Stevenage Garden Rescue

With her can-do attitude,

-love of simple gardens and decades of experience...

-Hello!

..Charlie Dimmock is one of Britain's best-loved gardeners.

Looking good, boys!

But the new kids on the gardening block are the Rich brothers.

We want to be the brothers

that change people's perceptions of gardeners.

Winners of multiple medals at the Chelsea Flower Show...

-Oh, good turn.

-Amazing, isn't it?

..the boys have become known for their dramatic outdoor spaces.

Now these two different generations of gardening are going head-to-head.

I know they've got a gold medal, but I can come up with a few ideas.

They're meeting frustrated garden owners across the country.

The photos made it look tiny.

It is, isn't it?

-I'm sure you've seen larger.

-I don't know what to do with it.

-And will each pitch them a design based on their needs...

-Wow!

-..and budget.

-It looks really exciting.

It doesn't look like it could be our garden.

-The winner...

-Ta-dah!

Whoo!

..brings their design to life.

Hold on, hold on.

Sweet as a nut.

And the loser has to help them build it.

Oh, I'm getting irritated now with faffing around.

This is what happens...

-Does he ever get irritating?

-All the time.

..when different styles collide...

-Who chose these?

-One, two, three.

-This looks like your design.

-Yeah!

..to turn garden dreams into reality.

Wow!

Open your eyes.

Wow! It's amazing.

It's beautiful.

So, whose garden will Charlie and the Rich brothers

be battling over today?

Here we have Craig and Jenna.

And I have to say, you know, life has got very, very busy.

Nurse Jenna and training manager Craig moved into their house

two years ago with their dog Doug.

The garden was on their to-do list, but then they had unexpected news.

Last autumn, we found out Jenna was pregnant,

which was, you know, absolutely amazing.

We were absolutely chuffed.

But their news turned into a double whammy.

What we didn't expect was to find out

there were two little babies in there.

A few weeks ago, their two little bundles of joy,

Edie and Felix, arrived.

Mornings are pretty busy trying to get them all up and sorted

and ready. Chaos, really, the rest of the day.

And then you get home, have five minutes' peace and then...

Yeah, cook dinner. Take Doug out. Bath them, feed them.

-And then the night-time tales.

-Attempt to put them into bed.

They've just started to smile, so me being at work every day,

I come home, to see a smile is absolutely fantastic.

Up to their eyes with bottle feeds and nappy changing,

the garden has moved down the list of priorities.

This is the garden.

Looks quite big there, doesn't it?

Don't be fooled, it's not that big.

It's ten metres by eight metres.

And as you can see, there is quite a slope.

So, there's a lot of space wasted there, isn't there?

The garden has a half-metre drop from the patio to the lawn.

And being a small plot, it's really noticeable.

What I don't like about the garden is it's just bland,

so there's nothing nice to look at.

There's just nothing, nothing there, really.

-There's manhole covers everywhere.

-Yeah.

The only member of the family using the garden is Doug the dog.

But with new arrivals, Jenna and Craig want it all to change.

The house I grew up in had a great big garden with an apple tree

in there, loads of space to play football with my brother as well.

And Craig would like the same kind of childhood memories

for his own children.

It'd be amazing.

We'd have a whole, it would be like having an extension almost,

a whole other room to our house.

Somewhere for the children to be able to roll around,

play, kick a football.

Somewhere we can sit and enjoy an evening.

For a social aspect as well, really.

And somewhere for our dog to kind of...

He likes to have a sniff around as well.

But with an extra two mouths to feed,

money is a little on the tight side.

Budget is £1,000.

-Oh, so this is tight.

-Very tight. Ideas?

-Well, I think...

-Flooding it!

£1,000 is the lowest budget

the rival designers have had to cope with.

And not only that, this garden has some major safety issues.

Delivering what this family are hoping for

is going to be a challenge.

So, they're heading to Stevenage.

To figure out how to make that tiny budget go further,

they want to meet the family and find out more about their lives.

They also want to see just how unsafe this backyard is.

-Oh! That's a bit of a slope, isn't it?

-That is a serious slope.

-That's not quite so wonderful, though.

-No!

-I mean, yeah.

-They are quite blatant, and they?

-They're not even...

They're an eyesore, aren't they? Seriously.

Trip hazard, to say the least.

-Not as shady as I thought it was going to be.

-Should get quite a lot.

During the daytime, yes. Nice.

That kind of a direction, isn't it? Yeah.

Well, that's the garden.

Now, Charlie wants to quiz Jenna and Craig on what it could mean

for the family

whereas the boys are keen to see what kind of interior decor

the couple prefer.

-Nice! Very cool.

-This is nice, it's cosy.

-Yes.

-Quite airy, quite clean.

-Yeah, really nice space.

-Quite contemporary.

-JENNA:

-I like colour, I like a lot of plants.

Uh-huh, so at your last home, did you have a garden?

We had had put roses up one side and a lot of hydrangeas and things.

-OK.

-So, it was nice and colourful.

-You're not a novice, as such.

-No, I will have a go. Whether it works or not...

-Oh, good.

Oh, it's nice to come to somebody that wants

a garden that they can actually garden in.

So, Jenna likes her traditional flowers, but inside,

the boys have seen a more quirky side.

Look at that guy, he's obviously from the '60s, a little bit retro.

And some cool retro handles there, old.

With a bit of contemporary. And definitely stylish.

Stylish, yeah, right.

And for the children, what, you don't want to fill the garden with

a trampoline, lots of colourful climbing things yet, do you?

-Not yet, no.

-No, because how old are they?

-Three weeks.

-Three weeks, they are brand-new!

-Yes, brand-new.

-OK, so you just want to make it safe for them.

-Absolutely.

And a socialising area for you.

But also an area to do a little bit of gardening and pottering.

-Yeah.

-Spot on.

For Jenna, Craig and their two new arrivals to be happy,

this garden needs to be right.

But dealing with the slope and the manholes is going to make

a sizeable dent in the budget.

So, it's time for Charlie and the boys to get cracking.

They each have to come up with a design for Jenna and Craig's garden.

They will then pitch it to the couple,

who will choose which one gets built.

But it isn't over for the loser, as they have to get their hands dirty

helping the winner build their garden.

So, who's got the measure of this one?

Charlie was inspired by Jenna's have-a-go enthusiasm...

..while the boys loved the couple's quirky taste.

It's time for them to reveal their vision for the garden.

-Hello!

-Hello.

-OK.

Here is our design.

So, using your raised up area outside the patio doors,

I've extended the patio to about this level here.

Now, to create the retaining wall,

I'm using an organ pipe effect of timbers,

uprights that will go right the way across

and then we've got our steps down.

To sort out the levels, Charlie has extended the current patio

and added an organ pipe fence for a retaining wall,

whereas the boys have approached it differently.

With the design, we've split it, it's got a level change.

So, we really wanted to use that.

So, this top area is going to be quite floral

and have a little planting.

So, if you're in the kitchen, you've got this beautiful

view out into the garden.

Again, we have with this level change,

we wanted to create this lovely family space.

So, if you're enjoying a cup of coffee,

you could be outside and the two twins can be crawling around,

as they do.

So, two different approaches to the slope,

but what about the manhole covers?

So, I've lost the manhole covers by basically planting round them.

So, they're not there any more,

so it would make mowing the grass much more easy.

-DAVID:

-The one up there is hidden within this planting bed,

which is great.

And then these two would be hidden in the patio here

because we'd use like a recess drain that you could slab over.

-They're obviously still accessible?

-They'd be perfectly accessible.

-But we'd be like magicians and just make them disappear.

-Perfect.

Now for the planting.

And with young children, they have to be careful.

The other thing I wanted to do was grow lots of plants,

that one, will make the area look very attractive but also are

edible or usable in some way.

So, I've gone for things like blackberry,

but it's the thornless one.

On this fence side, because it's quite a sunny fence,

I was thinking of kiwi fruit, which is really very attractive.

I've got a small dwarf apple tree.

Charlie's apple tree might strike a chord with Craig

and his childhood garden memories.

So, the type of planting we wanted to give you

was really soft and really naturalistic,

something that definitely wasn't going to require too much

maintenance because you guys have obviously got your hands full.

There would be quite a soft movement of grasses

and then interplant that with perennials

that would have a bit of form.

Nice whites, it's quite uplifting in the garden.

Then maybe move through to a few blues and purples.

But Charlie has one more trick up her sleeve.

The reason I gave you an island bed was, as a child,

I remember running round and round in circles for hours

playing chase, just round and round.

But Jenna and Craig have questions.

And the patio, is that the existing one there?

Yes, this one up here is the existing patio,

-this one here would be the additional one.

-OK, great.

And the apples, are they small apples, are they?

-No, they're full-size apples.

-OK.

All they do is they graft it onto a root stock

so it doesn't get too big.

So, you won't be selling the apples to a supermarket

or anything like that but...

Make my own cider.

Probably not, no!

The pitch is over.

It's now all down to Jenna and Craig.

Yeah, I like the fact that it's lowered down and it kind of

gives you a mini courtyard, doesn't it?

OK, so I think this one, I like the colour of the plants a bit more

and the idea of the kids picking them and growing things

that we can eat.

OK, and what about the apple tree there?

-Yeah, that's got...

-It's nice, isn't it?

So, there's kind of pros and cons to both really, isn't there?

-Do you think we're set?

-Yeah, I think so.

-OK. Great.

This is a hard decision for Jenna and Craig.

With the twins to consider,

it needs to be a garden they can all grow with.

So, will they go for Charlie's extended patio,

edible garden and circular planter for the kids to run around

or the boys' double patio and simple low-maintenance planting?

-ALL:

-Hello!

-Hello.

-Hey.

-OK.

After much deliberation, we've made a decision.

It was really tough, but I think we're going to go for...

-Hey!

-Good work!

-Oh, amazing!

I think what sold it to us was the fact that we were lower

to the ground, so we can see the twins sort of crawling

and rolling around, really.

But it was really difficult.

So, the Rich brothers have won. But Jenna's not quite finished.

Yeah, so we really liked Charlie's idea of having the apple tree.

I just wondered if that could be incorporated into your design?

-Yeah, of course. We'd love to have it in.

-If I let you! If I let you.

-Please can we put it in?

-As it's you, all right then!

-Yes.

Oh, that's nice, it's nice being able to combine and create

the garden that you guys love.

The boys may have won, but to deliver the garden they've promised,

they will need Charlie on board

to make Jenna and Craig's dream garden a reality.

It's an early morning in Stevenage.

With the boys off-site, making some final tweaks to their design,

they've sent project manager Kate and a landscapers Scott and Adam

in the team to make a start on the ground work.

To make the best use of the slope in the garden, the brothers have

designed a second lower patio that's accessed by the existing steps.

But Scott has spotted a problem.

So, the patio is going to be, that's the wall.

Through there. That's the patio area. Just very small.

-KATE:

-It's very small, isn't it?

The patio may look right on plan, but in reality, comes up short.

So, the team decide to make a judgment call and add another row.

So, whilst Kate and her trusty van are picking up extra slabs,

the landscapers start removing the turf to create the flower beds.

And level the area for the new patio.

But what seemed like a simple job is proving rather fiddly.

The levels are miles out,

so that part of the garden there is about six inches below this.

Not only does the plot slope from back to front,

it dips from one side to the other.

This is backbreaking!

And with the sun beating down, it's not getting any easier.

Jeez!

Still really high.

Thought I'd made a big dent in that.

What do you reckon? It's going to be getting closer.

Finally, the lower half of the site is level.

Lovely, that's what we like! And Charlie definitely.

Let's get this show on the road!

So, the boys can prep it for the arrival of the new tiles.

To connect the lower patio with the existing upper patio,

the boys have designed a retaining wall.

So, Adam's putting in the footings.

A beam of solid concrete, basically, so the trusted brickie arrives,

he's got a good solid surface to get his wall up.

And at the front, the Rich brothers and Charlie have just arrived.

Now, this is a small garden, isn't it?

-Which gets me a little bit worried.

-Small? It's inky dinky.

We're going to be right on top of each other trying to work.

-That wall, that's really got to be the first thing, hasn't it?

-Yes.

Because you want a plant behind it.

So, we need to get that in, done and dry.

-So what about all those manhole covers?

-Agh, hiding them all!

-Like magicians, they will disappear.

-OK.

We'll wait and see on that. So, wall, patio.

-That's it, planting.

-Planting!

-Oh, done!

If only it was that easy.

Before the wall can go in,

the landscapers want to get started on the patio.

Got half a barrel load.

Going to get some serious glare off these new slabs.

Bright, aren't they?

-More than of my head or...?

-Yeah, probably.

-Really?

-It's close.

The bottom corner could come out towards you a smidgen.

Yeah.

And the boys have asked Adam to start on the first manhole cover.

This one is on the edge of the new patio area,

so he's replacing it with a new recessed version.

So, the top of this needs to be flushed with

the top of the slab that I've just laid there.

So that when there's a slab inside of this,

all the patio runs together so you literally only see

this reveal round the outside edge.

These are great if you find your manhole is not in the most

convenient of places.

And once the patio slab is placed inside the recess,

it will look more like a patio slab and less like a drain cover.

It's got these handles either end.

So, when and if you need access, you pop the handles out and you lift

the whole lot out with the slabs in it as well and then it just

drops back in place, looks like it's all part of the same patio.

Meanwhile, in the front, David's learning a new trade.

He and Harry have employed brickie Joe for the day

to build the retaining wall,

and David's keen to get his hands dirty.

-Get your hands either side of these here.

-Oh, like that?

-That's it, then put your shoulder to it. Then throw it up.

-Heh.

-Go on, there you go.

-Oh, hello!

It feels like that one's about to fall off though, to be fair.

Going to go.

Oh, cut the old...

Slice the old neck, good! Dream!

You're a hod carrier now!

Easy!

Oh!

Hell of a workout.

-That's my day over, isn't it?

-Is that done?

Not content with the designing gold-medal winning gardens,

he now fancies himself as a brickie's apprentice.

-You can see it changing actually a little bit, can't you?

-Yeah.

Dave, mate. Just keep going.

We should have five minutes to go!

Well, you've got 15 minutes left.

You'll be all right. That's it now, look. Good stuff.

Nearly there now, not far.

And it turns out he's a natural.

-There we are, perfect.

-How's that, yeah?

-Happy days, eh?

-We're off.

Right, just do that three more times, we're out of here.

The boys' idea is to make the wall a raised bed,

breaking up the two areas of landscaping

and taking the emphasis off the slope.

But this is just one way to deal with a difficult plot.

With space increasingly limited for new housing, today's garden owners

often have to cope with odd-shaped or challenging plots.

But even if you don't have a classic rectangle outside the back door,

you can still create a stunning garden.

L-shaped or wraparound plots lend themselves to garden rooms

as the shape of the house naturally divides the outside space.

Triangular plots lend themselves to curved designs

which draw attention away from the points.

A sloping garden can be daunting.

But by using terracing, they can be turned into a display cabinet

for plants, offering interesting views from above and below.

In Stevenage...

So, the first course is the most important course?

Definitely the most important.

-Otherwise if you start off wonky, you end wonky.

-That's right, yeah.

That's why I'm not doing the first course!

Don't worry, we'll have you doing it by the end of the day.

David's mastered the cement mixing.

Now he's on to advanced bricklaying.

-Little bit of muck, mortar.

-That much?

-Yes. Hold your brick up.

That's it.

One, two, three...

-Four.

-It's that first one.

-So, that with that?

-Right.

Joe shows him a top tip on how to get it right.

You want to get enough pressure so you can hold it above your head.

I'm not trying that! You're on your own there.

-Not falling for that one, am I?

-It's true. If it hits, it's not ready.

And Charlie and Harry want to see what all the fuss is about.

Can we do this one thing? Charlie, you've got to try it.

Oh, yeah, I see, I hear you were chicken.

No, I tried it far too many times and failed.

Oh, yeah, put it over your head.

-Get enough pressure on it, put it over the head.

-Please.

Oh, God, this is genius. Oh, it wasn't long enough.

No, it wasn't that, it was...

Trying to put it on the edge was impossible.

-It's fine.

-Oh, nearly.

-Oh!

-THEY LAUGH

Are you going to clean that off the slabs?

-Right on how posh slabs now, Charlie.

-She's going to have to go.

Right, back out the front!

Wisely, the boys send Charlie back to cement mixing duties.

She and Harry need to finish the patio.

The boys have opted for buff-coloured

and slightly textured slabs.

This way, when the twins are older, they won't slip on them.

-How would you like your mix, sir?

-Perfect.

-Perfect, that's helpful.

This new patio will immediately open up the lower half of the garden.

While the kids roll around on the grass,

Jenna and Craig can be relaxing with a coffee right next to them.

It's fun this, isn't it?

Watching someone else work, it's always a good thing.

-I like these slabs.

-They're nice, it's just concrete.

It's just concrete, I know, but they look quite high-end, don't they?

I think the key is to butt them up against...

Don't give them a massive pointed space

around the outside, and therefore

it has a slightly more contemporary feel.

-Rather than cottagey.

-Rather than oldey-worldey.

-Mm-hm.

But with the budget being what it is, there are no spares.

Got to ration you cos there's so few of them.

Not one that can we break.

Who says gardening wasn't fun?

The patio is actually being laid on a slight incline.

With the British weather, it's going to be rained on at some point

and the water will need to run off.

We're letting it run off into the lawn.

But you know, you make the fall to the side,

have a bit of gravel so there's a natural bit of drainage.

But always think of that because you don't want a bit of puddling.

-Puddling, no.

-It ruins the nice paved area.

-Better get on with this.

-Yeah, before it goes off.

-How is it going?

-Yeah, slow. Actually, now that's better.

-You're getting the run of it now.

-Takes a while, doesn't it?

I thought the boys were in charge of this garden.

By the time you've finished the patio,

you might know what you're doing.

The key to anything in life, isn't it?

Meanwhile, David and brickie Joe are going great guns.

The first course has been put in

with a 10mm mortar gap between the bricks.

Next, they need to build the corners up.

We build this corner up to the desired height,

which we're hoping to get to.

It's about this high for the third step.

-Then we'll go to that side, we will build that corner up.

-OK.

To this height as well.

Get the heights all worked out on the edges

-and then just fill in the middle.

-Fill it in the middle, yes.

-Oh.

-Sounds easy, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-In theory.

Just like doing Lego as a kid.

Look at that.

To fit in with such a small budget, the boys went for bricks,

a great economical material that comes in all types of colours.

But brick isn't the only material you have to use.

You can use stone if you got a slightly higher budget.

Sleepers, that's probably about the same budget.

Or even upright timbers, and that's probably the cheapest way.

But with only one course done, there's another five to do.

What's first then?

Fed up with her supervising their design,

the boys have set Charlie a challenge.

There's no money in the one grand budget for furniture,

so they want her to improvise.

-Like a little coffee table type affect.

-Yeah.

-So, about that sort of height?

-Yes.

-So you know, that would be...

-That would be perfect.

-That would be all right.

-OK.

And then I'd like this bit to be a planter

and then I want to timber that in.

All that's left are the pallets that the bricks arrived on.

So, with three pallets and a few screws to play with,

she needs to work her magic.

Then we'll have to cut that through the middle,

which I think is going to have to be a job for the big boys' saw.

-But these pallets are tough as old boots.

-Gosh!

-Fancy making it nice and strong.

-I know.

When you're trying to deconstruct, it's a nightmare.

-29.5.

-It's still going to be too deep.

-Do we need them to be that long?

-No.

-OK.

Have we got a crowbar? These boys are just trying to slow me down.

-Huh!

-There we go.

-Good work. Will that come out like that? There we go.

-Right.

Those boys, they went, "Just make a table, a quick little job."

Agh!

But it's quite fun taking your frustration out.

-Oh, you...

-SHE MUTTERS ANGRILY

-Darn!

-And it's doable.

75 man hours for one bit of timber.

-Right, are you ready for me to make a bit of noise, Charlie?

-Oh, yeah.

OK.

SAW WHIRRS

If he doesn't use this after this, I'm going to kill him!

It may be frustrating, but with only £1,000 to play with,

anything that can be built for free is a bonus in this garden.

Ah.

Hi-spec landscaping and expensive mature plants

have their place in some gardens.

But having little or no budget at all

means coming up with creative solutions.

Hulme Community Garden Centre in Manchester

is the ultimate make-do and mend garden.

It's cost us very, very little.

Apart from a lot of energy and time from our fantastic volunteers

of converting these materials

into a garden which everyone's proud of.

For the volunteers, it's never a case of

out with the old and in with the new.

I'm terrible for walking past skips and stopping

and looking to see what's in there,

because you're surprised every time at what people throw out.

We've got boots that are planted up

into pots with different types of grasses.

We've got old hats that have been used to make

liners for hanging baskets.

Adding a splash of floral colour to your garden can be expensive.

But there are alternative ways to avoid spending a fortune on plants.

It's surprising how many people out there have a passion

for gardening and they will quite willingly share plant seeds.

It doesn't have to cost anything, you can go out and you can

forage the streets of a city.

This garden proves one man's trash is another man's treasure.

And back in Stevenage, the money saved by using cheaper

landscaping materials is going towards the planting.

There are three planting beds in this garden.

One next to the new lower patio, another on top of the retaining wall

and the third on the slope that remains.

So, some grass needs to be removed and digging done.

-Hanging on, Dave.

-Tell you what, it's tough, isn't it?

Without the budget to continue the retaining wall all the way along,

part of the slope has been left.

We're going to plant this up and make this

lovely kind of bed that works with the slope.

And that's going to work well for two reasons.

One, it covers this manhole, and the other,

it's going to give her this lovely interest all throughout the year.

Planting on a slope has issues.

It's dryer on top and wetter on the bottom,

so the right plants need to be put in the right spot.

And then we've got some other ones as well,

drought-tolerant ones for the top of the slope.

We've got echinacea, salvias and geraniums.

And then this pretty guy, anchusa.

And this is a bit more moisture-loving.

So, he's going to go down the bottom there.

-It's a good lovely colour.

-Little bit of a punch.

-Yes.

In the front, Charlie's outdoor coffee table

is starting to take shape.

-Whoo!

-Hey, that's all right!

-Precision cutting.

-Look at that!

So, it's basically going to be...

-Like that type of thing, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-And then we'll put planting in here.

-Yes.

-Might even put planting in there and plant in there.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

I hope Harry's made sure that the patio is nice and a level,

don't want our nice level table to be wobbly.

And that's definitely in.

Lovely.

Awesome!

A few days sun has made the ground bone dry.

Right, do you reckon you're ready for some chicken poo?

Some chicken...

Right.

So, it needs a little TLC.

We're using chicken pellets

rather than, like, garden compost or manure

because it's going to hold better on the slope.

It's lighter, it'll work into the cracks

and it won't wash away with the water.

But Charlie has a very important question for the bosses.

-I've come with a technical question.

-Oh.

-The table, I'm going to paint it.

-Are you?

-Nice.

And I was thinking red.

-Huh?

-SHE LAUGHS

I guess you would like it urban grey.

THEY LAUGH

-Nicely rinsed. Erm, yeah, urbane grey, please.

-Urban grey.

-More grey than, like, slate.

-Oh, you boys go mad, you do.

-You're so wacky!

-It's a safe option.

Just make sure it's not too blue or slatey, though, all right? Grey.

-Grey.

-Grey?

-Grey!

-Off with you.

-Cor!

Out front, Charlie's table is taking shape.

Ah, brilliant.

Sit and enjoy the sun for a bit, I think.

No, work to do.

One of the other key challenges for the boys to tackle...

..were the four manholes scattered around the garden.

One has been cleverly incorporated into the new patio.

What we've done is we've bought a recess manhole cover

and we've put slabs inside,

so it has this kind of seamless joint that runs.

So, you can't really see that it's there

but it's still really accessible.

The other three will be camouflaged in amongst the new planting beds.

I think it's really nice using the grasses around the manhole

because they're going to grow up, aren't they?

The main feature bed sits next to the new patio,

so Jenna, Craig and the twins can enjoy their new flowers.

Guys want some dust on it.

We've chosen these plants to provide a year-round interest of colour.

What we've got at the moment is we've got some of these,

we've got the geranium Samobor and that's out and that's got

a lovely deep purple flower.

And then obviously the grasses are going to grow,

they're going to fill out.

And then later on in the season, we've got rudbeckia.

But it's going to be a deep orange colour.

Keep that life going, that warmth in the autumn.

Got the salvia there.

Nice. Smell it.

-Beautiful.

-Gorgeous.

In just a few months, these younger plants

will grow about 20 inches tall

and really fill the bed with colour and fragrance.

Another really nice thing to do around the seating area

is to put plants in with some scent.

You could use things like lavender or catmint

and that would give the same effect.

Charlie's table is nearly done, but the bosses aren't finished with her.

Harry's got another project up his sleeve -

a living wall picture frame to bring some life to the end of the garden.

Hey, Charlie! Some lettuce and some sedums.

Oh, they'll be great for this.

-Really nice colours, aren't they?

-They are.

To make it, Charlie's using what's known as a planting pocket,

which has a thick canvas with a membrane on the back.

-They're a bit floppy, aren't they?

-Yes.

So, I think we're going to have to put it on some timber or something.

What would be really nice, just to kind of finish them off

-with a nice little framework.

-So, you want a frame around it?

This job's getting harder and harder. Just, where's that Adam?

-Did I hear my name?

-Yes!

What do you require, my dear?

-We were after your mitring skills.

-Right.

Harry's got a little overly enthusiastic

with these planting pockets.

He wants a frame round them now, like a picture frame.

What do you think? Got enough wood around the place?

I'm sure I can cobble something together for you.

Meanwhile, the retaining wall is being backfilled to make it

level with the old patio.

Poor old Joe the brickie only came to build the wall

and he's ended up shovelling soil.

Charlie's second project of the day,

the living wall picture frame, is progressing nicely.

And this, we'll wrap these down round the sides like this, you see?

You see how much work you're making us do?

-It will be worth it in the end.

-Will it?

Using the offcuts from the pallets, Adam soon knocks them into shape

to create a frame around the planting pocket.

We're just going to put a screw in the wall and hang it

like a picture, yeah?

It's nice and simple.

And add some trim around the top.

And job done.

Watch out, Dave.

This is the moment.

Living walls are a great way to bring life to vertical spaces,

but do need a lot of watering.

-SHE LAUGHS

-I thought we'd go on that hook.

-That is a clothes line hook, is it?

-Yeah, that's a clothes line.

-Look at that.

-That looks good.

I tell you, I think it looks really cool.

So far, Charlie's been pretty much at the boys' beck and call,

but she hasn't forgotten Jenna's request.

Here we go, David.

The plant that's going to finish the whole garden off.

I've been waiting for that all day.

-The apple tree from my design.

-Yeah! Dammit.

-So, over here, yeah?

I think so, yeah. Where was it on yours?

It was in this corner to help screen out some of the houses.

Yes, perfect.

Charlie's gone for a dual apple tree -

an apple you can eat as well as cook with.

And each spring with a new tree, for the first three or four years,

it's a really good idea just to give them a general fertiliser,

something like blood fish and bone or something along those lines.

The team are on the home stretch.

With two flowerbeds planted, there's just one more to do.

-Right, guys.

-Charlie.

-We have two climbers. Passionflower.

Love it, fantastic.

It's going to be big and vigorous, more like a warm wall.

-And trachelospermum.

-Nicely scented.

-Star jasmine.

-Yes, very nicely scented and evergreen.

-Perfect.

-So, where do you want them?

-I think this bad boy right by the patio.

I think plants really make this garden come to life.

-And it's really hidden the manhole covers well.

-Yeah.

That one looks really smart. Look at that, in there.

It does, did you choose the urban grey surround on purpose?

THEY LAUGH

Damn that urban grey!

-It's going to be... Sales will be rocketing.

-I wish I was trendy, hey?

-Oh, you are trendy, Charlie.

-Yeah, I'm right on the edge, me.

Now it's a subtle shade of grey,

Charlie's coffee table is bang on trend.

Just one job left to do - plant it up.

So, we're going for herbs. Herbs, so I reckon rosemary at the back.

Some parsley and chives and thyme.

I might actually swap that cos that will trail as well.

-Look at that.

-Beautiful.

-Oh, smell that, smell that!

-Ooh!

-Oh. That's really nice.

-Hmm.

Out of a couple of pallets, a few screws. All right.

Good result.

And it smells gorgeous.

This has been the cheapest garden the team have created.

-This is the moment of truth.

-This is it!

Ba-dum! Look at that!

Look at that!

And much of it has been built on honest sweat and inspiration.

-Nice, yeah, about there. That's very cool.

-Like that?

But at last, it's done.

This garden was small, uneven and on a slope.

Scattered with manholes, it wasn't the most inviting of spaces.

Now it's undergone a £1,000 transformation into a garden

that's safe for the twins to play in and the parents to unwind in.

By adding a retaining wall, the boys created a lower terrace.

A new £300 patio has given Jenna and Craig an area to sit

and while away the hours with the twins.

The boys tackled the unsightly manhole covers

by disguising them amongst the planting.

But to conceal the one in the patio, they used a recessed manhole cover.

Costing £70, it fits seamlessly into the landscaping.

Three new flowerbeds have brought the garden to life.

A beautiful planting scheme of grasses and perennials

that cost around £300 will give the family year-round colour.

And stolen from Charlie's design is the new apple tree.

It's a reminder of Craig's childhood garden

and something for his twins to call their own.

And Charlie's added a bit of sparkle, livening up the wall

with a planting pocket to draw your eye to the back of the garden.

And finishing of the patio with their own little coffee table.

Made entirely from recycled wood pallets, it didn't cost a penny.

It's a lot for £1,000.

But will it meet the clients' approval?

Open your eyes.

-Oh, wow!

-Oh, wow.

-Oh, that's brilliant.

-That looks so different.

That's really cool.

-Is this the thing that Charlie made?

-Yes!

-Yeah, I like it.

-Yeah, yeah. Your herbs, little upcycled table.

-That's amazing.

-Your manhole covers, there's one under here.

-We've actually got a garden.

-Yeah!

They look very happy.

And you can just see how this raised terrace bit has made this bit

feel so much bigger. Yeah, it does actually, yeah.

Yeah, it looks a much bigger garden, doesn't it?

And all the plants are going to grow up.

It's going to completely transform this summer.

And the two manhole covers and the planting,

when everything grows up, you won't even see those.

-And it's nice that we've still got the lawn as well.

-Yeah.

-We've got this little picture frame.

-So, what have we got here?

That is sedum and lettuce. So it's just a picture frame.

-Just a little fun thing to do.

-That's cool.

Can you imagine using it with the new family?

-Definitely, yeah.

-Yeah, definitely.

I can imagine myself sitting there with a couple of beers, actually.

-Definitely.

-Most important, first off.

-Oh, the kids as well!

The kids as well, yeah. It's all about the kids.

Oh, there he goes.

What do you think, then?

-Hey?

-Oh, Doug!

-Doug!

Oh, God.

Well, Doug seems to like it.

-Yeah, just love it.

-Yeah.

Nice area to sit, love the plants. Yeah, love it.

So, do Jenna and Craig think their cash was well spent?

100%, yeah, absolutely.

If we were to do it on our own...

Yeah, we wouldn't be able to get anywhere near this.