: Jane!

Very good. Let's drink.

LAUGHTER

To Frankie and Pat's relief, their hero, Monty,

has given the garden his seal of approval.

But what does Frankie's team of helpers think?

It's just been a really, really positive experience,

and I think it's been a positive experience for everybody.

-Yeah.

-You and me. We're good friends now.

-We're mates know!

-We're mates!

-How do you think it's gone, mother?

-Absolutely wonderful.

The whole day. It's been... Even the weather.

But it has been lovely, and the party has been just great.

-I know, it's been great.

-Seeing all Jane's friends.

We've really enjoyed doing this. I'm quite sad in a way it's over.

This is my dream garden. It's the dream come true.

I come out every morning and I just think,

I can't quite believe it is mine.

And it's all thanks to Jane that this came about.

-And yeah, I love it. Really love it.

-It's magical.

-Yeah.

I've really enjoyed everything about this garden.

I'm very pleased that I've played a tiny part in its evolution.

And one of the things that is very strong

and has been through it from the beginning is Jane's presence,

and what this garden has meant to the family.

And the best thing that she's brought to it, that gardens bring to everything,

is a real sense of joy, of life, and of hope for the future.