Walsall 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 gardens.

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

-Oh, get in.

-Wow, 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.

-That looks really exciting.

-Doesn't look like it could be our garden.

-The winner...

-Ta-da!

-ALL:

-Whoo!

-..brings their design to life.

-Hold on, hold on!

-Sweet as a nut.

-And the loser has to help them build it.

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!

-Whoa!

-It's amazing!

-Oh!

-It's beautiful!

So, whose garden will Charlie and the Rich brothers

be battling over today?

We've heard from three generations of women from the West Midlands.

-We've got gran Lillian, mum Carrie and daughter Morgan.

-OK.

These three ladies all live in the same house,

which they moved into just six months ago.

And they couldn't be closer.

We decided Carrie's partner works away such a lot

that it was company for all of us to be together.

I've got independent living within the house, which is ideal,

because we're not living in each other's pockets.

-Morgan loves having Nan about, doesn't she?

-Yeah. Morgan loves it.

Whatever Mum doesn't do, Nan does.

Lillian, Carrie and Morgan all share the main house,

whilst Lillian has her own living space downstairs.

And now, all three of them would like a new garden

because the current one isn't really a garden at all.

-And it looks a little bit like a car park.

-A little bit?! A lot like!

I can't believe it. There's not even weeds growing there.

It's devoid of a plant. There's nothing in there.

-The previous owners used it as a driveway.

-It's very bland.

There's just nothing, it's slabs and gravel. There is nothing else.

The plot is also completely exposed on one side,

so the ladies have made privacy

one of the key requirements in the new garden.

It's vastly overlooked, isn't it?

I know. That's one thing. The other side looks fine

but this side looks like there's a bit of a privacy issue.

My initial thoughts are it needs a bit of height.

-It is pretty flat. And maybe green!

-Do you think?!

When she moved in with her daughter,

Lillian left behind a garden she had worked in for years.

I had a fish pond, lots of shrubs and bushes and flowers,

lots of tubs with plants and a lawn.

But it's not just the three ladies that could do with a new garden.

Their tortoise, Tilly, would like somewhere green too.

Hello, Tilly!

Hello, my darling. Come on. Come on. We have to have a bit of tissue

when we pick you up cos you can be naughty, can't you, eh?

This family are fed up with staring at concrete and slate chippings

and would like somewhere to relax in the summer months.

We constantly say, "It's a sunny day today

"and we can't sit outside cos everybody else can see us."

We don't want a car park, do we?

No, we want a nice garden that we can sit in

and be able to sit out at night with a glass of wine.

You know, just what families do.

And the ladies are prepared to dig into their savings

to get the garden they want.

-What is the budget?

-The budget's £2,000, which isn't bad, is it?

Not too bad because it doesn't look huge, does it?

But there's quite a lot of existing materials,

so it is all hard landscaping,

but they look in pretty decent condition,

-so we could probably reuse them.

-Yeah.

All in all, it's a blank canvas, which I know you love.

I hate blank canvases. I never know where to start.

Well, it's time for our designers to get their thinking caps on,

as Charlie and the boys will now compete for the chance

to make over this family garden.

And with three generations of women to answer to,

they'll need to come up with something special.

So, their next stop is the West Midlands.

They want to see the garden itself

and find out from Lillian and Carrie

how it could make a difference to their lives.

And it's not long before they realise just how exposed it is.

-Pretty bare, isn't it?

-Bare?!

-THEY LAUGH

-Goodness gracious, is all I can say.

-Age before beauty.

-Ah, thank you.

-Wow!

-Wow! Where do you start?

-Get a bit of green in here.

It's not going to be hard to change it up, is it?

No, I don't think I've ever seen a garden

-with this much hard landscaping.

-If you define it as a garden!

It could be nice cos you could really create a space for them.

-IN WELSH ACCENTS:

-Harry, some daffodils!

-Oh, beautiful!

-All we need now is a bumblebee.

-THEY LAUGH

Well, I think I've surveyed the garden enough.

I'm going to check out inside.

-You're not putting the kettle on, are you?

-No.

-No?

-No.

-It's one day's job.

-Two sugars.

-In your dreams!

-DAVID LAUGHS

Traditionally, the boys like to look inside the house

for clues on their clients' taste.

But today, they decided to swap with Charlie,

so she's having a snoop around.

Strong colours. Lots of flowers.

Way more than the garden, I have to say. Some real, some not so real.

And the boys are getting to know Carrie and Lillian a little better.

-Wow, yes, this is definitely a very interesting garden.

-Very minimal.

I think it's awesome having three generations.

It's great, us all being together. It's fantastic.

-We live together, being brothers.

-We know all about that.

Mum's got her own back door, so if she wants to come out on her own

and chill out with a glass of wine, she can.

We'll focus on that area then, shall we?

-Shall we fence it off, in half?

-Yes.

-THEY LAUGH

All very matching and sleek.

More flowers up there.

-And what about you, Carrie?

-I'd like somewhere to sit.

-OK.

To be able to bring my friends round, have a barbecue,

-invite the family.

-Yeah.

-And Morgan?

-Morgan's list is endless.

So, just somewhere to sit and socialise

and it's maybe screened off a bit and a bit more concealed.

And this must be Lillian's lounge. Very nice.

Loads of flowers everywhere.

Inside, Charlie's discovered that with so little life in the garden,

Lillian's filled her living room with colour.

So, what will it mean to you to have this space

-transformed into a beautiful garden?

-It'll mean the world!

-Somewhere to sit.

-Yeah, somewhere to sit, without prying eyes.

Oh, yes, definitely.

You'd definitely get to know the neighbours

if you sat in this garden wouldn't you?

It's nice to be able to sit in your garden

and not have people glaring at you.

I'm going to sit here and think about the budget.

I think I'm going to blow it all on the garden and the plants.

Blow the fence!

This is a tricky one for our designers.

They may have two grand to spend,

but fixing the privacy issue could potentially swallow up half of that,

leaving very little for the garden.

INAUDIBLE

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

They each have to come up with a winning design

that will fulfil all the family's garden needs

and then present it to Lillian and Carrie,

who will choose which one gets built.

But it isn't over for the loser,

as they have to help the winner build their garden.

So, who will they plump for?

The boys' modern designs will appeal to Carrie and Morgan

but can they win over Lillian, who loves her traditional daffs?

Charlie may have spotted Lillian's love of flowers

but has she underestimated the privacy issue?

It's time for the pitch.

We wanted to create a kind of haven for you -

somewhere that feels very private, very green,

very luscious and very colourful.

We've done this by splitting the garden

with these four planting beds.

That really then isolates this kind of little social area

in the middle, which means you are literally surrounded with greenery.

And within these four individual flowerbeds,

we want to make sure we have a lot of year-round interest.

I know you like daffodils,

so there, you could plant your spring bulbs.

And then, with the trees and shrubs,

maybe some interest then throughout the winter.

-Wow!

-Why wow?

-Oh, Morgan's name on it.

-Oh, lots of colour!

-Lots of colour.

-I'm glad you said that, Lillian.

-Lots of colour.

Having listened to what you want,

I have gone very much for a garden garden, to get rid of the car park.

This area here is raised beds made of timber and in that area,

there's going to be much more of the pottering plants,

so cottagey - things like dianthus and Cupid's dart, aquilegias.

-So, I have spent all of the budget on the garden.

-Right.

-Not the fence.

-OK.

-Mainly because I think the fence could be easily fixable afterwards.

-OK.

-Get the garden done first.

Charlie's hoping to win the ladies over with a blaze of colour

so the boundary doesn't become such an issue.

But the boys are playing it safe.

-I know one of the main things with this garden is privacy.

-It is.

That's something we need to address,

so we've given you brand-new fencing all the way along,

solid wooden fencing, so people will have to really try

if they want to look in - which they will want to look in, I'm sure.

They'll be really interested.

Not to be outdone, Charlie has an alternative to the fence.

We've got topiary balls that are going to be descending in height,

-so it gives a false perspective, make the garden look longer.

-Lovely.

Lillian doesn't look entirely convinced,

so Charlie has something special, just for her.

-And this area here is your area, Lillian.

-Yes.

-Seating area there.

Now, it's quite a dark area, so to brighten it up,

-I've put a mirror on the wall here.

-Oh, right.

If you put plants round it, you really don't see that it's a mirror.

Sounds lovely.

The pitch is over.

It's now all down to Lillian and Carrie.

-Wow, what a decision!

-It is. It's a big decision, isn't it?

They're both lovely designs, they really are.

-To me, that's more modern.

-Yeah.

We've got this big area here where we can have the barbecue

-and have people round.

-I like the deign.

I like the way Charlie's used the trees going down.

-But her flowers are so colourful as well, aren't they?

-Yeah.

And there's such a walkway there with people

-that you really do need that fence.

-Yeah.

You need a nice, good, high fence for the privacy.

-I like that idea for me.

-So you've got your own space.

Yeah, so I've got my own space.

This is not an easy decision. They both want a pretty garden

but can't ignore the practical problems with the existing one.

The question is, will the heart rule the head?

Will they go for Charlie's bounty of colourful plants

and Lillian's secret garden

or the boys' large entertaining area,

raised planters and solid fencing for privacy?

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-It's been a very hard decision but we have made a decision.

-Good.

-Ah!

-Whoo!

-Yeah! It's the boundary that finished it!

Oh, amazing! So, what made you go for our design?

-The fence.

-Ah, there we are.

-We were subtle.

NARRATOR: So, the Rich brothers have won, but Lillian has one condition.

What I would like to do, if it's all right with Charlie,

I'd like to pinch some of her design for that corner,

-if it's all right with you two as well.

-Yeah.

-No.

-Of course it's fine.

-I'd like the mirror...

-Uh-huh.

..area, with the flowers round it and the little seating area,

so that I've got it private for my friends when they come round.

-That's the wine corner.

-That's the wine corner.

NARRATOR: So, the boys may have taken this one,

but they won't be able to boss Charlie around too much,

because to give this family what they want,

both designs have to somehow work together.

It's an early start in the West Midlands.

Right, skip man's here. Things are on track.

The Rich brothers are off site, finishing their planting plans.

Post in the hole!

So, they've asked project manager Paul

and landscapers Andy, Lee and Falkland,

to start ripping into the concrete wasteland

that is Lillian and Carrie's garden.

With hard landscaping to remove,

the boys have allocated £170 of the budget for hiring a skip

to get rid of it all.

That's it. Bash that end off.

Timber!

The first challenge is to put in the new fence,

which the family so badly need.

There 25 metres of it to go in,

but first, the old low-lying fence has to come out.

And then we can remove the post, get rid of it,

make it neat at the bottom,

and we're ready to put the new fence line in.

It's a painful task.

Every concrete post has steel wires running through it.

That's the first panel going in now. One of many.

But there's a problem.

Lillian and Carrie have asked for a new garden gate

to be part of the fence.

-Cos your post's going to go in there, which is the problem.

-Yeah.

So it's going to have to be that side.

But as long as there's enough room for it to come round here.

The boys have realised that the new posts

are going to be sunk in exactly the spot

where the footings of the old concrete posts are.

It's almost impossible to get them out,

so a bit of rethinking is needed.

Right, the gate, originally, was going to go here,

and what's happened is...

What we've realised is if the gate goes there,

it means that the wooden posts that we're putting in

go in exactly where the old concrete posts went in,

so the solution is rejig where the gate's going.

Problem averted.

By moving the gate, it shifts the end of each panel along,

avoiding hitting the old concrete posts with the new wooden ones.

A bit of quick-drying cement and job done.

-Speed-fencing.

-Is that right?

The Rich brothers have arrived

and are pleased with Paul and the boys' efforts.

Loving the new fence. It's smartened up this space quite a lot.

Makes a dramatic difference, doesn't it,

-with the privacy for the garden?

-Yeah.

But this is no time for standing around.

Transforming this grey space into something living

is going to need some serious muscle and now Charlie's here,

they're gearing themselves up for the task ahead.

It will be interesting how this one plans out.

Any plant is just going to make a total difference, really.

Hard landscaping's already here, isn't it? We're reusing the slate.

-You said it!

-So, it's just bringing in plants, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Easy.

-It's going to feel quite kind of cosy, I think.

-It's going to really change it.

-Massively.

It will seem longer and longer.

Because you can't really see out, it's going to draw your eye in.

-To the garage at the end!

-Yeah, we'll have to do something.

We have picked out some interesting stuff.

We've had a little idea about sectioning off, screening.

With £1,100 already spent on the fence and the skip,

the boys are planning some cost-effective features

to make Lillian and Carrie's budget go further.

So, have you got something up your sleeve, have you?

-We don't know where it's going yet.

-Within the budget?

-Everything's in budget.

-It's pretty much upcycling.

-OK.

-Pick it up from anywhere. Cheap as...

-Chips.

-Chips.

-Who's rocking this seat?

-I'm rocking the boat.

-Are you rocking it?

-Right then.

-Yeah.

-Back on.

-Oh!

The mass of hard landscaping covering the plot

is actually in good condition,

so the boys are planning to recycle as much of it as they can.

At the heart of the boys' design, are four beautiful flowerbeds.

And right now, where they need to go is covered in slate.

But there's a nice surprise lying underneath.

-Oh!

-Look at that.

-Soil! Whoo-hoo!

-That's not bad!

-Look at that!

Look at that! How about you mark it out before you dig up all the soil?

-Yeah.

-And make it muddy.

-I'm going back in the sun.

-It's cold here, isn't it?

-Oh!

This will make prepping the new flowerbeds a lot easier.

-It's quite nice watching your brother work, isn't it?

-Yeah.

THEY LAUGH

Nice one, young one.

HARRY LAUGHS

But the good news is short-lived.

Designing on paper or on the computer beforehand

tends to be easier because you can treat it as quite a blank canvas.

Designing's easy but as soon as you encounter troubles

when you get onsite...

THEY LAUGH

The boys designed the beds

to match the rectangular shape of the plot, only there's a snag.

It isn't as rectangular as they thought.

-Bit of an irregular garden, isn't it?

-Yeah.

So we're going to have to pick one line to go off

-and then work from that.

-Yeah. It narrows a bit.

We'll work with this boundary line

-and then all the lines then work off that.

-Yeah.

-Let's look at your plan.

Now, you're going off that

-because that's giving you straight lines.

-Yeah.

-So you're ignoring the patios on the...?

-No, going with it.

-You're going with it.

-Going to work with that.

-So, we're not going to end up with rectangular beds.

-No.

We're going to end up with diamond-shaped beds.

-But they'll look square, won't they?

-Parallelogram?

-Squishy square.

-Rhombus.

-Squishy square.

-Rhombus?

-Squishy square.

-Look. That looks serious, doesn't it?

-He's here.

-The man and his tape.

-The tape measure.

To get the proportions right,

each bed now has to work with all the different angles of the plot.

There usually will be the odd thing that means it has to alter.

But that's not a problem. Don't need to worry about that.

You can adjust it. That's why using string lines

makes it really easy cos you can just move it about.

Meanwhile, Charlie's off to start working

on her special project for Lillian at the side of the house.

She's creating a private haven, with flower pots and a mirror,

surrounded by colourful planting.

-Lee.

-Yep.

-Would you come and do a bit of chopping of wood for me?

-I'm sure I can manage that.

-Yeah?

The boys have already allocated all the budget to THEIR design,

so anything extra has to be made virtually for free.

I basically want to put it on the wall...

and, like, hide that behind it.

-Right, no problem.

-So we need to get that... This bit's rotten, isn't it?

Yeah, I'll get the best bit out of it.

So, my idea is this is going to be on the wall,

hidden by the fence, which I'll paint.

Plant it up and the plants will all fluff over the top

and then I'm going to attach some terracotta pots here as well

and I think that will look quite pretty

and I'm going to zhoosh them up with a bit of emulsion paint

and I might put a mirror behind to reflect some light

and reflect the plants as well.

-Very good. We can sort that no problem.

-Chop it then.

-Cheers, me dear.

-Thank you.

-I'll let you go back to proper work now.

-Yeah.

-None of this faffing around with plants and planters!

Having moved the slate,

the boys now need to create the two beds near to the garage.

But there's a whopping great patio there, some of which has to go.

Any hardcore left underneath is being used

to help make a new path down the garden.

We're just removing the hardcore and the concrete

that was beneath the slabs

and then we'll turn that into nice soil for the plants.

But David seems to be getting carried away.

That one isn't coming up today though. We are cutting that one.

-What one? Why?

-Well, look at the string line, people.

But I thought that was the flower bed here.

-You're so right.

-Yeah. Strewth! Oh, my goodness me!

Good job Charlie's here!

-I'll carry that.

-Go on then. They're quite chunky.

-Saying that...

-You HAVE said it! It's a long walk to the skip.

-I'll just put them back here for now then.

-Yeah!

Would you like a wheelbarrow, Harry?

The old patio slabs were tightly laid,

so smashing one allows access to the others.

Right. Lovely jubbly.

Harry was being all big and manly.

He didn't realise quite how far away the skip is.

The new beds actually cut into the existing patio.

The slabs are in good condition, so rather than pay for new ones,

the boys are counting on the landscapers' cutting skills.

So, we're just going to cut this bit off here,

that little guy, and then leave the rest of them.

-Leave him, get rid of him and then get rid of that one there.

-Great.

-So that keeps those lines nice and parallel, doesn't it?

-Love it!

And the circular saw helps to make light work of it.

-You're cutting the wrong ones!

-No! No, I haven't.

Are these the wrong ones? No, I've moved the line out the way.

-No, I'm joking!

-Argh!

Yeah, we want to break the right ones. There you go. Lovely jubbly.

Meanwhile, the shale is being moved into the middle of the garden

to create the new seating area between the beds.

So, we're reusing the MOT, which is this gravelly stuff,

to fill in the pathway and then put the shale on top,

so we'll only need a thinner layer.

Saves money. Saves money, saves skip space as well.

Hard landscaping is not cheap, so recycling existing materials

is an excellent way to make your garden budget go further.

Which is good news, in this case, as it's gone on the boys' plants,

and they've just arrived.

Beautiful, aren't they, these?

The bad news is that the landscaping goes on.

At least the boys are finally satisfied

with the placing of the new beds. Now, they need to be properly edged.

So, the bones of the design are down

and you can see the beds here, around me.

Now, all that we need to do is bring in the shuttering

that will define the beds and keep the shale out from the soil.

Simple timber edging or shuttering creates a nice finish

and keeps the soil of the beds from spreading.

Meanwhile, Lillian and Carrie have baked some fuel

for the hard-working troops.

-Hello!

-Hello.

-I'm out with the paintbrush.

-Out with the paintbrush.

-I am. Oh!

-Would you like a cake?

-Look at those! Wowee!

And gardening-related. That's got to be Harry, hasn't it, really?

-Are you going to be a flowerpot?

-I'll be a flowerpot.

-OK.

-Boys!

Come and look at your designated cakes.

-HARRY:

-Amazing - thank you very much! Look at these.

I haven't tried it yet though.

So, do you recognise that little bit of fence?

I do recognise that little bit of fence.

-I'm giving it a lick of paint...

-Right.

..and then I'm doing a bit of zhooshing

with some plant pots for your bit here.

-Oh, you're doing zhooshing?

-Zhooshing. I can zhoosh.

-It's an important part of gardening, isn't it?

-Zhooshing?

-Zhooshing.

-We're going to leave you with the cakes.

-Oh, crikey.

-And you're off to the pub.

-We're off to the pub.

Please, please, can I go with them, sir?

-HARRY:

-Please, please. On your way!

-Oi, cheeky! Cheeky boy!

-LILLIAN:

-Naughty, naughty!

Tea break over,

it's time for the boys to reveal their next low-cost feature.

In the old garden, the garage was a real eyesore,

so the boys have come up with something to help screen it.

So, these are reinforced steel mesh sheets.

You can pick it up from any builders' merchants

and we managed to salvage this one.

But this will be a really nice frame for climbers to grow up

and just add that extra bit of greenery.

50mm holes are drilled into timber posts so that the mesh can slot in.

Fingers crossed.

-Start at your end and work your way up.

-He's in.

-Oh.

-Yeah, it's coming.

Perfect!

So, this will stand up and there'll be another post on this end.

-Beautiful.

-Yeah.

-Really nice.

-Spot on.

But not to be outdone,

Charlie's own upcycling project for Lillian is coming along.

We haven't really spent much on this little project at all,

cos the picket fence was free,

we got little pots of paint, which are £1, £1.50,

and the mirror is from a charity shop and it was £3.99.

That was probably the most expensive bit - the plastic trough.

And then a few bedding plants, which is really what Lillian wants.

She wants to be able to potter and do her own bedding,

so she can change it spring, autumn and summertime.

David's wire mesh screen is ready to go in

at the end of the border, nearest the garage.

Bit of a long leg there, guys, but otherwise...

really nice. That's going to look awesome, look.

Your side up a bit.

With the amelanchier shrub -

look at the rusty colours of the leaves and the rust.

It's going to look really nice.

Slot it into place, a bit of concrete

and it will be set for life.

Meanwhile, Charlie's little garden has turned into an art project.

I've changed ends of the skip. It's much warmer down this end.

I was sat in the shade. It was very chilly.

I'm not sure about this mirror. It may or may not make it.

In the back, it's all hands to the pumps

to get the garden ready for planting.

We'll have to maybe trim off the edge.

Get rid of that, trim off that edge.

And Harry is taking his time over finishing the shuttering.

So, landscaper Lee's got a present for him.

-Need a pencil?

-Yeah.

-Built one specially, mate.

-Oh!

Try putting that one behind your ear.

Doesn't really go behind the ear, does it?

Where am I supposed to put it?

It looks like it needs to go down three inches, two inches.

Blimey, this is looking a bit like a garden now, isn't it?

And not a trip hazard with lots of strings everywhere.

Safety first, safety first.

Charlie's keen to get the bosses' approval

for her project round the corner.

-I love the colour.

-Yeah, it's nice.

-Lime green.

-You love your green, don't you?

-With fuchsia pink.

-Oh!

-Oh, God.

-No, sky blue, actually. That colour.

-I know.

For once, we've got a bit of sky blue. It's not cloud grey.

It's a bit chilly though. That wind! Glad I've still got my thermals on.

Brrr!

The final task before planting is to break up the soil

that had been compacted by the paving slabs.

I've also got some mushroom compost,

which is going to add nutrients to the soil

and, again, really help aerate it.

Mushroom compost also retains water,

so it's good for establishing new plants.

The soil is the most important thing when you're planting.

If you prep the soil well, then the plants are going to do beautifully.

-Charlie, you've got one job.

-What's that?

-Bubble watching.

-Bubble watching? I can bubble watch.

-OK.

Charlie's improvised wall garden is almost finished.

Slightly over to me. Just recess the other end slightly.

I have to say, even if she doesn't use it for plants,

it would be really handy just to put your tea there

or your, you know...bottle of wine, champagne.

-That looks all right!

-Try your...

-My pot.

-..your planter in it now, see whether that fits.

-Yeah.

-If it doesn't, I'm going home!

-THEY LAUGH

-Look at that! Oh, hello!

-Like a glove and a chicken's lip.

And she'll have a beautiful view of the garden.

And her view is improving by the minute.

Key to the boys' design are three trees

that provide height in the last third of the garden.

First in are the two amelanchiers.

-What do you think of this guy?

-They are really pretty.

When you see these out in the spring, you think,

"Yes, we're going in the right direction. Summer is coming."

It's the perfect tree. It's more like a shrub, isn't it?

-For a small garden like this, it doesn't overpower you.

-Yeah.

Not mad on the size of the pot it's in though.

It's all worth is in the end, isn't it?

These mature trees may be a little more expensive

but they give that instant wow factor.

-A little bit more.

-Whoo, whoo! There you go.

-Great.

-I reckon that's the face here, so...

-Do you?

-Yeah.

-Oh, God!

-It's quite heavy, isn't it?

-Oh, that is perfect, mate!

-Yeah.

That's perfect.

But a small tree like this does need careful planting.

What you can do is just tease the roots.

They've been a bit pot-bound, so give them a little start.

And what's nice is they're not going to keep going round and round

in a circle in the hole you've dug.

They have the chance to penetrate out into the outer soil.

-That looks pretty good from here.

-Yeah, it's perfect.

-Yeah, lovely.

As well as their aesthetic value,

these trees also help provide privacy,

particularly when they're in full bloom.

Trees are just one way to help a garden that is overlooked.

Landscape designer Daniel Shea often deals with clients

with privacy high on their wish list.

It's all about raising boundaries,

bringing in trees to screen off windows.

Getting that feeling of intimacy straightaway

is something you want to achieve.

Planning restrictions mean you can generally raise your boundary

to a maximum height of two metres.

This property was overlooked by several houses,

so to ensure privacy, the garden was sunk and trees planted.

We brought in three silver birch.

They're nice trees, they don't cast too much shade

and they've got a nice, contemporary, clean, fresh feel.

But be careful you don't build up too far.

If you go too much, you can feel like you've enclosed yourself in

but you've also blocked out light

and it can be quite an intimidating space.

You don't want to make them too brutal.

To increase the height of your boundary, trellis is another option.

The long linear lines -

they let lots of light in but you can't see beyond them.

All you can see is shadows. The light pours and flows in

and it really creates this feeling of warmth.

It's all about getting the balance right

and making it work with the space you have.

Really think about your boundaries first, I'd say.

Once they're established, you've kind of built your walls,

you've built your room, and then it's just about how you dress it.

Back in Walsall, the planting is in full swing.

The boys are filling the beds

with a combination of flowering perennials and grasses.

The plants I'm using now is actaea,

and that has a lovely white brushstroke flower, and sanguisorba,

which has this lovely dark tonal red wine flower colour

and, again, these two are great for wildlife.

And whilst they're preoccupied with placing,

Charlie's taking full advantage.

And don't tell the boys,

but I'm going to steal two of their plants for round my bit.

I'm going to steal the jasmine polyanthum

and I'm also going to steal one of their grasses.

This is Deschampsia flexuosa, or wavy hair grass,

and you can see why.

Just really gorgeous, really natural,

and I think it's going to fit well with this planting scheme

and give them a patch of the wild.

This planting scheme is quite bold.

There's lots of colours here that are going to stand out.

You've got the sanguisorba with this deep red,

anemones, which will be lovely and white later on in the season,

catmints, which will give a flood of blues and purples in the summer.

Meanwhile, round the corner, in Lillian's private garden,

landscaper Lee's work is still not done.

I think I want the mirror up. I'm not 100% sure, but...

See, I'm thinking...

Something like that, yeah?

Watch my plants, watch my plants, you!

THEY LAUGH

-That's it.

-Oops.

-Hang on.

-That's it.

-Centralise it.

-Yeah. And then that jasmine. The boys haven't noticed.

-Ssh!

And I'm going to pop it in here and train it round

and the wall will give it the protection it needs.

And then it's a case of getting those pots on there.

Yeah, I don't think that looks half bad. It's all right.

This mushroom compost is doing a hell of a job, isn't it?

-It's amazing. You put a load in there, didn't you?

-Yeah.

The last of the trees, the cherry, is going in

and the boys have asked Charlie to plant the mesh screen behind it.

So, the boys have got this cherry here. Lovely pink flowers on it.

It's going to add some height to the garden.

And they want this Clematis montana "Pink Perfection"

to pick up the cherry flower colours.

So far, despite the cold, we've been lucky with the weather.

But that's about to change.

-Oh, this is not nice, is it? Snow!

-I know.

It's actually snowing!

Bit blowy out here, isn't it?

They're all getting broken by this wind!

-Well, that looks like it's bashed to bits, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

Right, thank you very much.

-Looks beautiful, doesn't it, in the snow?

-Yeah.

At least there's a new fence to hide behind.

If this weather keeps on as it is,

we're not going to have anything to see. It's covered in snow.

-I don't think we'll be able to see YOU!

-I'm not doing very well.

-I'm taking it in the face.

-You're getting the brunt of it.

Fortunately, it's just a passing flurry,

so the team can push on to finish the garden.

It's taken some serious labour to break through the concrete

and replace it with a garden.

And as the much-loved barbecue returns,

Lillian and Carrie's new garden is finished.

Before, this garden was more like a car park,

covered in wall-to-wall concrete and shale and devoid of life.

Now the boys have transformed it into a garden

for all three ladies to enjoy.

A new fence was a must and now it's in,

the noisy, exposed road is a thing of the past.

But it ate up almost half the budget,

so the boys have had to beg, borrow and steal

to transform the space within.

The existing landscaping was repositioned,

opening up the space for four flower beds

that surround a social area, perfect for family barbecues.

The boys focussed the rest of the budget

on bringing colour and texture to the garden.

The beds are filled with grasses and herbaceous perennials

for year-round colour.

Adding to the wow factor are the stunning amelanchier

and cherry trees, costing £120 each.

They give instant height to the area.

To screen off the ugly garage door, David created an improvised trellis.

It didn't cost a penny and, once the clematis has clambered over it,

it will be enveloped in pink flowers.

And, as promised,

Charlie has given Lillian her own little area to potter around -

a walled garden, made from anything she could find in the skip.

This was designed to be a garden

that helped this family spend quality time together.

It's time to see if the boys have delivered.

Right, keep walking.

I think the garden looks really fabulous.

It's one of my favourites that they've done.

-Open your eyes.

-Have a look at it.

-Oh!

-Wow!

-Oh, it's lovely!

You love it, great.

-So, this is where you sit down, have your morning coffee.

-Yeah. Oh!

-It's a garden!

-Oh, it's beautiful!

-Oh, wow.

-Oh, it's gorgeous!

-What do you think of the fence?

-That was the main thing.

-I love the fence! I absolutely adore the fence.

-It's fantastic.

-It's just amazing.

-It's making me cry.

-Oh!

-I just don't know where to look first.

So we've got all the different plants here,

-like the grasses, which give lovely interest and movement.

-Gorgeous.

We've got two amelanchier, kind of shrubs,

so they won't grow too large. But you can see this lovely blossom.

-Get lots of little birdies.

-Yes!

-They'll love it.

Lots of birdies in the garden.

And this area here, you can have your table and chairs

and just enough room for the whole family,

all three of you, to sit around here and enjoy it.

That's right, yeah. It's what we need. And a lovely fence.

-It's a good-looking fence, isn't it?

-It is!

I'm going to put my hands up and say it.

Paul did a great job of that, yeah. He did a good job.

I got quite emotional when I walked out.

I didn't know what to expect, to be honest. Amazing.

Fantastic. I love the fence.

Do Lillian and Carrie think their cash has been well spent?

I think it's been good value for money.

We've definitely got everything that we wanted.

It has exceeded our expectations,

with the plants, the design, the fence.

It's just everything.