Episode 11 The Instant Gardener

Beautiful gardens are one of Britain's most glorious sights.

But if your green space is more mess than majestic,

making it over can be a daunting prospect,

especially if you're short on time and money.

Well, the Instant Gardner is here.

Ta-da!

Danny Clarke is an expert at transforming gardens.

These are really bringing a smile to my face.

Each time, our gardening guru will be showing you

how to create gorgeous garden makeovers.

Doesn't that look great?

Each transformation will be packed with brilliant ideas

to help you get to grips with your own outdoor space.

Just continually deadhead

and you will keep getting that plant to flower.

He'll be turning to garden junk...

Oh, look at that!

..into garden jewels.

It's going to be used as a planter

and I think this is going to look absolutely terrific.

And showing you how to spend a small budget wisely...

-That's why Danny makes me bring a list!

-OK.

..be it on shrubs or salvage.

Would you like that in your garden?

And because Danny is the Instant Gardner,

everything you see will happen in a single day.

Oh, thank you so much.

-Oh, wow.

-That's unbelievable!

Today, we're in Lochwinnoch, in the Scottish county of Renfrewshire,

lying on the banks of Castle Semple Loch and the River Calder,

Lochwinnoch is a historic village, typical of the area.

It's packed with interesting old architecture,

blessed with beautiful countryside

and has more than its fair share of glorious gardens.

But not everybody shares the same taste

in traditional British gardens.

I'm off to explore a corner of this village

that wants something a little different,

but they need a little bit of help from the Instant Gardener.

-Hello!

-Hello.

-You must be Wilma.

-Yes, I'm Wilma.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Hello, Helen.

-You must be Tom.

-Yes, hello.

Nice to meet you. Right, let's have a look at this garden then.

-Right, off you go.

-Thank you.

Tom and Wilma have lived here in Lochwinnoch for 20 years.

Wilma retired in 2012,

although Tom still works part-time as a tour guide.

Like many couples at this life-changing stage,

they decided to take a once in a lifetime dream holiday,

in their case, to China.

This never-to-be-repeated trip introduced them to the ancient

Gardens of Suzhou and both were knocked out

by the calmness and serenity of

these Chinese gardening masterpieces.

When the couple returned to Scotland, they set about

introducing a little bit of China into their own back garden.

But Tom has failed to make much of a start and Wilma is beginning

to think her tranquil Chinese sanctuary

will remain a distant dream.

A few days ago, Danny dropped by to see if he could work out how to turn

their dream into a reality,

but what will he make of Tom and Wilma's

long, triangular-shaped garden?

I've come to this plot for a sneak peak,

but I've got a feeling this isn't the part of the garden

that I'm going to be working on.

I wonder where it's leading me to. I like the cherry.

Well, I can see what part of the garden I'm going to tackle

because this bit's untouched.

That's bit behind me is absolutely fine,

there's nothing wrong with it at all.

And looking at it, it needs quite a bit of work.

But I'll tell you what, it does have its pluses

and one of the major plus are these walls.

I think they're gorgeous.

And look, they've got things growing out of them.

I can see some hart's-tongue ferns, so it's like a living wall.

This has got such a lovely, quirky shape to it.

The garden narrows to this point.

This appears to be a natural doorway.

So, what we've got here is really another room.

So, there's this part of the garden, there's this part of the garden

leading to the arch,

and then there's a bit right down to the house.

That's really interesting.

As for recycling, Erm...

I can see bits of wood, there's a fence panel there,

there's some trellising, there's some decking boards round here.

I mean, if I throw this back and have a look,

I can see decking boards and pots

and there's this tree here.

It looks like an apple tree and it's just about to come into leaf.

This land is very untidy.

I get the impression that this was definitely a dumping ground

for the stuff that came out of the garden down there.

So, there's bits of twigs,

there's old plastic chairs, there's lawn mowers.

I mean, I don't know what we're going to do with this.

I mean, this is a bit of an issue,

bearing in mind we've only got a day to do this garden.

Lovely space, lovely outlook.

It's got a lot going for it,

but I think if we're going to make a difference here,

we've really got our work cut out.

A few days later, Danny's back and ready with a plan,

but before he gets cracking,

it's time for him to meet Tom and Wilma

to find out more about their dream of a Chinese-style garden.

-Hello!

-How are you?

-I'm good.

-This is Tom and Wilma.

Hello, Tom. Hello, Wilma.

This is their fabulous garden. It's a real little TARDIS, isn't it?

-Yes.

-You would never expect this much garden...

-Yeah, that's true.

-..when you rock up at the front door.

-How long have you lived here?

-We've lived here just over 20 years

and we've tried to bring the garden on since then,

but lack of time hasn't helped.

So, since I've retired, I've done quite a bit more in the garden.

What would you like to see from the garden?

What would you like to change?

Well, the end of the garden becomes a place where you leave everything

and it gets pushed further and further back.

What I wanted to do was to finish the garden to the end,

so there's a purpose in walking up the garden to see what's at the end.

-OK.

-So you want a reason to be able to come into the garden?

You want a focal point?

Yes. I want to say to people,

"I've got a blah at the end of the garden."

Everybody loves a "blah", whatever that may be!

Whatever Danny chooses that to be.

Although I say that with slight trepidation

because that you are keen on a certain style of garden, aren't you?

Yes, we're keen on a Chinese garden.

When I retired, we went to China on a tour and saw lots of gardens,

particularly the humble administrator's garden.

From that, we decided we'd like a bit of China

down at the bottom of the garden that we could go back there

and think about our time in China.

-Just walk 100 feet and you've got into China.

-Yeah.

Right. What was it that you saw in China

that really sort of captured your imagination?

What do you want to recreate back here?

Well, things like...

There was lots of water,

the whole tranquillity of the garden,

plants like bamboo,

and I think Tom's got some particular things that he likes.

One thing I was thinking of was water in some means,

maybe with a pump and moving water.

But I've loved a moongate, which is a Chinese feature which it takes you

through into another world.

What do you reckon then, Danny?

How easy is it to get a taste of China in a British garden?

Well, that's the thing.

Because the Chinese have inspired us in so many ways, for example,

did you know that roses are from China?

Well, no, I thought it was something to do with

Lancastrians and the men of York!

And that's what many of us think.

That they are part of a quintessential

English country garden.

-Mmm.

-Peonies.

-Yeah.

Clematis, they're all Chinese.

-Which we already have tried.

-We have, we have.

Right, well, we will get out of your hair.

-OK.

-Tom's going to stay here and give you a hand.

There's one thing you need to take with you.

OK, a shopping list.

-All right.

-If you can get me some clump-forming bamboo,

-that would be great.

-Clump-forming bamboo. We can do that.

-OK.

-OK.

-OK, we'll see you later.

-Cheers.

-See you soon.

While Wilma and I head off on a journey of inspiration,

Danny has just one day to turn this small triangular patch

at the end of the garden into an enticing Oriental hideaway.

So what's the plan, Dan?

I'm really excited about today

because we're going to do a Chinese-style garden.

We're going to start here with the moongate.

This is going to be our entrance.

And what we're going to have here is three different levels.

So, we're going to have a lower level here,

we're going to have a level there and a level at the top.

And that's where the focal point's going to be.

And this area's going to be gravelled.

So, we're going to have gravel here

and we're going to have gravel on the top tier.

At the apex of the garden, in that corner over there,

at the top tip is going to be a Buddha.

That's going to be there and that is going to be the focal point.

You know what?

I know Tom wants water, but we can't do water in this garden -

we just haven't got the time -

so I'm going to do something symbolic.

We're going to use blue plants

and the blue plants are going to be just here.

So this is going to be our river and we're going to have a bridge

leading over it, which will take us to that Buddha over there.

Now, a Chinese-inspired garden needs Chinese plants,

so what I'm going to do is use some acers here,

an acer here and an acer there,

and it's going to frame that Buddha

that we're going to put on a plinth at the back.

If we've got time,

we're going to tidy this up and my intention is to turf this area

and reinstate these beds down to the moongate.

I think it's going to look absolutely wonderful.

Where this arrow-shaped area opens out,

there's a sharp corner and Danny's earmarked it

for a very important function.

So, this area, which is typical of a lot of gardens,

is being used as a storage area.

So, what are we're going to do...

We're going to continue to use it as a storage area,

but we're going to tidy it up.

And what we're going to do, we're going to put some fence panels here.

OK? So, that will be completely contained

and we're going to attach some bamboo screening to it

and that will be keeping in theme

with this Chinese-inspired garden.

So, Danny's going to overhaul this undefined sloping space

by splitting it into three distinct rising levels

using wooden sleepers to give them definition.

The first level will become a welcoming path

leading through a spectacular moongate.

Past the moongate, there will be a footbridge,

crossing the river of blue grasses, leading to the final raised level

where a Buddha statue will have pride of place.

He's also going to tidy up the makeshift storage area

and he'll complete the Chinese theme with some dramatic acers.

It's a lot to do in a few hours,

but Danny will be helped by handyman AJ

and helpers Amy-Rose, Luke and Tom.

Right, so, what we need to do really is to level this area off, OK?

So, we're going to start from that apex over there

-and work down the garden.

-Right.

Right. So, we're going to work in that direction.

As part of the clear-out, Danny's got his eye on the old apple tree.

One of the things I would like to do is to take this tree out.

It's an apple tree and it's really got no aesthetic value.

But it's a big decision, so he needs to check with Tom first.

Tom, how important is this tree to you?

Well, I've thought about it several times,

but there is one thing in a Chinese garden

which is called a welcoming tree.

It's a tree that goes up to about here

and then comes across with its leaves,

and that's supposed to be like a welcoming arm.

OK. So, what it's doing... It's doing this...

-Yes.

-It's about to, sort of, embrace you.

Envelop you. Envelop you, embrace you.

So, if we can work on that,

maybe take one or two of the decaying limbs off.

-Yes.

-And perhaps give it a bit of shape.

I'll do the hard work, I'll do all of the sawing.

-Oh, I've get a saw.

-And we can decide between us which limbs

-we're going to remove to form that shape.

-All right.

-Let's see what we can do.

-All right.

-Brilliant.

So, with a new role in the garden, the tree is staying.

While Danny and Tom go in search of the right tools

to cut it back,

I'm taking Wilma in search of an Asian-inspired garden

a tad closer to home.

I know you're very keen to recreate something that reminds you of your

trip to China, so I'm going to take you to

a Celtic and Asian-inspired garden

that is not that far from your house.

Probably ten or 15 minutes from your house, pretty much on your doorstep.

Something that I hope you're going to enjoy anyway.

Yes. I'm sure I will.

The Hidden Gardens in nearby Glasgow

were opened in 2003 on the site of an old tram works.

This once derelict brownfield site

has been transformed into a beautiful

Celtic and Asian-inspired garden.

I think this peaceful space will be right up Wilma's street.

So, here we are in the Hidden Gardens.

Yes.

This is a bit here, these are all wishing trees,

-so you can write a note.

-Oh, lovely.

-A wish or a prayer.

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

-Yes. Absolutely gorgeous. Yeah.

There's some more.

How do you feel?

What are your first impressions?

I think it's amazing that there is such an open and quiet space

in the middle of a huge city.

It's a very calm, serene space, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Even though there are small children running around.

-Yes.

-We're relatively near to heavy industry.

They've achieved something quite special, haven't they?

Yes, it's amazing.

Well, I brought you here to get an idea of what kind of Asian plants

might grow in a garden, right here in sunny Scotland.

So, let's have a bit of an explore. A little bit of a look around.

Is there anything here, Wilma, that reminds you of your trip to China?

Well, white walls, that's quite common.

The slate, the broken slate.

And I notice we've got bamboo over there.

A lot of this garden is split up into sections,

much like your garden.

It is like our garden. That's what we want to do with the garden -

is to make it like different rooms.

And what about this idea of having a moongate?

That seemed like something that Tom was quite keen on.

Yes, Tom's very keen on that

because it gives a vista that you can look through.

So, the moongate could offer you a frame to look at something.

That's right, yes. It could do.

OK, well, you never know what we might go back to.

-You never know.

-Yes, you never know.

While Wilma and I head deeper into the Hidden Gardens,

back in her own garden,

AJ is getting on with fitting the sleeper walls designed to retain the

three new levels Danny has planned.

Look at that! Spot-on, just by the eye.

Level...straight away.

Meanwhile, Danny and Tom are pruning the apple tree to try to give it

a similar shape and effect as the famous welcoming tree

the couple saw in China.

I think we should take some of these crossing branches out,

like this one here, for example.

-Yes.

-So, there's some dieback there.

-Right.

-So, I think it might be a good idea to take these two out.

But our ultimate goal is to try and create a tree

that's kind of trying to do that.

-That's right.

-Or something close to that.

Goggles at the ready, goggles on!

-Go!

-Go.

Crossed branches can rub together

and create an entry point for disease.

Removing crossing branches eliminates moisture build-up,

which can cause rot, and allows air and sunlight to permeate

through the tree and aid in the ripening of fruit.

So what do you think then, Tom?

I think, from my imagination, I think we've got the welcoming tree.

Yeah. I think that looks great.

AJ's been busy too.

The first sleeper retaining wall is now complete.

Danny, it's all done here. You can back-fill this.

And Danny's got a great idea for levelling off the top level.

What we're doing here is recycling the rubble that's coming out

of the garden, so we need to build this area up.

Reusing old stones and bricks is a great and free way

of levelling out the ground.

While Danny gets on with that,

AJ is a building another Oriental element for the garden -

the footbridge to go over Danny's river of blue grasses.

I've got a piece of timber here at the moment,

which I'm just going to measure and mark the centre,

and then slowly mark down sort of every two centimetres or so down,

going lower every time,

just to get a curve on it,

which then I'll cut out and I'll start then getting the sort of

dome shape of how the bridge is going to go.

And these are some sort of like pre-used bits of timber

that I found in Tom's garden.

So, it's just a matter of marking them up

and screwing them either side.

There we go. It's the framework for the bridge.

So, now I just get some little stumpy legs,

I'll cut the wood to go in these four corners here.

And then I'll cut decking boards, just sort of an inch or so

wider than this, and then start putting them on here across.

Right, that's them all screwed down and you can lift it now and take it

into the garden to go over Danny's river of plants.

I think there are going to be quite a few more bridges to cross

before this garden gets finished.

Meanwhile, down the road,

Wilma and I want to find out more about Glasgow's Hidden Gardens,

so we're meeting head gardener Jean Gavin.

-Here she is, having a rare moment of reflection.

-Yes.

Jean, this is Wilma.

-Hi.

-Hi, nice to meet you, Wilma.

-Hi there.

Jean, talk us through this fantastic Hidden Garden.

It's glorious.

You've come on a lovely day, too. The weather's beautiful.

We see the garden as being almost like a green lung,

almost being a little bit of sanctuary,

a wee paradise in the middle of Glasgow

for people to come and enjoy and relax in the space.

So, it's a combination of just the way that the design of

the garden's been laid out

but it's also about the people that visit and also the staff and the

people that helped to make the garden so special.

How does the design reflect the local community?

Because is quite a diverse part of Glasgow, isn't it?

It is. It is. We are very fortunate that the local community...

We've got a real diverse cultural mix of people.

We have people who are from the Muslim faith, we have Hindu faith,

we've got the Gurdwara temple just on our doorstep, too,

so we're very, very fortunate.

We've tried to actually engage with the local community

to get an idea of what they want to see in the garden.

So, what were people asking to see?

People were asking to see plants that reminded them of home.

For example, the Chinese community wanted to see Phyllostachys,

which is your bamboo.

The Scottish community wanted to see Sorbus aucuparia,

which is a rowan tree,

which wards off evil spirits, allegedly. So, it's a real mixture.

One thing that you have got sitting pride of place

is that spectacular ginkgo. Let's go and have a look at that.

Talk us through that tree

because that is something really special, isn't it?

Yes, yes. It's a fantastic tree.

It's amazing to think that the ginkgo was around

when the dinosaurs were around.

It's beautiful. It's almost primeval in terms of the look of the tree.

This particular tree is about 30 years old,

but the ginkgo's been around for over 200 million years,

which is quite amazing.

It's incredible. It's native of Asia in general,

but you'll find them quite often planted next to temples.

-Oh, right.

-They're quite a sacred tree

and they are seen as almost like a good-luck tree as well.

Well, thank you very much, Jean.

-Thanks for your time.

-You're welcome. You're welcome.

If you'd like your garden to be a place for quiet meditation

then here are a few tips that might inspire your design.

Create pathways that take you on a contemplative journey.

Many plants have symbolic meanings in different cultures,

so including some in your garden

can bring layered meaning to your space.

For example, in Chinese mythology, bamboo is a symbol of integrity,

virtue and modesty, whereas the peony is a symbol of opulence,

beauty and honour.

But it's not just an Eastern concept.

In Western culture, the rose, for example, holds many meanings

depending on its colour,

such as red for passion and yellow for joy.

Quiet, secluded seating areas with a focal point, such as a pot,

a tree or a distant view, will provide a haven for quiet thought,

rest and relaxation.

There's no time to rest back in the garden though,

with half the day already gone,

and the garden's still not fully cleared.

Thankfully, Danny thinks he can re-use the latest bit

of unwanted material Tom is sorting out.

Hiya, Tom. How are you getting on? Having a little bit of a sort out

of these lovely, old Victorian rope edges.

Well, they were all round the garden at one time

and, in trying to bring the garden up to date, you take them out.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think these are absolutely wonderful.

I really love them. These can go along the river bank.

Well, if you put them into the earth, like that,

they shouldn't go to right and left there, like that,

because you've got soil under there.

-Yeah.

-And you try and line them up, like that, in theory,

they should look like a rope edge.

-Yeah.

-The coils of a rope.

Well, we'll see what we can get.

See what you can get. I'll let you sort through.

While Tom gets on with that job,

AJ is making good progress on his second sleeper wall,

which will lead to the first level of the raised garden.

Just screw those together, get the L-shape there.

I've got to put another sleeper on top,

so now we're having a sleeper wall on this side, but this one is

just going to be the step up into the rest of the garden.

So, this should be good.

I need to get a post into the back here, just to get some stability,

but that won't take too long.

I just wanted to get the angle because then Danny can then start

raking this and building up the backfill here, on this level.

So, one level, two level, three.

With the second tier of the garden taking shape,

Danny gets on with protecting the top level.

I'm going to lay this weed suppressant membrane down.

Now, what's great about this is that it's got little tiny perforations

like a teabag. And what it does, it allows the moisture to pass through,

so there's no chance of this area becoming waterlogged.

So, I'm just going to lay it down

and then put the gravel over the top.

Nothing wrong with sort of rolling ends in,

like this.

And just roll it out. It's very simple to put down.

With this, it doesn't matter if you overlap.

So, overlapping with this membrane is absolutely fine.

It's a bit like laying a carpet.

There we are.

With the weed block down, it's time to get the aggregate in -

a very common element in Chinese gardens.

Used here, it will instantly brighten up this

dark and previously neglected space.

What I like about putting this gravel down,

it's really defining the shape at the top of this garden.

With the bridge ready to go into position,

the garden is starting to take shape.

AJ, do you know what, mate?

I think you've surpassed yourself yet again.

This looks brilliant. It's a great take on the Chinese bridge.

I think it looks wonderful. I really like it.

There's a very important feature

waiting to become the focal point

Wilma and Tom have long since planned on including.

Danny, this is something I've been keeping

for when I built my garden...

-It's the...

-..and I didn't have your help.

A Buddha as a focal point right up at the top,

which you've made absolutely beautiful with that gravel.

Well, that area there is now made for it, isn't it?

I think so.

Bit further back? Is that what you were thinking?

Well, why don't you both go down there and shout to me?

-I think...

-Stand next to each other, get the same perspective.

No, I think we've got to use the arch as a centre point.

Square to the wood.

-But over to the left.

-Over to our left. Your right.

By about three inches.

Yeah, about there. What about there?

That looks good to me.

How about that?

I think that's perfect.

'With the Buddha statue in pride of place,

'this ambitious garden is slowly taking shape

'and I want to find out from Wilma

'why she and Tom are so passionate about creating a little bit of

'China in rural Scotland.'

Tell me about China then,

this trip that seems to have had a massive impact on both of you.

When I retired,

it was a present really for his 70th birthday

and a sort of retirement present for me. And we did a tour of China,

and were just absolutely fascinated by the whole thing.

We went everywhere.

What was it about China that you loved so much?

Just the whole culture, the people, the history -

all of those sort of things in China.

How are you enjoying retirement?

I'm enjoying it. It's quite different from what I used to do.

Going from a very structured job,

because I was lecturing, to something where, you know,

my time was my own, it was quite strange.

So, I think I started to get more into the garden then

to stop me watching television all the time.

What about Tom? Because he seems quite keen on a Chinese garden.

Yes, China had a very great impression...

Left a very great impression on him.

-Do you think you'd ever go back?

-I'd love to go back,

but it's expensive

and this was another reason for having a bit of China

in our garden.

Tom's 72. Once upon a time, I bet you thought 72 was old.

-Oh, yes, I did.

-He doesn't seem old, he doesn't look old.

No, he doesn't look old.

He doesn't...act old.

And I think, you know, the fact that he is still does his tour guiding.

He loves meeting people...

and I think he's just got a zest for life that...

Or I think we both have a zest for life

and we just want to keep on going.

Well, we are never going to help Danny create that corner of China

if we don't go and get this bamboo.

Let's head to the garden centre.

As we head off in hope of a bamboo bonanza,

Danny is busy laying the recycled edging for his river of plants.

What I'm doing here is putting in this lovely Victorian rope edging,

so I'm just trying to line it up for now,

just to see how it's going to look.

So, I think that's going to look really great.

So, I'm just going to set them up in a row to keep the gravel contained

on that side. We don't want the gravel to migrate into this river.

We don't want it amongst the plants, so that's the reason it's here.

Make sure you use a rubber mallet and not a normal hammer

cos, if you do that, you end up breaking these things.

I think that looks pretty good.

Me, too. At the other end of the garden,

AJ and Tom have started to assemble the striking moongate.

This signature circular feature

isn't something you can just pick up at a DIY store,

so Danny has had a more standard rectangular rose arch

cleverly adapted by having the sides bent into curves.

Unfortunately, AJ is being driven round the bend trying to fit it.

If we only had one circle...

..it wouldn't matter.

But we've got two that have been professionally bent

as best they can, but they're not quite going to be

exactly the same circumference,

both circles, so we've just got to try and get these crossbeams in

to try and level them up enough, so they do look, from a distance,

perfectly round to each other.

Finally, after a lot of tweaking,

the moongate is ready for positioning.

I mean, that's quite solid.

-What do you think?

-It looks all right to me.

-Circular-wise.

You know what, AJ, I think that's a lovely entrance

into this part of the garden.

I think it looks absolutely smashing.

With the overall layout taking shape,

Danny takes a moment to enjoy some of the established plants

in the top part of the garden,

including a few horticultural Chinese imports.

While the gravel's being put down, I thought I'd have a little wander

around the garden, just to see what's here.

And do you know? It's amazing what originates from China.

Now, for example, that Lonicera nitida over there.

Now, it might be hard to believe, but that's Chinese.

And there's a peony over there - that comes from China.

Covering that wall, there's a honeysuckle.

Now, you see these plants all over the place in British gardens

and it's surprising, isn't it, what does come from China?

I've just spotted something and it's the absolute star of the show.

Azalea luteums.

It's absolutely wonderful.

And look at this yellow flower,

it's just zinging out against the green background on the wall.

And the other thing, it's got such lovely, heady scent,

it's absolutely beautiful.

And, you know, these are quintessential Chinese plants.

And you know what? It's given me an idea

because we haven't got any azaleas to go in the top end of the garden,

and I'm going to give Helen a call and see if she can bring some back.

Wilma and I have just arrived at the garden centre,

on the hunt for the bamboo on Danny's list,

but just as we step inside...

-Hello!

-Hello, Helen.

Can I add something to the shopping list?

-Yep.

-Could I add some azaleas, please?

Azaleas, yeah.

Azaleas and clump-forming bamboo?

That's it.

-See you when you get back.

-Have fun, bye!

-Bye!

Azaleas, clump-forming bamboo...

I feel like we've come to the right place, cos this is huge.

Right, Wilma, not only is there an abundance of plants in this nursery,

there is an abundance of plants that would suit an Oriental garden.

-Like the acer.

-Do you like these?

Yes, I love those.

I love the colours on an acer - they're brilliant.

Yes, absolutely.

And they look great against grey slate.

Yes, they do, yes.

So, we've got the acers,

we've got loads of conifers that are trained in specific ways.

Magnolias over there,

-but I think all of these would lend themselves to your garden.

-Yeah.

It would be so easy to get carried away in a place

as fabulous as this, so in order to stick to Danny's list,

we're going to need a bit of help from director Louise McWhinnie.

Here she is! The lady with...a sea of bamboos.

There are so many bamboos.

Louise, Wilma and I are looking for clump-forming bamboo.

-Mm-hm.

-What other kinds of bamboo are there?

What's this one?

It's Phyllostachys aurea,

which is a slow-running bamboo.

So, by slow-running, how likely is it to spread?

After a lot of years, you would get runners off of it.

Well, Danny's obviously thinking of the future

because he specifically said clump-forming.

What have you got by way of a clump-forming bamboo?

This one here is Pseudosasa, which is a clump-forming bamboo.

This one at the back's a Fargesia,

which is another clump-forming bamboo.

And do these grow quite well in this climate?

They do, aye, if it's not too severe a winter.

But they'll tolerate up to minus-ten, most bamboos.

-Really?

-Mm-hm.

-That's amazing.

-Good news.

-Yes.

It feels ironic asking that question on the hottest day of the year.

-I know.

-But it's not always like this, is it?

-No.

-No.

-OK, so what would you need to do

to look after one of these?

-Very little.

-Cutting it back?

They get a bit of dead leaf at the bottom you can clean up,

but they're really pretty easy.

-OK.

-That sounds good.

-So, you have so many bamboo here.

Can you help us pick which would be the best ones

to take with us to the garden?

-Yes.

-OK. Oh, she knows where she is going.

-Why are you heading this way, Louise?

-It's nice, bright, lush...

-colour.

-Bright, light foliage.

-Nice and lush.

-OK. Well, that looks pretty healthy, doesn't it?

-Mm-hm.

-OK. We'll take a couple of your finest club-forming bamboos.

So, that basically means they'll stay put, won't they?

I'll grab that one.

We're also in the market for some azaleas.

-Mm-hm.

-Could you lead us to your finest azaleas?

-Yes, I can.

-Oh, I feel like I've picked a big one up here.

While we hunt out more suitable plants, back in the garden,

Danny's been busy arranging a few of his own.

He's even got some in the ground.

What we've got here's a river and, obviously, it's got to be blue,

so we're using blue plants.

So we're using some lovely plants here.

Look, we've got this lovely Festuca intense blue...

..which is great. And the same for these hostas.

They are absolutely fantastic.

Now, this is a shady corner and the shadier the spot,

the more intense the blue will be in these plants.

And what's great, look, we just had a gust of wind blow up just now

and just look at the movement. They look great.

So, that's keeping in theme with the river.

So, what we're talking about is something that's symbolic.

So, we've got a river running under this bridge

and these plants fit the picture absolutely perfectly.

To give the planting height and year-round interest,

Danny has chosen, guess what?

Some acers.

He must have caught our psychic vibes.

No Chinese garden should be without acers.

These are definitely quintessential Chinese.

They are absolutely fantastic and they will thrive here.

And the reason they're going to thrive here

is because of these walls.

They're going to keep these nice and sheltered, and because of the trees.

They can suffer from windburn, they can suffer from sunburn,

but these walls and these trees will give these beauties

the best possible chance.

Acers are very popular Asian trees with British gardeners

due to spectacular autumnal colours and beautiful foliage.

They're also perfectly suited to a small garden like this and can

even be kept in large containers.

Acers prefer slightly acidic, sandy soil,

but would also do well in most other soil types

as long as they are not kept too wet.

The most graceful shapes develop by letting the tree

grow fairly naturally, but will benefit from light pruning

from time to time.

Acers come in an a range of shapes, sizes and colours,

from deep red to pale green.

To find out more about these stunning trees,

and how to care for them,

speak to your local garden centre or nursery.

And remember the storage area Danny planned to tuck away

behind the kink in the walls?

AJ has been getting on with erecting its bamboo screening,

a cheap and very quick way to transform

boring or unsightly fences.

And speaking of bamboo, back at the garden centre,

Wilma and I have already chosen ours,

but we still have another item to tick off Danny's list.

What do we need to know about azaleas, Louise?

They like nice, acidic soil.

Very easy to keep and very hardy.

I'm surprised they are quite hardy because they look quite delicate,

-don't they?

-Yeah, they do, yeah.

This sounds stupid, but how do you know if you've got acidic soil?

Well, either buy a soil-testing kit,

or, if you've got other acid-loving plants in your garden -

-rhododendrons, heathers...

-We've got heathers and things in the gardens.

-Are they growing well?

-Yes.

Yeah. But if you've got is rhodies, azaleas, pieris,

and they're all growing well, you must have quite an acidic soil.

How long does it last?

-About six weeks, if the weather's fair.

-Right.

And in the winter, just go back to green?

Just evergreen, yeah.

Are these a welcome addition to your garden?

Yes, I think. Very colourful addition. Yeah.

OK. So, what, in terms of colour, do you like?

I quite like the pink ones.

-Oh, yeah.

-And I do like the orange ones.

-Yeah.

Erm, I think I'll go for the orange ones.

-OK.

-I prefer this one, I think.

-OK.

-Are these OK?

-Yes, these are lovely.

-Right.

-Thank you.

We really have two plants that look completely different there,

-don't we?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-But all...Chinese.

-Yes!

-There's so much here that you could put in a Chinese garden.

-Yeah.

'Mission accomplished.'

It's time for me to head back to the garden,

leaving Wilma to wait until it's finished.

I'm keen to see what the team have achieved while I've been away.

Here I am. How are you, Tom?

-I'm surviving.

-Yes, good.

That's when I know I should be feeling the pressure even more.

-Azalea.

-That looks gorgeous, beautiful.

-And is that your clump?

-Yeah, we've got three of those and two of those.

-Black bamboo.

-Yeah.

-Brilliant. I love it.

-Is that OK?

-Yeah, yeah, great.

-I love the Buddha. I love the acer.

I love the bridge.

-The bridge is great, isn't it?

-AJ's work.

AJ's work. He's surpassed himself, as usual.

Right, what do you want me to do?

We've still got to lay that lawn over there

and we still need to put those beds in place,

and this has still got to be gravelled.

You've still got to do what? You've still got to put a lawn in?

-Still got to put a lawn in, yes.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Well, come on then!

-You're not so relaxed now, are you?

You're not so laid-back now!

Now, we all need to kick things into a higher gear

and get this garden finished.

Come on, time for turfing. Everyone, move out the way.

We're going to work from this end and work backwards.

Human chain. We need more people in the human chain.

Just one turf at a time, please.

One turf at a time. One turf at a time!

Two turf, three.

Turf me. Turf you.

I don't want to be the one to break it to Danny,

but this is the last roll of turf

and we are not at the end of the garden.

-How many slabs are there?

-How many slabs?

-Slabs?

-About six?

All right, we'll lay the slabs down here for now.

Crisis averted.

And, as a perfect finishing touch,

Tom has provided a Chinese terracotta warrior

to stand guard at the entrance to the new garden.

-Are you calm now?

-Breathe.

You got a bit scared for a moment there.

I was scaring myself for a moment.

Before we started today,

this dark and dingy plot was used as a secret dumping ground.

Filled with old rubbish, it sloped aimlessly up into the corner,

lacking definition and clear purpose.

But now, this elegant Chinese-inspired garden

is the perfect place for restful thought and relaxation

that takes you on a journey to another world.

At its entrance, freshly laid lawn is flanked with Asian shrubs

and Azalea, and leads through a symbolic moongate.

Once on the other side,

tiered platforms gleaming with fresh gravel create varying

levels of interest, the first of which offers the rejuvenated,

welcoming apple tree and a footbridge over a symbolic river

of shade-loving hostas and blue festucas,

which, in time, will flood

the recycled rope-tile banks with colour.

The useful storage space has been kept,

but masked with a bamboo fence,

creating the backdrop for a new seating area,

and clump-forming bamboo and stunning acers spotted throughout

add a real touch of the Orient.

And all of this was done in just one day on a tiny budget.

Good job, Danny, or as the Chinese would say, "Zuo de hao."

It's time to see what Wilma makes of this stunning transformation.

So...

Now, you can look up...

-It's amazing.

-..and head on into your new garden.

This is unbelievable.

What a difference. And the Buddha.

Oh, this is beautiful.

-What do you think?

-The azaleas... It's absolutely beautiful.

Talk us through what you've done, Danny.

So, what we've done here is you've got the sea of blue there,

-so that's your river. That's your river.

-That's lovely.

-That's the bridge going over the river.

-Uh-huh.

These are your stepping stones to your Buddha

-in the apex of the triangle over there.

-That's beautiful.

-OK?

-It's absolutely amazing.

-So, this is your journey through the garden

-to your place of contemplation.

-Thank you very much.

-Acers.

-Acers. Oh, yeah.

-This is fantastic.

-And that's...

-That's our little...

-That's your stream...

-Oh, right.

-..and your bridge over it.

And what happens to these plants when it gets dark?

-When there's deep shade, they get bluer.

-Oh!

So, they get bluer in deep shade.

-That's amazing.

-So you've got blue water.

-So, the deeper the shade,

the bluer they become.

-Right, so this is your moongate.

-Oh, that's the moongate.

-OK?

And that man is the guard on the left-hand side.

-We'll have to give him a name.

-Have to give him a name, yeah.

What I love about this is

it would be so easy to ignore that little point

at the end of the garden because it sort of leads to nothing,

but, now, it leads to everything.

-Yes.

-That's right.

-The thing is, now, you've got a bit of a welcome.

-Yes.

-Because you've got the tree there and what we've done,

we've shaped it so it welcomes you.

-Like the welcome tree.

-So, it's going to give you an embrace.

Yeah, that's great.

How different does it look?

Just... It's unbelievable. It's just... I can't believe it.

It's absolutely wonderful.

-Thank you.

-Tom, we know you were keen

to recreate a little patch of China.

-Of course it is.

-How happy are you that you finally got there?

Very, very. It's slightly different when you've seen it grow

with Danny's, not help... Genius. In using that word, inspiration.

It's not a Chinese garden, it's a garden inspired by China.

But, Wilma, it was you that originally went to China

and raved on about your experience

and everything you loved about it.

-Yes. Yeah.

-How proud are you of this garden?

Oh, this is...just unbelievable.

I think it's wonderful.

Congratulations, Danny.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Happy all round?

-Yes.

-Good.

-Thank you, Danny. Thank you very much.

Go and have an explore.

This morning, this space was a bit of a rubbish dump.

Now, it's a Chinese garden inspired by the trip of a lifetime.

It is unique, it's special and it was all done in a day.

Join us next time for another Instant Garden.