Episode 4 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...

..and everybody has worked incredibly hard.

Look at the size of that!

The results are truly exciting.

It's really nice.

ALL: Yay!

I do believe that everybody, however small their garden,

can cultivate a big dream.

This time, Monty will be meeting two sets of garden enthusiasts

with some off-the-wall ideas...

I think we wanted it to be interesting.

"Interesting" is a really dangerous word when you've plans for a garden design.

I hope it's not rocket science, because otherwise, I'm in trouble.

..to help them demolish the old...

-So now you are one!

-I thought it was going to be half-full.

..in order to meet every difficulty head on...

Before you make any big decisions at all, I would clear this out.

At the moment, it's challenging in a bad way.

It's proving really, really difficult.

..as they attempt to realise their horticultural dreams.

I think Monty is a very calming influence. SHE LAUGHS

ALL: Cheers!

Here in Oxford, the historic seat of learning,

lives university lecturer Anne Lee and teacher, Fliss van Steenburgen.

Anne has lived here for 20 years. Two years ago, Fliss moved in next door

and they became good friends.

They recently came up with a rather unusual idea.

To merge the drab space in front of both houses to create one stunning garden.

Combining two big dreams just may be easier said than done.

It's hard to remember who came up with the idea originally,

of sharing our front garden, but it's something we've talked about

for quite a long time and it's quite exciting to be embarking on it.

Me, I adore plants.

And I'm afraid I'm a "see one, like one, want one"

kind of a woman in terms of plants.

I tend to do a lot more planning and put stuff on paper first,

so that I spend less time moving things around.

It'll be interesting to see how we work together.

Because we're friends and neighbours, I think it's more scary than

if we were, I don't know, partners or something else.

You can't kiss and make up as easily, if you see what I mean!

Our second big dreamer, Sally Donovan,

is a former army officer who lives with her two daughters,

Georgina and Caitlin, in Pewsey, Wiltshire.

Despite having an established garden,

Sally has an abandoned space on the side of her house that she

wants to transform into a haven for her children.

Well, it's not a garden.

I think that's the first point I have to make.

It's an uneven, disintegrating,

tarmac car park with a wood store on it.

That's what we've got to deal with!

Two years ago, one of the girls was diagnosed with a rare condition that

makes it difficult for her to enjoy the great outdoors.

So the main motivation for sorting out this piece of garden

is my oldest daughter Georgina has chronic fatigue syndrome.

She only goes into school for two hours a day.

So Georgina's at home an awful lot of the time

and I really want somewhere beautiful,

where Georgina can be comfortable and happy outside.

A space she can share, as well, with her sister.

I think for them to really use it and really enjoy it,

it's got to be made of their ideas.

-The first thing we really want in the garden...

-Is water.

..is water! One.

-Number two is insects and animals, I think?

-Yes.

-And really nice-smelling herb-leaf plants.

-So that's number three.

What's number four, Caitie?

Spring has arrived, and in Oxford,

Fliss and Anne are eagerly waiting to involve Monty Don in their ambitious dream.

We'll show him all these dandelions.

As Fliss said, "The national collection of dandelions!"

It's really quite embarrassing.

Hello, this is very symbolic,

-to have you both sitting on either side.

-Hello, I'm Anne.

-Anne, hello.

-Hello, I'm Fliss.

-Thank you for coming.

-Fliss.

Very nice to meet you both. And as I say, sitting side-by-side by your boundary wall.

Tell me what you want here, what's going on?

We're next-door neighbours, we have a semidetached house and currently,

we have a detached garden fenced by this fairly arbitrary barrier placed

between them and we want to knock it down and make one big garden.

But these are not arbitrary barriers.

You live in one house, you live in another house.

They have a boundary.

It seems to me that the size of both our gardens

is really quite small and we thought how nice

it would be to have a garden which flowed from one side to the other.

You know, more space that both of us could enjoy gardening in.

I think it's also quite a public space. I think front gardens are lovely.

I love walking past people's front gardens and looking at them.

Will there ever be a point at which you will disagree

and that on your side you want certain plants

and on your side you want certain plants, and they clash horribly?

Um... Obviously, it's possible.

But I think we've talked for so long about the kind of plants that we love,

it just makes sense to us, really, to do it.

-I know it seems unusual...

-Well, it is unusual.

I mean, that's the point.

-It actually doesn't SEEM unusual, it seems very sensible.

-THEY LAUGH

It's just profoundly unusual.

THEY LAUGH

It's time to see if their ambition stands up to

scrutiny from the nation's top garden expert.

This is an idea about having a path that goes through the two gardens.

We're looking for a feel of a sort of savanna-style grassy...thing.

I'm very keen on cottage garden perennials,

but we thought we'd have that going through all of it and perhaps,

colour coming up through the grasses, such as alliums at certain times

and other things like that.

Fliss and Anne both have a good knowledge of horticulture

and are looking to plant herbaceous perennials

and grasses with a path from which to access and enjoy the garden.

The first thing that strikes me, forget any planting idea,

-is that the path comes from nowhere and goes to nowhere.

-Yep.

And paths can't do that.

-You see, when you come out of your front door, which is here...

-Yeah.

-Hmm.

-..how do you get to...there?

-Round there.

-THEY LAUGH

That's answered the question.

I think we wanted it to be interesting.

"Interesting" is a really dangerous word when

it comes to garden design, because I was thinking that what

a path should do is actually link the two houses.

We did discuss that, didn't we?

In terms of design,

-it's one rectangular bed with a single path through it.

-Yeah.

Which is great.

-So most of the design is planting?

-Yes.

-My big advice would be, limit your palette...

-Yeah.

-..edit your choice of plants.

A great garden designer says that no garden needs more than seven plants.

And of course, that's not literally true,

-but what he's saying is, you can make a good garden with seven plants.

-Yeah.

Monty suggests amending their plan, creating a central bed

to unite the space and the path that links the two houses.

Our neighbours have set aside a modest budget of £1,000 with

which to turn their two 5x5m plots into one

splendid 50-square-metre garden.

There's lots to like about this garden.

Two people, very different backgrounds,

not married or working together, come together to make something

that's very intimate, that takes a really close bond to make it work.

Now, with everyone agreed,

-and an overall plan in place...

-Let me just see how it's attached.

..the next step is put into action straightaway.

-It's gone!

-Right.

-Brilliant.

-One down.

The neighbours can barely contain their excitement.

-We are through!

-THEY LAUGH

These, we can saw off.

-Aw, look at that.

-Now you are one!

-It's marvellous, isn't it?

-It's such a big space!

And there's no turning back now.

Well, it's simple enough to take down a fence,

but it makes a big idea into a reality.

And the next phase is all practical,

they must clear away all the concrete and the bricks

and the plants they don't want and the stones and prepare it for planting.

With his Oxford gardeners off the starting blocks, Monty heads

to Pewsey to meet Sally Donovan and her daughters, Georgina and Caitlin.

Everyone is full of excitement about his visit.

-Hi, Monty!

-Really nice to see you!

-Yes, nice to meet you.

-Thank you for coming! Come on in.

-Thank you.

You've got a garden here, why do you want to change it or add to it?

Georgie's got chronic fatigue syndrome and so she spends

a huge, huge, huge amount of time at home with me and what we want

to do is create somewhere really, really sort of...

I think warm.

It's a terrible word, but, somewhere protected.

And, Georgie, what do you like outside?

When you go into a garden, what gives you the most pleasure?

Seeing flowers.

Hearing the birds. I like lots of, you know, nice plants.

I like gentle ones that sort of can sway in the wind,

instead of just being like green leaves.

I like lavender, I like quite a few herbs.

And things like that.

I think it's the same with Caitlin as well.

-And do you want to have any water there of any kind?

-Oh, yes.

-OK.

That went down well. And what sort of water are we talking about?

Are we talking about an enormous fountain?

I thought we could have maybe a really small pond at the top

and then have a little waterfall that

kind of goes down the raised wall that leads into another one.

What sort of budget are you thinking of?

Probably got maybe £2,000 to spend on doing the garden, which...

I don't mind doing most of the work myself. That's absolutely fine.

And I've got lots of friends who will really help me with that,

so that's sort of the money for raw materials, really.

With a relatively small budget for such great ambitions,

it's time for an inspection of the space in question.

-Don't be too horrified, OK, Monty? It's um...

-Well, it's small.

-It's small. The girls have got big dreams.

-I see. I mean... Yeah.

Everything is possible.

If you were really clever, you can have steps with a rill, a little

canal with the water coming down the steps, in the middle of the steps.

-How about that?

-That would be amazing, wouldn't it?

It would be very possible, that.

My biggest worry is the budget

and although £2,000 seems quite a lot for what is a very small

space, it'll soak up that money very quickly.

So, Sally will have to be ingenious and do a lot of the work herself,

which I'm sure she will.

The Donovans certainly have big dreams, so Monty heads

indoors to meet Alex, who has agreed to lend a helping hand.

See? You've got an assistant.

-Somebody to dig up the tarmac.

-Thanks(!)

Right, let's see the plans. You've got some ideas over there.

-You've got plans here. Talk me through them.

-OK.

You'll notice the children's plans involve an awful lot of water.

Streams. Caitlin's even got a bridge in hers.

Lovely. I mean, I really mean it. They're lovely.

Both Georgina and Caitlin have made drawings that illustrate all

the features that they would like to have in the new garden.

By combining the girls' ideas,

Sally's plan includes a water feature, along with nice,

cosy seating areas, wooden steps leading in to the space,

as well as plenty of bug hotels.

The one thing that all these three plans don't take into account

-is that you have a gate. For it to work, it's got to open fully.

-Yeah.

So you can't have anything... I know this isn't drawn to scale.

You just need to get a compass, put on there

and draw a semicircle there.

Anything you have planted there has got to be tight against the wall.

-Yes.

-Otherwise, you won't be able to open it and if you can't open it,

what's the point in having it?

That's your path through, so this central area,

I would be tempted to have some planting, a bed of some kind,

a square or whatever,

so you had to slightly go round it to get to anywhere else.

I think that would be really lovely because otherwise,

-it's just a big open space.

-Exactly.

-Or a small open space.

And I don't think you need that.

I think it wants to feel quite enclosed.

Monty suggests taking the best of all the ideas on the table,

whilst making the plan a bit more practical.

It includes a water feature, with a rill running through the space.

Half of the garden gate will remain functional and a central

planting area will create a cosy environment for the girls to enjoy.

-I'm really excited, actually.

-I think this will be good.

-A lot of work coming your way, I think.

-And your way!

I like this story.

I think it could be a really attractive little garden

and I like the way that it's driven by the desire to make a bad

situation much better.

But before they can get planting, before they can turn

it into a beautiful space, there's a lot of work to be done.

Over in Oxford, our two teachers, Anne

and Fliss, want to press on with their joint plan.

And have enlisted some extra help.

Concrete slabs are broken and removed,

rockeries dismantled, and newly exposed soil is weeded

and rotivated.

Now for the first real test of this partnership.

How will our self-confessed impulse buyer Anne

and our meticulous planner Fliss agree on a plant selection?

I've got a few plants that I think I'd like to have.

-One of them, delphiniums.

-Yeah.

-Are you happy with those?

-Yeah.

-As long as you maintain them.

-Oh, I'm happy to do that.

I reckon there'll be a lot of maintaining to do and I reckon that

some of them will get eaten by slugs and I'll have to replace them

-and so on.

-Yeah.

Now, the other thing that is in the same kind of colour range is

-the salvias.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Do you like those?

-Funny you should mention that...

-Have you got them?

-They're on my list, yeah.

-So that is a definite.

-Yeah.

And I want campanula.

Gosh, I'm just saying "I want" all the time, but I love these ones.

-Yes.

-The ones that are called Canterbury Bells, but the blue ones.

-Are they not very similar to delphiniums, though?

-No...

I actually prefer the campanulas to delphiniums.

-You don't like delphiniums?

-No, I do, but I prefer campanulas.

I'm just saying,

if it came down to two plants that look quite similar...

-You prefer...

-I think campanulas require less maintenance.

Nah!

So far, compromise doesn't seem to feature in Anne's vocabulary.

-Will she consider any of Fliss's favourites?

-What have you got then?

-OK, so my shortlist...

-Mm.

-Cerefolium.

-And that's a perennial, obviously.

-Well, all the flowering ones are perennials.

-Yes.

So, it's an umbelifer, comes out probably about April...

-Oh, that's good. Early is good.

-Yeah. And that then...

That doesn't look pink to me. That looks violet.

-No, it is pink.

-Oh, right.

-Sporobolus heterolepis is a...

-Sporobolus.

-It's like a North American kind of prairie grass.

That one's not as tall as the others.

I can't remember exactly what it was, but I know it's not as tall.

-That's not very see-through.

-It is.

-Oh, is it?

-Yeah.

-It's just the picture.

I mean, all of that is very floaty and frothy.

So, what's the verdict so far?

At the moment, it's challenging in a bad way.

It's proving really, really difficult.

I think ultimately, I'll look back on it and think, "Yeah, it was fine.

"There was never any conflict," kind of thing, but at the moment, it's

kind of going through a difficult labour and it's just horrendous.

I think it went all right,

but I'm a bit like scared that when we come to...

If we do come to really reduce to like seven between us,

that there won't be enough of the things that I really,

really wanted in because while I like the grasses

and I definitely like the grasses that Fliss has chosen, I think it's

a really good choice,

they are not my first idea of what I wanted in my garden...

In THE garden.

Slip of the tongue there, Anne.

This is supposed to be a team effort.

It's now April and in Pewsey, Sally has really got going on her

family's big dream.

Monty made it clear that the whole area needed to be cleaned up.

So Sally uses her army training to rally the troops.

We've got to move all of this tarmac, which is

rapidly melting, round to the skip on the front drive

and we've got to knock that wall down and clear all of this,

so it's earth, so that we can create a garden.

It's a small job, really!

She gets her volunteers on the job immediately.

This would be so depressing on my own. It would be soul destroying.

I think with all of us doing it... Ready?

Brilliant!

-Georgie is doing her bit to help too.

-So if I do this corner here...

-Yeah.

-You're going to do that little bit there, are you?

It's so cool seeing everybody sort of shoving the tarmac over

-the place.

-Apparently, we're supposed to have a

really lovely spring and summer, so hopefully, it'll be a really nice

-sunny spot for you to relax in.

-Yeah.

-And Caitie, she's going to really enjoy it.

-Yeah.

You want a little stream or something, don't you?

Yeah, we saw a lovely one at Chalice Well,

-while we were in Glastonbury.

-Yeah.

And it was sort of just about that wide and it had a little

bridge over it, but it was just big enough to fit your feet in.

-OK, superb.

-And it was lovely.

-You can paddle if it gets really hot in the summer.

-Yeah.

As her team push on, Sally's skip is filling up fast.

That bit, ideally, needs to come out.

Only a troublesome wall stands in the way of a successful mission.

It's so near, isn't it?

Oh, my God! Yes! Look at the size of that!

Who wants this in their wheelbarrow?

-I'm just admiring the skip.

-It's amazing.

I thought it was going to be half-full.

I hope Monty realises how much hard work was involved in getting

all that up. It's amazing now.

There's this space we can work with and it feels really,

really positive, so I'm hoping Monty's going to be impressed

when he comes back.

Back in Oxford, Anne

and Fliss are still struggling to agree on a joint plant selection.

Hoping to give them some inspiration,

Monty has sent them to Marchants Garden in East Sussex.

It has good examples of curved pathways and rich textured

borders with varied combinations of grasses and perennials.

Hi, there.

Welcome to Marchants Hardy Plants. I'm Graham.

-I'm Anne.

-The head gardener, Graham Gough,

wants to show our neighbours some examples and help with their plans.

I wonder if this bed could offer you some inspiration.

The one thing that is most apparent, from a design point of view, is the

disposition of the plants and the chamerian here, it's a

running plant and it's filtered right through this bed.

But I want you to note the other plants that we have.

There are grasses in here too,

but they're hardly emergent at this stage.

And do you see the colour theme running through here?

It's quite subdued in a way.

Fliss has a question for Graham that's been bothering her

since Monty told her that seven plant varieties is all

that their border needs.

Would you say there's a magic number of plants you should

have in a garden?

43.

43...

Well, I wouldn't necessarily want to make it an optimum, really,

or certainly not a high number

because I think the thing with good design is to

pare down the number of plants that you use

and in this particular space,

the range of plants that we've used is perhaps no more than about 10 or

12 and I think that's what gives it its simplicity and its strength.

So, Graham agrees with Monty that less can be more,

which leaves our amateur gardeners in a quandary.

Graham moves on to a border that is full of Fliss's favourite plants.

There we are. What a marvellous spot. Do you know that plant?

-That's Stipa gigantea, isn't it?

-Yeah, absolutely.

And it's a plant that every designer uses and you can see why really cos

it's got this beautiful structure and it's incredibly transparent.

We've got a good four to five feet.

This is actually quite a short example.

How long will it take for it to get that high?

-Um... Ooh, dear. Well, that's annual growth. This year.

-OK.

So it's quite a tall plant. Would you always put it that far forward?

-Towards the front of the border?

-Well, why not?

Look, the plant's completely transparent, it doesn't

matter what angle you approach it from on the path either side.

You can see through it from either angle.

Then you'd have to choose the plant that you'd use very carefully

with it.

And that's just what Anne and Fliss have to tackle next.

There's so many beautiful plants,

but it's very good not to buy things you're not going to use.

-It's hard to be so disciplined.

-Yes.

-They will have to compromise,

given that they can only choose three and a half varieties each.

-I think magenta though...

-Yes.

-That's not really...

-OK.

Colour-wise, is it?

-We want blue, purple, rather than purple, magenta...

-Yeah, I think so.

-Right. Gold fontaine.

-That's the one.

-Yeah? I've got three.

-I did have three.

-Oh.

-I've now got two and a half.

-These plants are brittle!

A pretty successful day for the neighbours from Oxford.

Choosing plants hasn't proved too difficult in the end.

It seems that Monty's advice is working.

Right, you can pay.

I'm out of cash.

It's now May and Monty is in Pewsey to see how Sally is

getting on with her plan to transform a neglected part

of her garden into a cosy enclosed sanctuary for her daughters.

Monty has suggested that she incorporates a water feature

with a rill and a central planting area.

I'm looking for two things today.

The first is very straightforward - have they cleared the site?

Because until they do, they can't begin to garden

and if they haven't, then I'm going to help them finish that off.

The second thing is more long term but just as important,

which is to inspire and help Georgie

to own the garden, to start

gardening herself, so that she is making it, she is controlling it.

Monty!

-It's all go.

-I know.

Lovely to see you. How are you?

Good, look. You asked us to clear it out. The tarmac's all gone.

And this wall here has come down, ready for those wide steps to go in.

Are these the sleepers for the steps?

Yeah, oak sleepers from the reclamation yard.

So, that's to be done.

Now, you've got help taking out soil, presumably for the steps.

So you've got nice soil there, you've got gravel.

Are you recycling all that?

I hadn't really thought about it, but, yes, we could.

-I would recycle the gravel because that's always useful.

-Brilliant.

That will fit in.

And the soil and anything you can, and how's Georgie?

Well, Georgie will be home from school any minute

and I was wondering if you could help her.

She's chosen some Alpines and some little succulents she loves...

Well, if you could recycle some of your soil and your gravel,

you're laughing because that would work perfect.

School's out and Monty is waiting, with gravel at the ready,

to get Georgie fully involved.

I like these ones.

They're all sort of sedum sort of ones that are in walls.

They're succulents.

They've got these curved leaves that actually hold water really, really well.

Monty shows Georgie how to prepare her pots with

a layer of gravel at the bottom and then a mixture of gravel and soil.

Give it a good stir, like you're making a cake. That's it.

Brilliant.

That's fantastic. So we mix that up like that and pour it in.

So we've got a nice gritty mix.

You choose what you want to plant and I'll do it for you.

-Or you can do it.

-These ones.

-OK. You take that out.

-See what it's like. Take it out.

-I'm probably going to break it.

You won't break it. Don't worry. That's it.

Now, that's been soaked so it doesn't normally ever need to be as wet as that.

-Put it where you want.

-Erm, here.

-OK. That's it.

You don't need to cover it up completely cos we're going to put the grit round.

-Probably a little deeper than that.

-OK, so...

Cos it's quite a deep one, that one. OK, that's good.

Monty explains to Georgie that this is a good time to plant Alpines

so they can become well established before the winter returns.

What you'll find is these will grow out and expand

and maybe you'll want to add one or two bits. Maybe you don't.

-The final thing is they must go somewhere sunny.

-Yeah.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-That's your garden started.

A few weeks later, Sally is making good progress.

I don't mind if the steps are narrower than that.

But as things are developing, so are her ideas.

Big change to the plan was

when we talked to Monty about putting in the sleepers

as steps, he did talk about them being slippery

so the big change is the sleepers are going to be used to create all

of the raised beds and we're going to put in steps made of pavers.

This is heavy graft.

That's just a bit easier than Mummy digging it all up

spade by spade by spade, isn't it?

But Sally's happy, as her friends have agreed to work for free

in return for refreshments, including tasty bacon sandwiches.

I think the steps are going to end up costing me, you know...

But they're going to be the water feature as well.

Probably a good third of the budget.

A lot of the rest of it I'm doing on my own anyway.

-Huge!

-It is, isn't it? That's just for a set of steps.

It's the beginning of summer and in Oxford, Fliss and Anne's

ambition to unite their front gardens has reached the next stage.

Their plan, which Monty has adjusted to make a more natural

single front garden, includes a path to link their houses

and a combination of grasses and perennials.

After some hard work, their plot is ready for planting.

When I left Fliss and Anne, I'd taken down the fence.

I knew that was the easy bit.

The idea is a good one - combining forces to make one garden

but by taking the fence down, I knew it was exposing them to the reality.

And, actually, the only way this can work is if they agree

to forget their personal choices and make one garden.

-Hello.

-Hey.

-Well, hello!

It's good to see a nice clear, open space.

And two people hard at work.

Well, we've been working ever since you left last time.

-Remind me, this was concrete, wasn't it?

-Most of this was concrete.

-Mostly concrete.

-It is a very clean, open space.

-That is very light, sandy soil.

-Yep.

-Good for grasses.

How has the sort of planning and consolidation of ideas gone?

-Quite well in the end.

-Challenging at times. Well in the end.

Interesting. You said quite well and you said challenging.

Tells me quite a lot. Let's have a look at plants.

See what you've got. Obviously this is completely dominated by grass.

-Yeah.

-So I'm guessing this is your lot.

You've got a stipa there. Stipa gigantea.

-And I've got Deschampsia cespitosa.

-How do you see your grasses forming?

These ones, I see slightly closer to the house,

cos they're a little bit more tolerant of the shade.

I'm not going to lay them out for you cos I want to watch where you put them.

So it's crunch time for this partnership.

And as if that's not enough,

it's all in front of Britain's favourite gardener.

-I'm thinking nearer the house.

-So...

But obviously we want to cross the boundary.

Let's put the rest of them through here.

-Do we want to go the whole way to the path?

-Oh, I think so.

-To your side?

-Oh, yes. To the other side of the garden.

I would have said to keep it more central.

So what's happened to all that planning, then?

Have you not come up with one plan that you both agreed?

-The thing we did...

-I did put some stuff down on paper.

-Yeah, but that was...

-But we hadn't spoken about it since.

Having not done their homework and agreed on a plan together,

Fliss and Anne aren't making the most of their time with Monty.

-Ready?

-And the clock is ticking.

-I think it might work but what I was thinking and looking, remember, from Graham's?

-Yeah.

-That he had the same things repeated all the way through his space.

-Yeah.

So I think either you want one continuous band or you want clumps.

That's what I'm saying. I'd bring that one back in line a bit more.

Can I keep it out there for the moment? See how the other plants...

-OK.

-Monty's less than impressed. Time to step in.

You have to decide whether you want an idea repeated or

whether you want much more solid planting.

I think in terms of the aesthetic, there are no rules and it's whatever feels right.

One of the interesting things about what you're doing is you have

two people with two separate ideas who are going to,

at some point, have to agree to disagree. Or compromise.

Thank you, Monty. Now, let's see if they can work together as a team.

-Put it down as you imagine it.

-OK.

The more we can get on the ground, the more there is to discuss.

-I think a mixture.

-Mixed together.

-I think so.

-Stick them down.

-Less talk, more action.

-With a clump here.

-I don't think that's working.

The delphinium's so close to the hydrangea you're going to

have problems with the roots and it won't... It'll be wasted.

It'll be lost.

Monty gives Anne a tip about her beloved delphiniums.

If she removes the spikes as they fade through the summer,

she may get a second bloom in the autumn.

I think stipas, because of the way it throws up these enormous

flower heads, the key thing about them is that they need space.

Monty likes Fliss's choice of Stipa gigantea, or golden oats.

He says they're ideal for borders and they grow up to 2.5m high.

I think, Fliss, it could come here.

I think it's inevitable there's going to be a little bit of tension.

Because this is both really important to both of us.

And a lot of our ideas of what it's going to be are in our head

so it's quite hard sometimes to articulate exactly what we want.

And Monty's absolutely right, that sometimes the best thing

is to pick up a plant and put it somewhere.

That's sort of performing a role that is coherent under there.

We have got different ideas and it's quite clear that's slightly coming

out but I hope in the end that my sort of vision of it

being one garden really does come to fruition.

"My vision"?

Hopefully the next step will pave way to a united vision.

-Let's get the path sorted.

-All right.

I suggest you two walk where you want it to go

-and where you come to a plant, move it.

-OK. What, start at each...our own door?

Actually, why don't you go to your door, you go to your door and see where you meet.

-Go on. OK. Very nice idea.

-All right.

As the neighbours venture through the garden, a path begins to emerge.

Are we going to meet? Looks like we are. Shall we do...

I would move that salvia slightly to your right. That's it.

-And that persicaria a little bit.

-Slightly to your... That's it.

-And you've met in the middle!

-Hey!

Finally, with Monty's guidance and help,

and not just on the gardening front,

the neighbours have been brought together.

So you've got this gentle curve with the central big bed there.

-Great.

-Now it's time to get some plants in the ground.

With a bit of Monty know-how.

Stipa gigantea really needs good drainage and full sun.

And these grow individually.

-OK.

-So you never get them in vast drifts or clumps.

So if you take it out the pot, that is fairly pot-bound.

And what I always do in this situation is don't try

-and unravel it, just break it.

-Oh, OK.

Get your thumb in, or a knife or whatever it may be,

and just break it like that.

And what that's going to do is stimulate regrowth.

-Your lovely soil...

-Easy to work.

Which is the easiest in the world to work

and for a lot of plants would be too light but for stipa - heaven.

And you shouldn't have to water it too much.

Once it's really established and watered in,

British rain should see it through.

Give them a good soak once they're planted

and thereafter most of them will do fine.

I think Monty is a very calming influence.

I think that's... That's one of the good things.

Only because when you don't have somebody to say,

"Hey, let's not bother about that..."

-You get fixated on it, don't you?

-Yeah, you do.

Taking you back to the big picture,

-reminding you that it's one big garden.

-Yeah.

I think it's been really good from that point of view.

I think we've got somewhere, both on a horticultural and a human level.

Horticulturally, it's come together

and on a human level I've sensed a real change throughout the day,

from slight suspicion and wanting to claim their own sort of input,

to one of mutual pleasure at sharing the project.

It's a bonkers idea but if it works, well, how good is that?

While Fliss and Anne make progress in Oxford, Sally

and her girls are in need of some inspiration

so Monty has sent them to Horatio's Garden in Salisbury.

Wow!

It's a garden created around a spinal injuries clinic

and was designed to be a relaxing space for patients.

-And all the geraniums...

-Tina Crossley is the head gardener

and believes plants do have a therapeutic effect.

Looking around, the family want to work out which are the plants here that best attract insects.

So you've seen some bees today then.

-But have you seen a hummingbird hawk-moth yet?

-No.

-I think that's in my book.

-Is it in your book?

-I think so.

You need to keep an eye out because they particularly like these red valerian, here.

-But also they like any sort of salvia.

-Do you know what?

That's fantastic because we have got three pots of it at home that I grew

from seeds that are sitting there, waiting to go into our garden.

And you're going to put them in. Good. Excellent.

Georgie and Caitlin are very keen to attract butterflies

into their new garden.

And Tina has a good tip for them.

Of course, one of the key shrubs to have, actually, in your garden

if you want to attract butterflies is a buddleia.

I have got three tiny...

I think Monty might laugh when he sees them but these are very

small because they're little cuttings that are growing on.

Tina encourages Sally by telling her that propagating buddleia

from cuttings is a simple and cheap way to fill her garden

with sweet scent and beautiful blooms.

She also explains that not only will they flower in summer, but they

will repeat flower if deadheaded right through to the autumn.

-What's your favourite, Georgie?

-My favourite butterfly?

I like the blue ones.

In the summer one year, we had so much verbena

-and you know the peacock butterflies, which are huge?

-Mm.

There were tonnes of them flying in and they were about the size

of my hands, each wing, and they had big eyes and I loved watching them.

Scented plants play an important role in Horatio's Garden

and it's something the girls are keen to copy at home.

Georgie, this is one of our oak planters on castors so we can actually move it around.

-It's been planted by one of the patients.

-Smells really amazing.

-You can smell it?

-Yeah.

But then, of course, we have the rosemary as well,

which just cascades over the side.

The borders are dotted with edible plants

and the girls can't resist helping themselves.

-Do you want me to pick one for you, Caitlin?

-Yes, please.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

-Georgie has spotted another edible fragrant favourite.

It's chives, I think. Yeah, it's chives. We have these, don't we?

From this whole area, what we have really picked up on

is just how wonderful it is to have things that you can pick.

-I love that smell.

-We've got a few more ideas for plants for our sort of aromatherapy bit as well.

So that we can snap them off and get the amazing smells and aromas.

Inspired by Horatio's Garden, Sally returns home

and steps up a gear in order to meet her late summer deadline.

Working all day long, building stone walls

and filling raised beds in preparation for planting.

It's now July and the garden is really taking shape.

But has she managed to stick to her £2,000 budget?

So far a couple of hundred pounds on sleepers,

good couple of hundred pounds on plants.

Lots of free plants, actually.

Lots of, you know, raiding my sister's garden. That sort of thing.

Of course, what I still have to do and the big thing is

putting in the steps, the rail and the water feature.

That's going to eat up the money now.

Monty has arrived to assess Sally's progress and lend a helping hand.

Lots of work's gone on. Big changes.

Good changes too, because they give a nice strong structure to work around.

And one feature has caught Monty's eye.

Quite a lot of bug hotels.

In fact, I don't think I've seen so many bug hotels.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven in one garden.

I know that Sally wants help in the placing and choosing and planting.

Whatever it is, I'll do what I can to help her.

-Hello, Sally.

-Monty! You came in via the back!

-I did.

I slipped in the back way and came and had a look before I came to see you.

I have to say, I have never seen

-so many bug hotels in one garden in my life.

-Yes.

The bug hotels have multiplied but I've got lots of plants and flowers for you.

Of course, I was going to say, the bug hotels are not going to attract any insects at all.

We've been to so many places,

the girls and I, over the last six weeks.

I'm very worried about how to put it all together, actually.

In what way are you worried?

I'm worried about getting the planting wrong

-and not making the most of the plants.

-Fine.

-That's my concern.

And obviously, it's an important concern.

Because in the end, a border, let alone a garden,

is always a collection of plants.

And you can have a boring border made out of fascinating plants.

And you can have a fascinating border made out of very,

very ordinary plants.

Sally's been hard at work, collecting all manner of plants.

But will Monty approve of her choices?

We've spent a lot of time looking at garden centres

and in gardens to see where the bees and insects went

and then chose things that we really liked.

Since we've put the plants out here, what's been really beautiful is how many bees and the hoverflies

are just beginning to come out as well, so that's really nice.

Hoverflies love umbelifers.

This Verbena bonariensis which, I mean,

it's not strictly speaking an umbelifer

but it does have that open flower head.

The classic ones are fennel, dill...

These things where you get a...there you are. Perfect.

-There we go. We've got... There's a dill.

-See.

If you look at that, you've got the umbel, the head,

all these little tiny florets.

And the hoverflies just land on them and just dip in to each one.

They love it.

-Got lots of veronicas.

-Yeah.

-And salvias.

-Which salvia is this?

Wonderful firs. Again, fantastic for insects.

-That salvia, that sagey smell.

-That is beautiful.

-Isn't that lovely?

-Yeah.

These scented plants are sure to be a hit with insects, which is

just as well given the number of bug hotels the girls hope to fill.

So, if we put the jasmine here,

the fact it's going to cover a bit of that bug hotel doesn't matter

because they like getting behind the cover.

Let's put the rose in front in the middle of it.

So we've got three climbers.

We've got the clematis, which, actually,

I'd be tempted to grow it through the rose.

-I think that would be really pretty.

-So if we put the clematis there, OK?

And as the rose grows, we can train it in amongst it.

Because the girls run their hands through the smelly plants,

I was wondering about trying to have it all sort of on the edges.

On the edges. So we want lavender along the edges.

Yes, the lavender and then we've got a lemon verbena.

Monty explains that lavender is a hardy shrub that

flowers during the summer months.

It's ideal for gardens with a chalky or alkaline soil that is poor

or moderately fertile.

He also likes Sally's choice of verbena which he says

thrives in well drained, sunny spots.

What we're starting to achieve is a mixed palette of colour.

A really good section of tiered, multi-layered habitats for insects

and every plant is producing a flower that is attractive to

a range of insects.

So it's really eco rich.

Now for the shady part of the garden.

The first thing to go for are ferns.

And they will take the deeper shade.

So if you put those into the recesses.

-I would say underneath there.

-Right up under?

-Next to lily of the valley. Yeah, why not?

-OK.

And arrange that so you make a little grouping of them.

Monty explains that ferns are an ideal choice for trickier

parts of the garden.

There are many varieties.

He encourages Sally to go for the evergreen ones,

which offer colour and interest all year round.

I hope that I've given Sally the confidence to start to stop

seeing plants as fascinating individuals but as things that can

be put together to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

And there is a bit of urgency here. There's still a lot to do.

The steps, the rail, the pond, the surface.

This needs to be up and running so Georgie can enjoy it this summer.

So when I come back, and it's not too long,

I hope we're going to celebrate the completion of all this.

While Sally marches on in Pewsey, Fliss and Anne

are filling out their front garden in Oxford.

I think we're going to finish off some of the planting groups.

Maybe we've got four and we need five in a group, or two and we want three.

I think we need some white on this side of the path.

And I think that's the trouble with the path.

We've got to remember we need stuff both sides of the path.

-So shall we move the last three?

-Yeah, and put them in there. Yeah.

-Yeah, OK.

-The neighbours have cracked it.

Working as one unified team.

It's really fun today, actually. It's felt really natural.

We've been singing from the same hymn sheet, which I think has helped.

-And yeah, it's kind of flowed, I think.

-Definitely.

And I think I did know your grasses would be OK but I also knew

we'd need to get more of everything in and probably that to be sure

they're OK, we needed to see some of the grasses up.

But we're going to get there. I think it's going to be really nice.

As the planting starts to take shape, the question remains -

will the garden fulfil both Fliss and Anne's big dream?

It's now mid-August and our neighbours in Oxford are preparing for their final visit from Monty.

Fliss and Anne are aiming for perfection.

But with the elements working against them,

can they really impress Monty with their joint garden?

The weather overnight was fairly wet to the point that it woke me up

at one point, it was so rainy.

We've also got a bit of a leaky gutter issue which means

there's a bit of a puddle somewhere in the garden.

And a great "plop" all night long.

I've been thinking about this garden for ages

because it seems to me that there are two really distinct questions.

The first is, have Fliss and Anne

made a garden that's greater than the sum of its parts?

Is the result better than either of them could have achieved separately?

And the second, and I suspect rather trickier question is, have two

gardeners made a single garden and still managed to remain friends?

Earlier this year this plot was two separate,

unkempt front gardens with concrete, rocks and dandelions.

Four months on and now it's one harmonious front garden.

One beautifully planted border is now home to Fliss's much-loved

grasses, including Stipa gigantea

and Deschampsia cespitosa.

All interspersed with the blue and purple blossoms

of Anne's prized delphiniums and campanulas.

This team effort is rounded off with a gentle curving path

that links the neighbours' front doors.

-You've done it.

-Yep.

-It looks fantastic.

-Are you happy?

-Very happy.

-Yes. Very happy.

What changes have you made in terms of planting?

We've put a few new species in.

Things like the Japanese anemone, the ceratophyllum.

And then we've bulked things out as well,

so we've bought more of the same.

But the most important thing that we did was we laid them all out,

which is really good because it's much easier, in my opinion,

-to plan it when you can plonk things down.

-I agree.

I remember one of the suggestions I made was that you limit

and discipline yourselves in the number of plants and I think

I referred to the fact that no garden needs more than seven plants.

How has that worked through?

I felt a little bit tricked by the seven

because I felt it was very rigid.

In retrospect it was helpful because it limited us initially

and even though now we're up to something like 12 or 13,

I think having that initial restriction was quite helpful

because it really pared down what we really wanted.

-That was the plan. So it worked. Did that work for you?

-Yes, it did.

And I think I sneakily knew we were always going to get a few

more in but I did like the idea of picking out the basics first

and the sort of standards.

And all this has been about the simple fact of taking

the fence down and creating one garden.

-Definitely no regrets.

-Really? Has it worked out as you expected it to?

-I think it's better, in many ways.

-I'm going to try your path.

-Well, it's nice and firm.

-Oh, good. It was a bit wobbly earlier.

-It's trying to be slowing you down in places.

-I get it.

-No, it's working.

-Quite little steps and then...

-It's good.

Time to show off their new garden to the neighbourhood,

as well as a familiar face.

When Fliss and Anne turned up at Marchants Hardy Plants,

we spent a day chatting away about the meadow there in particular.

There was a slight edge in places, where one favoured strong colours,

but they seem to have done it in a very democratic way.

Absolutely fantastic, what they've achieved.

Having spent £200 on clearing the plot and £650 on plants,

Fliss and Anne have money left over for tea and cake all round.

I just want to say a word or two.

It's a brave thing to combine two gardens into one,

if not a foolhardy thing.

And to be able to still speak to each other and smile and share the

same space I think shows commendable sort of fortitude and resolve, so...

And it's right and proper that we're having a cup of tea and celebrating.

-So well done. Congratulations.

-Thank you. Yeah!

As the guests test out the path, it's clear that two big dreams can become one.

This is beautiful and it's a joy to see it.

-It's magnificent, really.

-It's great.

I confess that I was really worried this wouldn't work at all

because I couldn't see how two very different people could

agree on something so personal as a garden. But it has worked.

We got some really, really positive comments back

and everyone seemed to really enjoy it

and it's nice to be able to thank people that have helped us as well.

I think for anybody who's got a front garden that isn't

really very well used or isn't really particularly interesting,

it does really increase your ability

to make a beautiful place if you share some space.

It's been over six weeks since Monty's last visit to Pewsey

and Sally's had her work cut out.

I wanted it done for the summer holidays.

It's been quite pressurised getting it done in that timeframe

and trying to do it within a budget,

cos it's meant I've had to do a lot of the work myself.

At times I've thought "ugh" but now it's done it's looking quite nice, actually.

For the final push, Sally has called in her trusty troops one last time.

I think that the garden's coming on brilliantly.

I think that Sally's got a good group of friends round who've

really got together, trying to get it all ready for the big opening.

The big unveil.

I think Monty will be really impressed with what Sally's done.

From a car park to a beautiful oasis for her girls.

Just a few final touches before Monty arrives.

It's worth remembering what this garden was for.

The original idea was to provide Georgie with

somewhere that she can be outside, where she can sit

and get some sunshine and study and entertain her friends,

all as part of her road to recovery.

Also, it had to serve as part of the family home.

Now, this is a small space. That's a lot to ask.

Two quite separate functions.

Four months ago, Sally's garden was an untidy tarmacked parking space with a wood store.

Now it's utterly transformed.

The garden is complete with a rail and pond,

providing the soothing sound of water.

Flowering plants, including buddleia and fennel are inviting

insects to feast and then stay in one of the many bug hotels.

And the raised borders offer up scents and create a cosy

and enclosed space, ideal for Georgina and Caitlin.

This is fantastic.

-We didn't really plant anything. It was just placing, wasn't it?

-We just placed them. Yep.

And they are looking as though that planting has been there a while.

It's looking established now.

It's really done its purpose, bringing all the insects.

Clouds of butterflies and bees.

-And I see you've still got insect hotels by the dozen.

-Yes.

I haven't counted them. Have you counted them, Alex?

There's a lot but they've definitely got bees in them.

I remember very clearly you wanted somewhere where Georgie can

come and sit outside. She'd been indoors so much.

Originally I talked about a seating area.

I've put bits of slate onto the top of the stone wall,

where they can sit. Sleepers at seating height.

And I've also bought these two moon chairs which Georgie

and Cait absolutely loved and they just snuggle up in them.

I seem to remember the original plan was to have the rail running through the steps.

Do you remember you suggested that? And I thought that's a great idea.

But in actual fact,

the technical issue was to do with the size of the pond

and it just made it very difficult and it meant making the pond bigger.

-Are you happy with it as it is?

-Yeah.

I've got the sound of the running water cos there's a deeper

-pit as the spout comes out.

-Right.

After what has been quite a lot of hard work,

-quite a lot of stress, how do you feel about it?

-Great, actually.

It was an unused space. That's the point.

Now it's a really beautiful spot. It's really relaxed.

It's great for George to sit and just enjoy being outside.

It's great for Cait cos there's so much going on.

-Amazing. It's lovely, isn't it?

-It's really nice.

I think it's way better than I expected. It's amazing.

I really love it.

I think it's beautiful with the rail.

I think my favourite bit's probably the bug house which Caitlin built.

Monty really helped us.

Mum was quite scared of doing the water feature.

And he helped us put our plans into action, really.

And love hearts on the walls.

-If it wasn't for Mum and her amazing friends, it wouldn't have happened.

-Definitely not.

Bringing this garden together on time at just under £2,000

would not have been possible without Sally's army of friends.

Raise your glasses and toast to the new garden

and may all who sail in her fare well.

ALL: CHEERS!

She's worked hard. Her friends have worked hard but it's worth it.

It's all come out in the end.

It's really, really good and I think they're going to get a lot of joy and happiness from it.

I didn't feel particularly confident about bringing Georgie and Cait's

dreams alive and I think Monty gave me the confidence to do that.

To break up a small space into even smaller spaces

and that worked really well.

This is a garden that has been made for children,

it's been conceived by children.

They've helped in the process and now it's being enjoyed by children.

And that's a delight.