Episode 2 Big Dreams Small Spaces


Episode 2

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Do you dream of having your own special outdoor space?

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

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

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Well, you're not alone.

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Monty Don has travelled up and down the country

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visiting amateur gardeners with bold ambitions.

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He's scrutinised their plans,

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and pushed them out of their comfort zones.

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Going out into deeper, darkest unknown territory, isn't it?

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It's not been easy...

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THUNDER RUMBLES

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I hate it.

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Argh!

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..but everyone's worked incredibly hard.

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Both of us want to sleep for a week, pretty much!

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You've had your tea break. Come on.

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And the transformations have been extraordinary.

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It's just incredible. It really is.

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I declare this garden open!

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I do believe that everybody, however small their garden,

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can cultivate a big dream.

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This time, Monty meets two sets of new homeowners

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with different approaches to their garden dreams.

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From can't garden...

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You could kill a plastic flower, I think I used to say.

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Yeah. I probably would, actually.

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..to won't garden...

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Do you want to give us a little hand?

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You're doing all right. I think you're doing all right.

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..they're going to need some expert guidance.

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If in a week's time we get a phone call saying,

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-"It's dropped half an inch..."

-Then we have a problem.

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To have Monty Don help us with the garden is a real privilege.

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I'm shovelling composted horse manure.

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Smells pretty bad.

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What have we got ourselves into?

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Our first garden is in Leyton, East London.

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Bankers Tariq and Sira would like a cottage-style garden

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in which they can entertain guests.

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They're also taking on the challenging task

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of remodelling their Victorian terrace at the same time.

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This is our first house that we've actually bought together.

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We wanted to buy a property we could put our own stamp on.

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We've been project managing it ourselves,

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-which has been difficult and...

-And stressful.

-Yeah.

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Fortunately for Sira, the couple have clearly defined roles

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when it comes to their 50-metre-square backyard.

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95% of the graft will come from me, and 1% from Sira,

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and probably another 4% from tradesmen!

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I want to sit back, relax and enjoy the fruits of his labour!

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But he's not just the work horse.

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Tariq has a perfectionist streak, too.

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-I do a lot of research.

-Yeah.

-Like, a lot of research.

-Research.

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I'm an analyst by trade, so I put together, like,

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-a list and tick it all off.

-A spreadsheet.

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Spreadsheet, make sure that everything's done to...

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-Meticulous.

-Yeah.

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And he's also hoping to impress his horticultural hero.

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To have Monty Don help us with our garden is a real privilege.

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I mean, he is Britain's favourite gardener,

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and to have him come to our house and help us,

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we're so, so lucky to have him.

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And we're going to take absolutely everything that he says on board

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and try our absolute best for him, but also for us as well.

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Our next set of first-time gardeners live in Bath.

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Ant is a creative professional,

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and Jake is the owner of a marketing business.

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With demanding jobs, the pair are looking for a little bit

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of tranquillity in their lives.

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We both have really busy lifestyles, so coming home to a really nice,

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calm, peaceful garden is very important to us.

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They have a very specific style in mind

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for their 100-square-metre plot.

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We have been to the Japanese gardens in Monte Carlo, in San Francisco.

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-Where else?

-Brooklyn, that was the last one.

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Brooklyn, the last one was the Brooklyn botanical garden.

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So we always visit different type of Japanese gardens,

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just to get inspiration. We just thought,

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"That's it, we're going to do a Japanese garden

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"and bring a bit of a memory of our travel to our backyard."

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The couple live next door to Jake's identical twin brother Shane

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and his husband Peter.

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And what's more, they also have an identical garden,

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that they too are renovating.

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There's a lot of sibling rivalry.

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No doubt there'll be lots of looking over the fence to see

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what our house is like and what their garden's going to be like.

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Yeah. That's definitely unavoidable.

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The difference is that Ant and Jake have decided

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to do the work themselves, with some special help.

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Personally, I'm not a huge gardener myself.

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So we have ideas of what we want to do, but actually implementing it...

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We desperately need help from Monty.

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Desperate is a strong word.

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-Desperate.

-Actually, we are desperate, yes.

-Desperate.

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It's May in Leyton,

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and Tariq is unashamedly ambitious about his dream project.

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I want a garden that could be award-winning.

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A beautiful garden, I really want. That's what I really want.

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And I'm willing to put in all the graft and hard work

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to get to that stage.

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But the novices don't know where to start,

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and are eager to get some advice.

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It can be overwhelming, so I think that having somebody

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kind of guide you through the process,

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and maybe support you through the process, would be great, I think.

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-Hello.

-Hi, Monty, nice to meet you. Come in.

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So, here we are.

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-This is the garden.

-Yup, this is the garden.

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All right. Tell me what your plans are for this garden.

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We quite like entertaining, having friends round,

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so it'd be great to have a space to allow us to do that.

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-I wanted a cottage kind of feel of a garden...

-OK.

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-..rather than a formal or a contemporary.

-Right, right.

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Because it's quite a narrow garden,

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and I wanted a deep border to create a bit more impact

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and big, beautiful flowering plants.

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So, we've got a border with lots of colour.

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-Yeah.

-Lots of impact.

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-A lawn.

-Yeah.

-And why do you want a lawn?

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I think a garden without a lawn doesn't quite look right to me,

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but also when we've got people round,

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you can spread out onto the lawn, sit on the lawn, eat on the lawn.

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What's your budget?

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£7,000, I think is what we agreed.

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Yeah.

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I mean, £7,000 is a perfectly doable budget.

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-It's not as extravagant as you might think.

-Yeah.

-You will spend that.

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But on the other hand, you should have something very nice

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at the end of it.

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So, that's worth it.

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How much of this can you do yourselves?

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Tariq's the grafter.

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I'm a grafter, so I think we're going to do 95% of it myself.

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And I'm going to do the project management, so...

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What I'd love to do at this stage is see anything you've got on paper.

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OK.

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Tariq and Sira would like an elegant garden

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in which they can entertain friends and family.

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It will feature a patio area, with built-in seating,

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barbecue and herb garden.

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Beyond this, a curved lawn will lead to the back of the garden,

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with a border filled with country-style planting on one side.

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Sira would like a rose arch and a bench.

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And Tariq has his heart set on a topiary chicken.

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Topiary chicken, perfect.

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Everybody's got to have a topiary chicken.

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You said you're going to have a big border.

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But it's a small border and a big lawn.

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What we have is a very conventional idea

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of just almost full of grass with a little ribbon border

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-around the outside.

-No!

-I don't think that's what we want.

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I would like a big-impact, deep border.

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To get the impact you want, you need volume of plants.

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Now, if you want big flowers, big plants,

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you will not fit them in there.

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-Right.

-OK.

-OK?

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Monty also has a suggestion

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for making the most of their small space.

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One of the things that makes a garden look bigger

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-is subdividing it.

-Yeah.

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Funnily enough, if you've got a long, thin garden,

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-it always pays to break it up.

-Mm-hm.

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And Tariq is quick to take his lead.

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Maybe just have another border coming out.

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Bring this a lot deeper, having another border come out like that

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and having a small path leading from this garden to that garden.

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And, ideally, I wanted to have a rose arch,

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so would it be ideal to have a rose arch...?

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There you are, you're getting there.

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You could have a rose arch here dividing the two.

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-I like that.

-Wow!

-How about that?

-OK, yeah.

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Monty suggests breaking up the garden into distinct sections,

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to make it feel bigger.

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He feels the lawn should be reduced considerably.

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He suggests that they should increase the width of their border,

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and have one on either side.

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The third section of garden should be mainly

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a flower border with a path running through.

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The bench should be moved to the left-hand side

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to catch the evening sun.

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The rose arch should act as a doorway,

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separating the border area from the lawn.

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-Does that make sense?

-Yeah, it does, it does, yeah.

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-Can you do it for us?

-No. I'm not going to do anything for you.

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This is going to be your gig.

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-Yeah.

-And I tell you what, it's your money, your time, your effort.

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You're young, you're enthusiastic, you've got lots of ideas.

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If you want to be proud of yourselves,

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-you've got to walk the walk. You've got to do it.

-Definitely.

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-And you will.

-OK.

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You will. And I'll help you and I'll guide you.

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Do as much as you can yourselves.

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What they described to me with such passion

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simply wasn't reflected by the plan on paper,

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which I thought was a bit boring and bit safe.

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He's given us an idea of how to get everything we want in there,

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but just go about it a different way.

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So I think they've got to start again, get stuck in,

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do the work and make sure that all that initial energy and enthusiasm

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ends up on the ground.

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I think I might do a bit more than project managing though!

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In Bath, the boys are looking forward

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to meeting Monty for the first time.

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We've just been planning for so long for this garden.

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We just can't wait to get cracking.

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I think it's going to be weird having Monty here,

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cos Monty's been here before, but only ever on the telly.

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So he's always been about this big.

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So to see him full-size will be quite fun.

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-Ah, welcome. I'm Ant.

-Ant, hello.

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-This is Jake.

-Jake.

-Pleasure to meet you, Monty.

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-Nice to meet you.

-Come on in.

-Thank you.

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And this is it.

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It's a good it.

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Oh, it goes round the corner.

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-Yes.

-It's got a little bit to the side.

-And a lot.

-Yeah.

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How long have you been here?

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-Since October, since November?

-Yeah. October, November time.

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-Effectively, in horticultural terms, this is the first season.

-Yes.

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So what type of garden are you thinking of?

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We want a Japanese garden.

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-Right.

-We really want a Japanese garden.

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We're thinking of splitting it into two bits,

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-because we've got the bit down the side.

-Yeah.

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So the main bit would be more like a tea garden

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and kind of a strolling garden.

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And then down the side, where it's shady,

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we're thinking woodland streams, dark areas,

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kind of green and lush and cool.

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To what extent... do you want to take the influence

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and make a garden of your own,

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or do you want to make a "Japanese garden"?

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We want to make a Japanese-influenced garden, I guess.

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-OK.

-One of my main concerns is

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that we don't want it to look like a halfway garden.

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We still want it to look authentic enough,

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and still staying true to the ethos and everything else.

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And at the same time, because we have seen so many Japanese gardens,

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there's so much in our head and it's very dangerous to put all of them

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into our small garden.

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I'm glad you're saying it, not me. Because I would say it.

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The biggest mistake would be to try and cram every idea you've ever had,

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every garden you've ever seen, into your back garden.

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But the good thing is

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there are a lot of temple gardens that are precisely this size.

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Have you any idea what it's going to cost?

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At the moment, it stands at £5,000.

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Your original figure was £2,000.

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Yeah, mine was very much a finger in the air,

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not knowing what I was talking about, £2,000,

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-until we looked into it.

-£5,000 is a really healthy budget.

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£2,000 is possible, but you would be making compromises quite early on.

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I don't think we want to make any compromises.

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I'm quite impatient, and I envisage this garden when it's done,

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it's going to look mature and look like an authentic Japanese garden.

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But deep down, I know that Japanese gardens takes years,

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-if not hundreds of years to mature.

-Can I tell you something?

-Please.

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Forget the deep down.

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You've got to know, right on the surface,

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that this is going to take years.

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OK? What you do this year is the beginning.

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-OK.

-The psychology you need

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is that you're not looking at that end product,

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-you're just looking at today.

-Yeah.

-That's the gardener's mentality.

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And, actually, there's something quite nice about growing

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-with your garden.

-Absolutely. That's it.

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You and the garden grow together. The garden grows you.

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-Yeah.

-Think Zen.

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Great. Please, yeah.

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Ant and Jake's ambitious plan is for a Japanese-inspired garden,

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divided into two sections.

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The woodland area at the side of the house

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will feature a miniature stream,

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surrounded by shade-loving plants such as ferns and hostas.

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A gate opens into a space as yet undefined.

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Beyond that, the formal tea garden,

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featuring a variety of Japanese-style planting

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and stepping stones, creating a path leading to the left-hand corner.

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In the centre of the garden, an acer will rest on a mound,

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half surrounded by an intricate concrete patio.

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Monty is concerned about certain aspects of their plans.

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I am worried

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by how much of that area this hard landscaping is taking.

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-Right.

-OK.

-It's a relatively small space.

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I would consider making it smaller, and having a journey round,

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rather than just to one place.

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Monty zeroes in on a vague bit of the plan.

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And then as we come round here, into what is alarmingly called

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-"No-man's-land"...

-Yes, we were hoping you'd spot that.

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We have no idea what to do about that area.

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You can tell where the ideas ran out.

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No-man's-land is always a disaster.

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You know, incoherent, unresolved areas

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remain incoherent and unresolved.

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-Right.

-You have to resolve it.

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Monty suggests they reduce the size of the patio

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to accommodate more planting on the right-hand side of the garden.

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He also thinks they should bring

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the different sections of the garden together,

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by extending the path throughout.

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Rather than having no clear purpose,

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no-man's-land would become a third, separate section of the garden.

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The path should then continue through the woodland,

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and lead to a small teahouse that would serve as a bike shed.

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That probably would be the only bike shed

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-that looks like a Japanese teahouse in this country.

-Well...

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And I think it would both be funny...

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-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-..and practical.

-Practical.

-Yeah.

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But Ant and Jake are worried that their soil is very waterlogged,

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so Monty suggests a way to find out how big a problem they're facing.

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I would expect, in a new build like this,

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for there to be the thinnest layer of topsoil.

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-Right.

-Just enough to support grass.

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And all kinds of rubbish underneath.

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-OK.

-So we take out a square of turf.

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-However wide it is, it must be at least as deep.

-Right.

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-So, if it's two foot wide, it should be two foot deep.

-OK.

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-Fill it full of water.

-Yeah.

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And leave it, ideally, overnight.

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Let it soak away at its own pace.

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Whatever that takes.

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As much as drain away, it will be absorbed by the soil.

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Then you fill it again...

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knowing that the soil is saturated.

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So what goes then is proper drainage, as opposed to absorption.

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And depending on the rate of that fall,

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will give you a pretty good indication

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of the drainage of the soil.

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Monty says that anything more than ten hours is very slow drainage.

0:16:130:16:17

Ideally, he'd want the water to drain within four to five hours.

0:16:180:16:21

What we hope...

0:16:220:16:23

-..is that tomorrow morning it's gone!

-We do hope, yeah.

0:16:250:16:28

If in a week's time we get a phone call saying

0:16:280:16:30

it's dropped half an inch...

0:16:300:16:32

-Then we have a problem.

-And I'm off.

0:16:320:16:34

I'll be seeing you.

0:16:340:16:35

For all the knowledge and enthusiasm for a Japanese garden -

0:16:350:16:39

and I love that -

0:16:390:16:40

it pales into insignificance until they tackle the problem of the soil.

0:16:400:16:45

We knew the drainage was an issue to tackle,

0:16:450:16:47

but we just didn't realise the scale of it.

0:16:470:16:50

This is a classic new-build problem.

0:16:500:16:52

Horrible soil which has been compacted

0:16:520:16:56

and really is unsuitable for planting.

0:16:560:16:59

So until they sort that out, they really can't progress at all.

0:16:590:17:04

What have we got ourselves into?

0:17:040:17:07

Our supercompetitive dreamer, Tariq, wants an award-winning garden,

0:17:120:17:17

but Monty didn't award him any gold stars

0:17:170:17:19

when it came to his original plan.

0:17:190:17:21

So, to help him and Sira get a clearer vision,

0:17:210:17:24

Monty has invited them to the biggest gardening event

0:17:240:17:27

of the year - the Chelsea Flower Show.

0:17:270:17:30

After all, it's where the top names in the gardening world

0:17:300:17:32

compete for the title "Best In Show".

0:17:320:17:36

And Tariq has already found something he has his eye on.

0:17:360:17:39

Definitely need one of these in our garden.

0:17:390:17:42

-Oh, what, instead of the topiary chicken?

-No, as well as.

0:17:420:17:44

I think we should have a steel chicken, a topiary chicken,

0:17:440:17:48

maybe a wood one, and have a flock of chickens in my garden.

0:17:480:17:51

Oh, I don't know. I'm not really sure if I like it!

0:17:510:17:54

Much to Sira's relief,

0:17:540:17:56

Monty guides the pair away from poultry and to the LG Smart Garden -

0:17:560:18:01

a contemporary take on the outdoor room.

0:18:010:18:04

He really wants them to up their game

0:18:040:18:06

to find their own style and colour scheme.

0:18:060:18:09

I've brought you here because it's very hi-tech, very modern.

0:18:090:18:12

Unashamedly so.

0:18:120:18:14

But it does use the vernacular of conventional gardening.

0:18:140:18:17

You know, the plants are plants that could be in any garden.

0:18:170:18:20

The way you grow them is exactly the same way

0:18:200:18:22

as you would grow them in any garden.

0:18:220:18:24

So, have you any immediate feedback?

0:18:240:18:26

As soon as I walk into this garden, it feels really serene and calm,

0:18:260:18:30

modern. What's really incredible about it is the planting scheme,

0:18:300:18:33

and they've really thought about the thickness, the depth of the borders,

0:18:330:18:36

the height of the plants, how full it looks,

0:18:360:18:38

the colour scheme. Everything is just...

0:18:380:18:41

Looks really spectacular, so it's really blown me away.

0:18:410:18:43

And this is from someone who said that you weren't going to be

0:18:430:18:46

-involved in the garden itself.

-No, I know!

0:18:460:18:48

-What are you thinking?

-I think it's fantastic.

0:18:480:18:51

I love it. Bringing the inside out,

0:18:510:18:53

-and also the outside coming into the house as well.

-Yes.

0:18:530:18:56

This is a space to live in as much as to garden.

0:18:560:18:59

It is an outdoor room.

0:18:590:19:01

And that is something that more and more people are using and doing.

0:19:020:19:06

If you look at the planting, the colour scheme is actually very soft.

0:19:060:19:09

-Yeah.

-It's very pretty.

0:19:090:19:11

The colour palette is actually quite modest and pared down.

0:19:110:19:16

But that's always a good thing.

0:19:170:19:18

Originally, I was thinking I just wanted lots of bright colour

0:19:180:19:21

-in one place.

-Yeah, I know.

-And which I've said.

0:19:210:19:23

The one thing I've noticed that all the gardens we've seen at Chelsea,

0:19:230:19:26

is the palette, like how amazing just a palette can look

0:19:260:19:29

with a few colours, rather than throw too much in there.

0:19:290:19:32

-Some of the gardens are very, very subtle indeed.

-Yeah.

0:19:320:19:35

How many plants do you have to get to make a garden?

0:19:350:19:39

It has often been said, the fewer the better.

0:19:390:19:42

But, at the moment, just think of colours and shapes,

0:19:420:19:45

and how you want to use the space.

0:19:450:19:47

Monty also wants to show them another garden,

0:19:490:19:52

designed by Charlie Albone.

0:19:520:19:54

It's a relaxing space

0:19:540:19:56

that provides a retreat from the speed of modern living.

0:19:560:19:59

What I thought might interest you is, one -

0:19:590:20:01

-it's very different to the other garden.

-Yeah.

0:20:010:20:04

-And, two - it's got much more structure.

-Yeah.

0:20:040:20:07

You know, ranging from the fact that he's dug down

0:20:070:20:09

to have a lawn down that you have steps down into,

0:20:090:20:11

the stepped box hedging that makes it create the structure,

0:20:110:20:15

and then, of course, the colour scheme -

0:20:150:20:17

-totally different...

-Yeah.

-..but just as controlled.

0:20:170:20:20

-Yeah.

-If you look at it, it's within a very defined palette

0:20:200:20:23

of rich plums and purples,

0:20:230:20:25

and these silvery colours with touches of white.

0:20:250:20:29

-I love this garden.

-Yeah.

-Absolutely love it.

0:20:290:20:31

I like the small lawn area which we could incorporate into our garden.

0:20:310:20:34

-The height is really interesting.

-The height's important, yes.

0:20:340:20:37

Really interesting. They've got these amazing hedges on stilts,

0:20:370:20:40

then you've got the amazing colour palette, and it...

0:20:400:20:43

It's very striking.

0:20:430:20:44

Both these gardens, in their very different ways, have taken a theme.

0:20:440:20:50

They're both about people relaxing.

0:20:500:20:52

They're both modern.

0:20:520:20:54

They both have a limited colour palette.

0:20:540:20:57

And they do it in a very different way.

0:20:570:20:59

-Yeah.

-They're coming at the same problem from different angles...

0:20:590:21:03

-Yeah, yeah.

-..to make a relaxing urban space.

0:21:030:21:06

The key thing is to try and sort of find out what, really, you want...

0:21:060:21:11

-Yeah.

-..and then make it happen. Rather than what you ought to want,

0:21:110:21:14

-or what other people want, or what...

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

0:21:140:21:17

It's got to come from inside you.

0:21:170:21:19

-Yeah.

-Or else it won't work.

0:21:190:21:21

Today's been fantastic.

0:21:230:21:25

It's been really great to come to Chelsea.

0:21:250:21:26

I think one of the main things I've taken away is the interest

0:21:260:21:30

and depth you can create with height and having a colour palette,

0:21:300:21:33

and not confusing the colour palette,

0:21:330:21:35

keeping it quite clean and thinking about the feel of the garden,

0:21:350:21:38

like how we want the colours to make us feel.

0:21:380:21:40

I think they're beginning to see what they like

0:21:400:21:44

without necessarily knowing why they like it,

0:21:440:21:47

or how to achieve it in their own garden.

0:21:470:21:49

And that's a really important step.

0:21:490:21:51

So hopefully, they will leave here

0:21:510:21:53

not trying to emulate the professionalism of Chelsea...

0:21:530:21:57

..but having found a place in their hearts

0:21:580:22:01

that they can then follow wherever it takes them.

0:22:010:22:05

In Bath, the plan for a Japanese garden has been stalled

0:22:120:22:15

by the drainage issue.

0:22:150:22:17

Monty was here a week ago and he gave us some homework to do.

0:22:170:22:19

We did some digging of holes.

0:22:190:22:21

Yeah. And he left us with a hole full of water.

0:22:210:22:23

And by the looks of it, it's still there.

0:22:230:22:26

Has it gone up?

0:22:260:22:27

No. But it doesn't look like...

0:22:270:22:29

That's seven centimetres it's gone down in a week.

0:22:290:22:32

So if that was in an hour, that would have been perfect.

0:22:320:22:35

-Yeah.

-But this is in a week.

-This is a week.

0:22:350:22:37

The boys have dug several holes around the garden,

0:22:370:22:40

to see how widespread the problem is.

0:22:400:22:42

Gosh, this one is too fast!

0:22:430:22:46

It's only been an hour, and all the water's gone.

0:22:460:22:50

So we've got one hole on this side that's actually too fast.

0:22:500:22:53

There's another hole on the other side that's just standing still.

0:22:530:22:57

Right.

0:22:580:22:59

This is going to call for an extreme solution,

0:22:590:23:02

especially if they are to keep up with the now-not-so-identical garden

0:23:020:23:07

fast taking shape next door.

0:23:070:23:09

So they call on some heavy-duty machinery

0:23:100:23:13

to remove most of the garden, and start again from scratch.

0:23:130:23:17

Plan for this, tomorrow, is to put in the drain,

0:23:200:23:22

take the water out of it so it doesn't become a big sump.

0:23:220:23:26

And then gravel.

0:23:260:23:27

8 tonnes of gravel and 18 tonnes of soil on top.

0:23:280:23:31

And then we can do some landscaping and gardening.

0:23:330:23:35

So, you know, it's...

0:23:350:23:36

Mammoth task.

0:23:380:23:39

It's June in Leyton,

0:23:440:23:46

and hard-working Tariq has been busy clearing out the garden.

0:23:460:23:50

We've taken out two skips' worth of rubble.

0:23:500:23:53

We've dug out concrete blocks.

0:23:530:23:55

So that is a huge amount of work that we did.

0:23:550:23:59

I haven't really done anything, in fairness.

0:23:590:24:01

Tariq's been doing all of the hard graft.

0:24:010:24:04

This runs all the way to here.

0:24:040:24:07

Yeah, but you haven't measured it.

0:24:090:24:10

How are you going to fill that out with plants?

0:24:100:24:12

You haven't measured it, so I don't know how you know that.

0:24:120:24:15

The idea is that we get the path shape of our garden,

0:24:150:24:18

so we're just trying to peg out and map the flow,

0:24:180:24:21

and how the path meanders along.

0:24:210:24:23

You need to measure these bits, don't you,

0:24:230:24:25

so that it's brought in enough?

0:24:250:24:27

We need to do this, actually, and get it right.

0:24:270:24:30

Seems like Tariq isn't the only perfectionist in this relationship.

0:24:300:24:34

And we need to measure those bits, actually.

0:24:360:24:37

Shall we start measuring those as well?

0:24:370:24:39

-And then we can get this bit right.

-All right.

0:24:390:24:42

And that through that one.

0:24:440:24:45

Yeah, it looks better now.

0:24:490:24:51

What do you think?

0:24:510:24:52

With the path laid out and the project manager appeased,

0:24:540:24:57

it's time to move on to the rose arch.

0:24:570:25:00

I'm going to be in charge of the instructions,

0:25:000:25:02

and Tariq's going to be in charge of the labour.

0:25:020:25:04

This is the way that we work best together -

0:25:060:25:08

with me directing and him doing.

0:25:080:25:10

Sira isn't the only one keeping Tariq in line.

0:25:110:25:14

Their neighbour, Leon, is watching closely as well.

0:25:140:25:17

Can't wait to see the finish, you know, getting so excited.

0:25:190:25:22

I just hope that Tariq does it good and proper,

0:25:220:25:26

otherwise I'm going to tell him off!

0:25:260:25:28

I think before today, to me, it just looked like a big pile of muck.

0:25:300:25:34

I could probably just see all the negatives,

0:25:340:25:36

rather than see it as a space where you can actually do something.

0:25:360:25:39

And now we've started to map it out, I can kind of see Tariq's idea,

0:25:390:25:42

I can kind of see it coming to life a bit more.

0:25:420:25:44

Yeah.

0:25:460:25:47

In Bath, with the drainage issue sorted,

0:25:510:25:53

the boys are taking delivery of their brand-new,

0:25:530:25:56

and - fingers crossed - problem-free soil.

0:25:560:25:59

It's like we're starting afresh.

0:26:010:26:03

We had a hole that you could have

0:26:030:26:04

actually buried two elephants in there, no problem. For sure.

0:26:040:26:08

We've got a lot of soil in.

0:26:080:26:10

I think we've got...

0:26:100:26:11

-29 tonnes.

-29 tonnes. There we go.

0:26:110:26:13

But the hard work hasn't even started yet!

0:26:130:26:16

They're now running a month behind,

0:26:160:26:18

so the boys have called on their friends and family to make a start,

0:26:180:26:21

finally, on their garden.

0:26:210:26:23

To add salt to the wound, their competitive neighbours,

0:26:260:26:29

Jake's twin and his husband,

0:26:290:26:30

have already completed the work on their garden.

0:26:300:26:33

Our garden's fabulous, yes.

0:26:330:26:36

It couldn't be more different.

0:26:360:26:37

We paid someone to just do it.

0:26:370:26:39

It's, in comparison, a lot easier.

0:26:390:26:42

It's certainly not the relaxing experience our dreamers had in mind.

0:26:420:26:47

But they're trying to stay positive.

0:26:480:26:50

Many hands make light work,

0:26:500:26:52

and it's been so good to have so many friends frantically digging

0:26:520:26:57

and helping our dreams become reality.

0:26:570:26:59

Overall, really good day.

0:26:590:27:01

At least you can actually see the shape of it now...

0:27:010:27:03

-Yeah.

-..which is really exciting.

0:27:030:27:05

After some extensive research,

0:27:100:27:12

Tariq and Sira have come to Provender Nursery

0:27:120:27:15

to pick up some plants.

0:27:150:27:16

That's pretty. I really like that one.

0:27:180:27:19

-It's got some nice red foliage on it as well.

-And some pink as well.

0:27:190:27:22

And grab that other one at the back there. That's quite nice, too.

0:27:220:27:25

-What ones do you want?

-I want the pink ones.

0:27:250:27:28

Sira is in charge of the list, but, true to form,

0:27:280:27:31

she's letting Tariq do all the heavy lifting.

0:27:310:27:35

Want to give us a hand?

0:27:350:27:37

You're doing all right. I think you're doing all right.

0:27:390:27:41

All right.

0:27:410:27:42

At least marketing manager Liz offers to help

0:27:420:27:45

with some horticultural advice.

0:27:450:27:47

-Foxgloves.

-Yeah.

0:27:470:27:49

Otherwise known as digitalis.

0:27:490:27:51

Well, the most common foxglove is Digitalis purpurea alba,

0:27:510:27:55

which gets white flowers with little dots of pink and purple in it.

0:27:550:27:59

-Flower spikes will get to this high.

-Yeah.

0:27:590:28:02

Great plant for structure. Will self seed.

0:28:020:28:04

How many is good to get,

0:28:040:28:05

if you don't want them to overpower the whole garden?

0:28:050:28:07

With something like a digitalis, because it's a woodland plant,

0:28:070:28:10

you never see just one in the wild,

0:28:100:28:12

you always see, sort of, like a little grove.

0:28:120:28:15

It's best to try and emulate what you see in the wild,

0:28:150:28:17

so at least three.

0:28:170:28:18

Sira and Tariq are keen cooks,

0:28:190:28:21

so, next on the list, they're looking to fill up their herb bed.

0:28:210:28:25

Sage on your list.

0:28:250:28:28

-That's a good one.

-OK.

0:28:280:28:29

It's got a nice big leaf. It's a good, earthy plant.

0:28:290:28:33

-How big does it grow?

-If you're picking it,

0:28:330:28:35

to continually cook from it,

0:28:350:28:37

always take the younger leaves, rather than the older leaves,

0:28:370:28:40

-they can be a bit tough.

-OK.

0:28:400:28:41

As you can see, if you nip out the top...

0:28:410:28:44

it'll regrow from here.

0:28:440:28:46

If you're continually picking it, it'd probably get about this size,

0:28:460:28:49

-all in all.

-OK.

-And a nice, decent bush about that sort of size across.

0:28:490:28:52

Sage crossed off, it's time to move on to the next item on the list.

0:28:520:28:56

There are lots of various different types of thymes,

0:28:560:28:59

but one the best ones for cooking is actually this one.

0:28:590:29:02

That's got a really good, tough little smell to it.

0:29:020:29:06

The thing to do with thyme is, once it's flowered,

0:29:060:29:08

treat it a bit like a lavender

0:29:080:29:09

-and just cut it back to past the flowering.

-OK.

0:29:090:29:11

And, again, you'll get all this lovely, fresh, new foliage,

0:29:110:29:14

-perfect for cooking.

-Nice.

-Yeah, that's lovely.

0:29:140:29:16

I'll tell you what I've got at home, which is a great plant,

0:29:160:29:18

is parsley.

0:29:180:29:20

And the only thing with parsley is not to let it flower.

0:29:200:29:22

It does go a bit bitter if it flowers.

0:29:220:29:24

-But that overwinters really nicely.

-Oh, right.

0:29:240:29:26

Everything we've looked at is perennial,

0:29:260:29:29

so it will die down each year and come back.

0:29:290:29:31

Things like the rosemarys and the lavenders, obviously, are evergreen,

0:29:310:29:34

but there are a few things to consider, like basil.

0:29:340:29:36

-Yeah.

-Great in a salad, but that is an annual

0:29:360:29:39

so it won't overwinter.

0:29:390:29:41

Having selected their plants,

0:29:410:29:42

Liz helps the novices work out whether they have bought

0:29:420:29:45

the right ones to create their dream garden.

0:29:450:29:48

You've got a lot of lovely, strappy foliage,

0:29:480:29:51

so you've got some good structure.

0:29:510:29:52

You've got the flowering height with the verbenas,

0:29:520:29:55

and also you'll have the digitalis.

0:29:550:29:57

You've got the erysimums, the evergreen wallflower.

0:29:570:30:01

You have everything here, really,

0:30:010:30:03

herbaceous-wise, that you could possibly need.

0:30:030:30:05

So it's a really, really good selection.

0:30:050:30:07

In Bath, the Japanese-garden lovers had a complex plan for a tea garden

0:30:110:30:15

and a woodland glade.

0:30:150:30:17

And, to add to the challenge,

0:30:190:30:21

they now want to build a Zen garden on their no-man's-land.

0:30:210:30:24

Monty has sent them to the Japanese Garden in Cornwall to meet owner

0:30:250:30:29

Robert Hore, who began developing his meditative garden in 1991.

0:30:290:30:34

Robert shares his experience of how to achieve

0:30:380:30:41

the elegance and deceptive simplicity of a Zen garden.

0:30:410:30:44

They were first built by Zen Buddhists,

0:30:450:30:48

and it was part of their sort of meditation process -

0:30:480:30:51

the raking, the cleaning.

0:30:510:30:53

It is a spiritual experience, if you like.

0:30:530:30:55

There is an energy that people pick up on.

0:30:550:30:58

This is very calming.

0:30:580:31:00

We've had virtually every reaction you can imagine from this.

0:31:000:31:02

-Yeah?

-Some people have cried.

0:31:020:31:05

What was the theory behind the rocks,

0:31:060:31:08

in terms of the position of them?

0:31:080:31:10

And do they symbolise anything for you?

0:31:100:31:12

If you saw it, sort of, man is the smallest part to the earth,

0:31:120:31:18

to the universe, it does put it all in perspective.

0:31:180:31:23

Wow.

0:31:230:31:25

Robert explains that stones have played an important role

0:31:250:31:28

in Japanese culture since ancient times.

0:31:280:31:30

In Zen gardens, larger stones can symbolise mountains,

0:31:320:31:36

islands or waterfalls...

0:31:360:31:38

..while gravel and sand replace water.

0:31:390:31:42

It took ages to get the rocks here.

0:31:430:31:46

But it took a lot longer to actually get them to sit together.

0:31:460:31:50

-Right.

-And there's nothing really tangible you can say,

0:31:500:31:53

-until it's right.

-Yeah.

0:31:530:31:55

-That's interesting, cos it looks right.

-Yeah.

0:31:550:31:58

-I can't describe why it looks right.

-Yes.

-It just looks right.

0:31:580:32:01

I would love to know how you create the lines in the gravel.

0:32:010:32:05

Well, would you like me to show you how to rake it?

0:32:050:32:07

-I'd love to see that.

-Fine.

0:32:070:32:10

So, it's a relatively simple dowelled wooden rake.

0:32:100:32:13

And I use a wavy line around the stones,

0:32:130:32:18

to almost symbolise waves around islands.

0:32:180:32:21

Yeah.

0:32:210:32:22

-This gravel does show the lines really well.

-Yeah.

0:32:250:32:29

-Are you putting much weight on it, or are you just dragging it?

-No.

0:32:310:32:34

Literally, you're just dragging it through.

0:32:340:32:37

When you first started,

0:32:420:32:43

how did you know where to rake and what lines you're going to make?

0:32:430:32:47

-I played with lots of different designs.

-Yeah.

0:32:470:32:50

But this is the one I've actually used now

0:32:500:32:52

-for about the last 20 years-ish.

-Wow.

0:32:520:32:55

And it's a new day again.

0:32:580:33:00

Great.

0:33:140:33:15

The only thing I would say is,

0:33:150:33:17

see here, where you've come

0:33:170:33:18

to meet the other one?

0:33:180:33:20

-Yeah.

-If you just

0:33:200:33:21

blend it in, it becomes complete,

0:33:210:33:24

and you can't see

0:33:240:33:26

where you've stopped and started.

0:33:260:33:27

Today was brilliant.

0:33:300:33:32

I loved it. I learned quite a lot.

0:33:320:33:34

Yeah. It's really impressive.

0:33:340:33:36

We were actually blown away, just how authentic it looked,

0:33:370:33:40

and how much attention he put into every detail in this garden.

0:33:400:33:43

And how much work that he actually put into this place!

0:33:430:33:46

-Yes!

-So much commitment.

-Years and years of work.

0:33:460:33:48

In Leyton, the hard landscaping for their dream award-winning,

0:33:580:34:02

cottage-style garden has been completed.

0:34:020:34:05

And while Sira has been busy ordering even more plants,

0:34:070:34:10

Tariq has a characteristically organised plan

0:34:100:34:13

for looking after them.

0:34:130:34:14

I think we bought so many plants that it's going to be difficult

0:34:150:34:19

to keep track of it all.

0:34:190:34:20

So we're going to have to create some sort of spreadsheet,

0:34:200:34:23

or like a booklet of plants and how to look after them.

0:34:230:34:27

The plants haven't arrived yet,

0:34:280:34:30

but what has arrived is a whole lot of manure -

0:34:300:34:33

two tonnes of it.

0:34:330:34:34

Monty had told Tariq he needed to do something about the bad soil.

0:34:340:34:39

I'm shovelling...

0:34:390:34:40

..composted horse manure in preparation for hundreds of plants

0:34:410:34:47

that are going to arrive next week.

0:34:470:34:49

Smells pretty bad.

0:34:510:34:52

It's got to be done, cos our soil's not very good.

0:34:530:34:56

I need to enrich it.

0:34:560:34:57

And as ever, neighbour Leon is keeping an eye on his handiwork.

0:34:570:35:02

I know, I know it smells.

0:35:020:35:04

Sorry, Leon.

0:35:040:35:05

-Is that all you're digging in?

-Yeah.

0:35:060:35:09

That's not enough, is it?

0:35:090:35:10

Well, two, nearly two tonnes.

0:35:100:35:13

-Oh, over there, yeah.

-Yeah.

0:35:130:35:14

In Bath, following their inspirational trip,

0:35:230:35:27

Jake and Ant have been working hard to get things to the next stage

0:35:270:35:30

before their mentor's visit.

0:35:300:35:32

Monty's curious to see how the boys have been getting on.

0:35:320:35:36

I've been thinking about this garden quite a lot.

0:35:360:35:38

Japanese gardens are not easy,

0:35:380:35:40

and especially ones as complex and as ambitious as they've done.

0:35:400:35:45

So I do hope that they've got the soil sorted

0:35:450:35:49

and they've made a bit of a start,

0:35:490:35:50

because otherwise they're going to be cutting it fine.

0:35:500:35:53

MONTY WHISTLES

0:35:550:35:57

Hello!

0:35:570:35:59

-Hello.

-Hi, Monty.

0:35:590:36:01

And I thought perhaps you wouldn't have done much.

0:36:010:36:03

-Good to see you again.

-Nice to see you, nice to see you.

0:36:050:36:07

-Welcome.

-I'm really, really impressed.

-Welcome back.

0:36:070:36:11

OK. I left you...

0:36:120:36:14

..walking away thinking, "Ooh, they've got a problem."

0:36:150:36:18

-Yeah.

-How big a problem was it?

0:36:180:36:20

In the end, we had to... get the whole garden dug out.

0:36:200:36:23

And then put in two gigantic soakaway boxes,

0:36:230:36:26

and then 21 more tonnes of soil on top of that. Yeah.

0:36:260:36:30

-Whole new garden!

-Yup.

0:36:300:36:32

When I said you need to get the soil sorted out,

0:36:320:36:35

I certainly didn't think that would mean

0:36:350:36:38

essentially carving out the hillside and replacing it.

0:36:380:36:42

It's quite rare for people to go to such lengths to make a garden.

0:36:420:36:46

And you have got going in a way that I hadn't begun to anticipate.

0:36:480:36:53

We took on your suggestions.

0:36:530:36:57

And we changed a bit of it. Most notably, I think, the paving.

0:36:570:37:00

-Right.

-You called it crazed paving.

0:37:000:37:02

It was slightly crazed,

0:37:020:37:03

and we reduced it down to the minimum size we could.

0:37:030:37:06

-Right.

-And a table and chairs.

0:37:060:37:07

And you've been aggressively planting.

0:37:070:37:10

Well, what you're looking at is the 1,560 camomile,

0:37:100:37:13

-individually planted.

-Yes. We've done the camomile.

0:37:130:37:16

You have done the camomile.

0:37:160:37:18

You've really done the camomile!

0:37:180:37:21

Time for Monty to get to work.

0:37:210:37:23

And tell me what your volcano is doing.

0:37:230:37:25

That is where the acer is going to live.

0:37:250:37:28

And that's something we need help with.

0:37:280:37:30

Normally, with an acer,

0:37:300:37:32

you'd say plant, ideally, between October and March.

0:37:320:37:36

The reason for that, even if it's in a pot,

0:37:360:37:39

is that the roots will grow to a certain extent,

0:37:390:37:42

but the leaves won't,

0:37:420:37:43

so therefore not making demands upon the roots.

0:37:430:37:46

Planting now, especially if it's hot and dry,

0:37:460:37:49

-quite a lot of demands on the roots.

-Yeah.

0:37:490:37:51

So you may well have to water much more than you otherwise would.

0:37:510:37:55

-OK, right.

-But let's get it in the ground.

0:37:550:37:58

Yeah, that's good.

0:37:580:38:00

-Yeah, I've got...

-OK.

0:38:020:38:05

That's too low in the hole.

0:38:050:38:07

OK, so the top, that point, I want to be

0:38:070:38:09

about an inch above the soil level.

0:38:090:38:12

So about like that. OK?

0:38:120:38:13

So if I lift this out,

0:38:130:38:14

can one of you two get enough soil to put underneath it, OK?

0:38:140:38:18

Because they are moving the acer

0:38:200:38:22

outside of the normal planting season,

0:38:220:38:24

Monty advises using mycorrhizal fungus,

0:38:240:38:28

which he says should help to extend the root system

0:38:280:38:31

and increase absorption.

0:38:310:38:33

Now, what you have to do with this is put it onto the roots,

0:38:340:38:39

and also put it on the soil. So...

0:38:390:38:42

Turn it a bit again. One more.

0:38:420:38:43

That is pretty much...

0:38:430:38:45

Right. Next step is for you to stand back and tell me

0:38:470:38:50

-where to position it so you're happy.

-OK.

0:38:500:38:53

-OK.

-What I'd like is the longest arch to come over here.

0:38:530:38:57

-Yeah.

-Come about 90 degrees around.

0:38:570:39:00

-Like that?

-Little bit more.

0:39:000:39:01

-Perfect.

-So, we'll water that thoroughly.

0:39:020:39:06

You want to get right down to the roots at the bottom.

0:39:060:39:08

That should do it. That should do it.

0:39:100:39:11

Finish all watering before you mulch,

0:39:130:39:14

because otherwise the mulch acts as a blotting paper

0:39:140:39:17

and soaks up moisture, and you want the water to go down to the roots

0:39:170:39:20

and then the mulch keeps it in.

0:39:200:39:22

Let's stand back and look at the handiwork.

0:39:250:39:27

-I think that's pretty good, don't you?

-It's perfect.

0:39:280:39:31

-It transforms the garden, I think.

-Yeah.

0:39:310:39:35

Although the tea garden is nearly complete,

0:39:350:39:37

the pair still have two more sections to tackle.

0:39:370:39:40

When I said that it's all about the soil, it's going to be a big job,

0:39:400:39:44

I didn't realise it was going to be as big as it turned out.

0:39:440:39:47

And they've created a completely new garden.

0:39:470:39:51

It amasses, and it looks good.

0:39:510:39:53

They've got to do this side section.

0:39:530:39:55

And there's a lot to do, but all the evidence is that they'll do it...

0:39:550:39:59

..and they'll do it well.

0:40:000:40:01

We've planted a load of stuff together.

0:40:010:40:03

You quite like doing a bit of gardening now.

0:40:030:40:06

-I like parts of it.

-Parts of it.

0:40:060:40:08

-Yeah.

-But that's better than none.

0:40:080:40:09

I wouldn't do...I wouldn't do this hard work for other people,

0:40:090:40:12

but for your own garden, it's worth the hard work, definitely.

0:40:120:40:16

Yeah, for sure.

0:40:160:40:17

In Leyton, Tariq and Sira are looking forward to moving on

0:40:210:40:25

to the next stage of the garden.

0:40:250:40:27

I feel like all the hard work has been done.

0:40:270:40:29

All the digging, the patio laying, putting up the fence and the shed.

0:40:290:40:33

This has been a really hard work,

0:40:330:40:34

-like, for Tariq.

-Yeah.

0:40:340:40:37

But Sira has been thinking hard about their colour scheme,

0:40:370:40:41

taking inspiration from the gardens Monty showed them at Chelsea.

0:40:410:40:45

We tried to, like, have some more confidence

0:40:450:40:47

in putting the garden together and, like, choosing the plants.

0:40:470:40:51

-And I hope that he can see that we've tried to do that.

-Yeah.

0:40:510:40:54

Topiary chicken, we haven't got that yet.

0:40:540:40:57

Any sort of chickens or goats, we don't have in our garden yet.

0:40:570:41:00

We wanted them, but...

0:41:000:41:01

This is a garden where I really don't have to worry

0:41:010:41:06

how much work they've done since my last visit.

0:41:060:41:08

I know they will have been at it like a bull at the gate.

0:41:080:41:12

Tariq and Sira are desperate to show how well they're doing

0:41:120:41:17

and get approval. And whilst that's completely admirable,

0:41:170:41:20

I do hope that they're learning to enjoy the process.

0:41:200:41:23

And, both figuratively and literally,

0:41:230:41:27

learning how important it is to stop and smell the roses.

0:41:270:41:32

Wow. Wow, wow, wow. You've been busy, Tariq.

0:41:330:41:36

So you have done a huge amount.

0:41:360:41:37

Have you done it all, or have you got people in to help?

0:41:370:41:40

Probably about 90% of it I've done.

0:41:400:41:41

You have come on leaps and bounds. I mean, this is really a lot.

0:41:410:41:45

We're pleased with it, yeah.

0:41:450:41:47

There's one big question that I'm burning to know is -

0:41:470:41:50

have you enjoyed it?

0:41:500:41:52

It's been a really good experience and process

0:41:520:41:55

and I've enjoyed it, like, so much.

0:41:550:41:58

Going to the garden centre...

0:41:580:41:59

Because both of you are very outcome-orientated, aren't you?

0:41:590:42:03

-It's all about achieving goals.

-Yeah.

-Hitting marks.

0:42:030:42:06

-Yeah, exactly!

-Winning, being best, coming top, all that sort of stuff.

0:42:060:42:11

Seeing the progress, from seeing it look like an absolute derelict,

0:42:110:42:15

horrible garden, to seeing it start to take some shape

0:42:150:42:18

and start to look pleasant, I think has been an achievement.

0:42:180:42:22

-Yeah.

-So we've kind of got the satisfaction from that,

0:42:220:42:24

and now the rest of it is learning.

0:42:240:42:26

I see you've been buying plants...

0:42:260:42:28

-..in a biggish way.

-Oh!

-Sira's been buying plants.

0:42:290:42:32

Yeah, I enjoyed doing the plant shopping.

0:42:320:42:34

So we took, like, lots of inspiration from

0:42:340:42:37

-what we saw at Chelsea.

-We went for a purple and white...

0:42:370:42:41

-And pink.

-..kind of hue.

-Right.

0:42:410:42:42

-Yeah.

-There is a distinct colour theme emerging in that.

0:42:420:42:45

-What would you like me to help you with?

-We've got lots of jobs,

0:42:450:42:48

but I think one of the biggest ones

0:42:480:42:50

is getting those plants in our big border.

0:42:500:42:53

So we want to be able to dot them around.

0:42:530:42:55

So Monty and Tariq's mum, Sheda, get straight to work.

0:42:550:42:59

You can control him, because you're probably the only person who can!

0:42:590:43:04

So if we start, say, with the box.

0:43:040:43:06

How do you see that shaping up?

0:43:060:43:07

Where had you thought of these?

0:43:070:43:09

We were thinking along here.

0:43:090:43:11

-OK.

-Three boxes along here.

0:43:110:43:13

-One...

-To try and draw your eye into...

0:43:130:43:16

Two... And what about the cones?

0:43:160:43:19

The cones, we were thinking to have one here.

0:43:190:43:22

-Yeah.

-One here, and one here.

0:43:220:43:24

-OK.

-Yeah, to create a kind of gateway

0:43:240:43:26

-as you're going through here.

-So, start over this side.

0:43:260:43:29

-So you think one there?

-Yeah.

0:43:290:43:31

So, we have structure either side of the path, there...

0:43:340:43:38

-Yeah.

-..structure either side of the path, there...

0:43:380:43:40

-Yes.

-..and line it up.

0:43:400:43:42

Fine. Good. That makes sense.

0:43:420:43:44

So now, thinking of more structure, the biggest plants...

0:43:440:43:47

Let's get these agapanthus out.

0:43:470:43:49

-Yeah.

-How had you thought of them working?

0:43:490:43:51

We wanted to have the height kind of maybe in the centre,

0:43:510:43:54

and then we were kind of thinking of having grasses around,

0:43:540:43:57

so you could look through.

0:43:570:43:58

Seems to be going well.

0:43:580:44:00

But perhaps Sira hasn't done quite as much research as she thought.

0:44:000:44:03

See here?

0:44:030:44:04

Agapanthus flowers best when it's crammed into a container.

0:44:040:44:09

-Right.

-Put this into this nice, rich soil -

0:44:090:44:11

you'll have lots of leaves and no flowers.

0:44:110:44:13

Oh, right, OK. We don't want that.

0:44:130:44:15

So, either they've got to go somewhere with poor soil,

0:44:150:44:19

-and preferably a bit stony, or in a pot.

-Right.

0:44:190:44:24

Having worked so hard up to this point,

0:44:240:44:27

Tariq is not going to be deterred.

0:44:270:44:29

Can we plant them in a pot in the ground?

0:44:290:44:31

You could. You could do that.

0:44:310:44:33

We've got six of them. Do we stick them all together in one big pot?

0:44:330:44:36

Yeah, because these are quite small. I mean...

0:44:360:44:38

Because they like to be crowded, you can cram them into a pot.

0:44:380:44:41

Probably what you'd do is have two pots and have three in each pot.

0:44:410:44:44

-Yeah, that's what we'd want to do.

-And you would pack them tight.

0:44:440:44:47

Don't give them too much room.

0:44:470:44:49

They need only about an inch round the outside of soil.

0:44:490:44:52

And that would work.

0:44:520:44:54

Alongside the agapanthus,

0:44:540:44:55

Sira has chosen verbena and echinacea to add height...

0:44:550:45:00

..while fountain grass and Mexican feather grass

0:45:020:45:06

soften the overall look.

0:45:060:45:08

This is a plant which you grow, as much as anything else,

0:45:090:45:13

-for its texture.

-Yeah.

-You know, it's...

0:45:130:45:15

-And the one thing they need and they like is good drainage.

-Right.

0:45:150:45:20

So this is... You know when we saw the garden in Chelsea?

0:45:200:45:23

-Yeah.

-And it had the silver bits that were in with the purple.

0:45:230:45:26

-That's where I got the inspiration for these ones.

-So many plants.

0:45:260:45:28

Here's a thought.

0:45:280:45:30

-You could do that.

-That's nice, actually.

0:45:320:45:35

What we're trying to do is build up a rhythm, of colour and texture

0:45:350:45:40

and shape, that feels natural

0:45:400:45:43

but has actually got a very distinct colour palette...

0:45:430:45:46

..and texture. This is all quite light.

0:45:470:45:50

And soft. Both in colour and shape.

0:45:500:45:53

There are no spiky plants.

0:45:530:45:54

-No.

-There's nothing too rigid or hard,

0:45:540:45:57

and the grasses make it softer like that.

0:45:570:45:59

I think this is progress.

0:45:590:46:01

The progress to me is that you're thinking about how plants work.

0:46:010:46:04

There is no right and wrong way about this,

0:46:040:46:06

it's what you want and what works well.

0:46:060:46:09

Well, initially Monty's approval was the only thing we ever wanted.

0:46:100:46:14

And his blessing, and him saying how great we were doing.

0:46:150:46:18

What I think is beginning to happen,

0:46:180:46:22

is they are learning to exercise their own judgment,

0:46:220:46:26

and not see the garden through the eyes of other people,

0:46:260:46:29

and looking for their approval.

0:46:290:46:31

And that is a huge step.

0:46:310:46:34

I think we've got the confidence now

0:46:340:46:36

to just get on with it and do it ourselves.

0:46:360:46:38

In Bath, Jake is relishing his new-found love of gardening.

0:46:430:46:47

Before this garden, cactus died in my office.

0:46:470:46:50

I was that bad with plants.

0:46:500:46:52

You could kill a plastic plant, I think I used to say.

0:46:520:46:55

Yeah. I probably would, actually.

0:46:550:46:57

But it gives you confidence to think, actually,

0:46:570:46:59

the camomile that I planted,

0:46:590:47:01

they're thriving and they're growing into a lawn, so that's quite nice.

0:47:010:47:04

That's a nice feeling, something I didn't anticipate.

0:47:040:47:07

Today, they're starting on the shaded woodland area of the garden.

0:47:090:47:13

They're making interconnected ponds,

0:47:130:47:16

which will be surrounded by a variety of ferns and hostas.

0:47:160:47:19

Things that I dreaded

0:47:220:47:24

actually now doesn't seem that big of a deal any more.

0:47:240:47:27

When we talked about moving tonnes of soil, or rocks,

0:47:270:47:31

or aggregate from the front of the house to the back of the garden,

0:47:310:47:35

I was like, "Oh, my God, how are you ever supposed to do that?"

0:47:350:47:38

I mean, that's not something for a human, it's for machinery.

0:47:380:47:41

But now, like the other day, we're like,

0:47:410:47:43

OK, let's get two tonnes of rocks.

0:47:430:47:45

We're just going to place them around the pond.

0:47:450:47:47

I was like, "OK, we'll just do it one at a time."

0:47:470:47:50

And things don't seem that big a deal for me any more.

0:47:500:47:53

We've still got quite a lot of work to do.

0:47:530:47:55

-Yeah.

-Behind us.

-Oh, I'm confident that it's going to be done.

0:47:550:47:58

And I'm quite excited about seeing the whole...

0:47:580:48:01

whole three gardens together, really, when everything's done.

0:48:010:48:04

It's September in Leyton, and the big day has arrived.

0:48:120:48:16

Monty is on his way to see

0:48:160:48:17

if all of Tariq and Sira's hard work and ambition has paid off.

0:48:170:48:22

We're not looking for grades.

0:48:220:48:24

We're not people who look for grades any more.

0:48:240:48:27

We used to want a grade.

0:48:270:48:28

We wanted to be A star students.

0:48:280:48:31

Despite their energy, enthusiasm and willingness to work really hard,

0:48:310:48:37

all the way along they wanted my approval.

0:48:370:48:39

So above all, I hope that THEY like it,

0:48:400:48:44

THEY approve of what they've done and don't really care what I think.

0:48:440:48:49

It'd be great if he - as, like, the top gardener in the country -

0:48:490:48:52

thought that it was a nice garden.

0:48:520:48:54

I'm extremely proud of what we've done,

0:48:540:48:56

but mainly extremely proud of what Tariq's done.

0:48:560:48:59

He's just been relentless with his, kind of,

0:48:590:49:01

being motivated to do the project.

0:49:010:49:04

-Hi.

-Hi, Tariq.

0:49:050:49:06

Just four months ago,

0:49:080:49:09

this shabby back yard was nothing but a dumping ground.

0:49:090:49:12

But now, it is a charming and welcoming space

0:49:210:49:24

in which to entertain guests.

0:49:240:49:26

A well-stocked herb garden will keep the cooks busy.

0:49:310:49:34

And a pastel colour palette and soft grasses

0:49:360:49:39

provide a warm and relaxing atmosphere...

0:49:390:49:42

..while striking topiary and bold paving add structure.

0:49:460:49:50

And Tariq has even managed to include an iron chicken.

0:49:530:49:57

-Grasses are looking great, aren't they?

-Yeah.

0:50:050:50:07

They're coming into their own.

0:50:070:50:08

They'll look better and better over the next few weeks.

0:50:080:50:11

-Yeah.

-The topiary looks nice and crisp

0:50:110:50:12

and the verbena is still holding up right and good. That's fantastic.

0:50:120:50:16

And your herb garden, which is bathed in sunshine.

0:50:160:50:19

-It's baking hot.

-Yeah.

-It's the Mediterranean section of...

0:50:190:50:22

-Yeah, that's good.

-Yeah.

-No problems there at all.

0:50:220:50:25

Let's talk about money. What was the notional budget?

0:50:250:50:28

-I think we said seven.

-I think we said seven.

-Yeah.

-Right.

0:50:280:50:30

We just said £7,000 was a reasonable amount to spend.

0:50:300:50:33

And what did you base that on?

0:50:330:50:35

Percentage of what we spent on the house.

0:50:350:50:36

OK, well, that's not a stupid idea.

0:50:360:50:38

-Yeah.

-So, what did you spend?

0:50:380:50:40

-About ten, I think.

-Right.

0:50:400:50:42

I'd say probably just like, maybe close to nine, actually, but...

0:50:420:50:45

OK, so it was a bit over the notional budget.

0:50:450:50:48

-Yeah, but not...

-But not massively.

0:50:480:50:50

-No.

-No.

0:50:500:50:51

And what ate up most of the money?

0:50:510:50:53

The fence cost a lot of money.

0:50:530:50:54

The patio paving cost a lot.

0:50:540:50:57

And the plants cost a lot.

0:50:570:50:58

-Yeah.

-Could have cost twice,

0:50:580:51:00

-three times as much if we didn't do it ourselves.

-Yeah.

0:51:000:51:02

I was very impressed by the way that you did get stuck in

0:51:020:51:05

-and you did it. Did you enjoy that?

-I thought it was great.

-Good.

0:51:050:51:08

It's brilliant. It's our garden and it's a place for us to enjoy.

0:51:080:51:11

-Yeah.

-We've got everything that we want in it,

0:51:110:51:13

and we can enjoy every single aspect of it.

0:51:130:51:15

So it doesn't really matter if you don't like it or others don't.

0:51:150:51:18

-Music to my ears.

-We're enjoying it. It's fantastic for us.

0:51:180:51:21

That's what I want to hear.

0:51:210:51:22

This garden was built for entertaining,

0:51:240:51:26

so it's time to get the tea party started.

0:51:260:51:29

Tariq and Sira,

0:51:310:51:33

you've achieved a huge amount,

0:51:330:51:35

and the real success, the biggest reward,

0:51:350:51:38

the biggest thing you can ever win is a little bit of quiet pleasure.

0:51:380:51:43

So, to a garden with a long life of quiet pleasure.

0:51:430:51:48

-I wish you every success.

-Thank you.

0:51:480:51:51

-ALL:

-Cheers!

0:51:510:51:52

Oh, I think the garden was in a terrible state.

0:51:550:51:59

Considering it was growing brickwork before, now they're growing flowers.

0:51:590:52:03

Everything's come together really well.

0:52:040:52:06

You've got a lovely variety of plants here, and colours.

0:52:060:52:09

You know, it's looking a really lovely place to sit out and relax.

0:52:090:52:12

After all the hard work, it looks stunning.

0:52:130:52:15

It's perfect, really, for them. You know?

0:52:150:52:17

I think all the hard work's paid off.

0:52:170:52:19

I love the garden. I think it's just...

0:52:200:52:22

I can't stop looking at it. I'm like, "Wow, we did this."

0:52:220:52:25

-Yeah.

-It's amazing.

0:52:250:52:27

It's lovely. It's lovely. I love my garden.

0:52:270:52:29

The garden is a success on many, many levels.

0:52:290:52:33

It looks great, it completes the house.

0:52:330:52:37

Tariq and Sira are winners.

0:52:370:52:40

But they haven't defeated anybody.

0:52:400:52:42

They're winning because they've made something lovely.

0:52:420:52:45

And that's real success.

0:52:450:52:47

In Bath, the boys are nervously awaiting Monty's final visit.

0:52:530:52:57

It feels like exam day,

0:52:570:52:59

so I'm a little anxious.

0:52:590:53:01

I think the biggest transformation is standing next to me,

0:53:010:53:04

in terms of gardening.

0:53:040:53:06

I don't know what I'm going to do with myself on a Saturday,

0:53:060:53:09

not going to the garden centre any more.

0:53:090:53:11

I think he will like it.

0:53:110:53:13

I hope.

0:53:130:53:14

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this garden has ended up.

0:53:160:53:22

And I know that these guys will have researched it very thoroughly,

0:53:220:53:26

and put a huge amount of work in.

0:53:260:53:29

To take this brilliantly executed concept,

0:53:290:53:33

and then make it alive and live for the future is the real challenge.

0:53:330:53:38

Four months ago,

0:53:410:53:42

this dull and uninspiring back garden was riddled with problems.

0:53:420:53:47

Mmm...

0:53:490:53:50

But now, it has a brand-new lease of life.

0:53:560:53:59

The iconic Zen garden provides a serene area for contemplation.

0:54:010:54:06

In time, the woodland pond will be covered

0:54:090:54:12

in a canopy of lush, green foliage.

0:54:120:54:14

The Japanese tea garden, swathed in a camomile carpet...

0:54:200:54:24

..with a glorious acer centrepiece -

0:54:270:54:30

the perfect place to reflect on many fond memories of far-away travels.

0:54:300:54:34

That has really grown.

0:54:390:54:41

It's matured surprisingly.

0:54:410:54:44

-The acer that we moved.

-Yes.

-I like the way that it's looking.

0:54:440:54:48

-It's looking very healthy.

-I'm really happy.

-Yeah.

0:54:480:54:50

It seems to have settled down.

0:54:500:54:52

And I like the screen that the bamboo is forming.

0:54:520:54:55

-Yeah.

-And that will grow and spread.

0:54:550:54:57

-Yeah.

-And your cherry is flowering.

0:54:570:54:59

-Yes.

-Hey, you've got your Japanese cherry flowering.

0:54:590:55:01

It came out for you!

0:55:010:55:02

Let's go through the trials and tribulations.

0:55:020:55:05

-Oh, God.

-How long have we got?

0:55:050:55:08

Was that catastrophically expensive?

0:55:080:55:11

It was very expensive,

0:55:110:55:12

even though the developer very kindly picked up the bill

0:55:120:55:15

-for a large part of the work.

-Yeah.

-We had to bring in a lot of soil.

0:55:150:55:19

-So it was very expensive.

-So it did blow the budget.

0:55:190:55:21

-Yeah.

-I mean, that alone...

0:55:210:55:23

is beyond most people's lifetime experience

0:55:230:55:25

-of dealing with problems like this.

-Probably.

0:55:250:55:28

To dig out to a seven-foot depth

0:55:280:55:30

across the whole garden and replace it.

0:55:300:55:32

-I'd never come across that before.

-Oh, really?

0:55:320:55:34

No, I mean, that is really extreme.

0:55:340:55:37

So you began... in the most dramatic way possible.

0:55:370:55:41

Actually, it was stressful at the time, for sure.

0:55:410:55:44

But now, it actually gives us comfort and confidence knowing

0:55:440:55:48

exactly what's underneath there. We know the soakaway's working,

0:55:480:55:51

we know the topsoil is good quality.

0:55:510:55:53

That actually is quite nice to know.

0:55:530:55:54

How much over budget are you? Now that you've finished.

0:55:540:55:57

The original was £5,000, wasn't it?

0:55:570:55:59

-Yeah.

-Altogether, it was 14.

0:55:590:56:01

-Ooh!

-Yes.

0:56:010:56:03

Gosh, I wasn't expecting that. It's a lot of money, isn't it?

0:56:040:56:07

We looked at how much we spent on holidays to Japan...

0:56:080:56:11

-Yeah.

-..for one thing. How much time we'd spend in the garden,

0:56:110:56:14

how much time we'd spend enjoying it with friends.

0:56:140:56:17

What you get back is bigger than the cost of it.

0:56:170:56:19

I think you can't possibly spend money better, in a better way.

0:56:190:56:23

So, you know, I'm with you.

0:56:230:56:25

-Now, I want to go and have a good look at the gravel garden.

-Please.

0:56:250:56:28

And I want to see around the side, which I haven't seen yet.

0:56:280:56:31

-So the path comes up here, and leads us through.

-Yeah.

0:56:310:56:35

It's very pure. Very pure.

0:56:350:56:37

-And I like the gravel very much.

-Thank you.

0:56:370:56:39

And into the shade garden.

0:56:430:56:45

And it's cool. Really cool.

0:56:460:56:48

I think the sort of monochromatic effect works.

0:56:480:56:51

-It could be lusher.

-Yes.

0:56:520:56:54

-Yeah, yeah.

-But that'll come.

0:56:540:56:55

Well, I think you should feel very, very pleased with yourselves,

0:56:550:57:01

because you've made a great garden. You've made a lovely garden.

0:57:010:57:03

-Thank you.

-Thank you so much.

0:57:030:57:05

Hi, guys!

0:57:050:57:07

And with the Monty's seal of approval,

0:57:070:57:09

it's time to welcome friends and family into their dream garden.

0:57:090:57:13

It looks amazing!

0:57:130:57:14

I've seen lots of gardens in my life,

0:57:160:57:17

all over the world.

0:57:170:57:19

But I've never seen a garden rebuilt from seven feet down.

0:57:190:57:23

I completely admire the combination of hard work, but also artistry.

0:57:230:57:29

So, raise your glass and let's celebrate it.

0:57:290:57:32

-And well done to both of you.

-Thank you so much! Thank you.

0:57:320:57:35

-Thank you!

-Cheers.

0:57:350:57:36

Very, very proud.

0:57:380:57:40

When you see it all together, yeah, extremely proud.

0:57:400:57:42

And you see their faces as well. They're so happy.

0:57:420:57:44

I'm very proud of Ant for having that vision

0:57:440:57:47

and actually realising it.

0:57:470:57:48

I came here and was absolutely gobsmacked.

0:57:480:57:50

I think the work they've done here has turned the house into a home.

0:57:500:57:54

Bye-bye.

0:57:570:57:58

I'm really pleased how it turned out.

0:57:580:58:00

It's amazing.

0:58:000:58:02

I can't believe it, at times, when I look at it.

0:58:020:58:05

I think I'm beyond pleased, actually.

0:58:060:58:09

I'm kind of amazed that we did actually manage to do it!

0:58:090:58:13

To me, that is a dream garden.

0:58:130:58:15

-To me, that is...

-It's our dream garden.

0:58:150:58:18

Yeah, it's our dream garden.

0:58:180:58:19

This is a garden that will go on to give them pleasure

0:58:210:58:25

and will get better and better.

0:58:250:58:27

It's a garden that, like a fine wine, is going to age well.

0:58:270:58:31

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