Episode 12 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 Gardener 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 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 Gardener,

everything you see will happen in a single day.

Oh, thank you so much.

-Oh, wow!

-That's unbelievable.

Today, we're in rural Midlothian,

within view of the hills surrounding Edinburgh.

It's a land of rolling countryside,

with stone cottages and their gardens clustered amidst farmland.

Many of us hanker after a big garden, but size can be a problem.

The more space you have, the more you have to do,

and the more you have to fill it.

That's exactly what the owner of today's garden has found.

Hello! You must be Shelley.

-Hi, you must be Helen.

-Nice to see you.

Lovely to meet you - come on in.

Look at this!

-It's great, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's lovely here.

Shelley Cunningham and her partner Steve live in a rented farm cottage

with a large front garden.

A mum of two to grown-up son Ross and daughter Nicole,

and a busy self-employed cleaner,

Shelley has spent much of her life looking after others,

including Steve, who suffered a heart attack five years ago.

Shelley herself has had to come to terms with a diagnosis

of multiple sclerosis,

a condition which causes her a great deal of fatigue.

Plans for her garden have fallen by the wayside,

and it's time this caring lady had a helping hand herself.

Step forward the Instant Gardener.

A few days ago, Danny headed to Scotland

for a sneak preview of Shelley's garden.

When I'm designing a garden,

the first think I like to do is look and see what's already there.

I must admit, I do like doing front gardens -

and this is quite a big space, it's quite substantial,

and it's got a great outlook -

such wonderful scenery.

So, we've got this great stone path. I do like it, I mean,

I love the colours.

And it's kind of in keeping with the surroundings.

But it is straight and it is pretty boring

and it doesn't give you much of a journey.

I do like a path that pulls you from side to side,

not straight to the front door.

Having a look at this lawn, now, it's full of weeds.

Now, we can give this lawn a good trim, we can give it a good tidy up.

There is definitely the remnants of a bed here.

There's some cordyline here and there's a pieris over there

and there's a couple of pots.

So, wouldn't it be nice to bring this section back to life for them?

Now, I get the impression the people who live here,

they perhaps want to grow their own vegetables -

maybe they've had a go at it in the past.

I can see some strawberries here.

There's nothing in this bed,

but that's not to say that they haven't done something before.

And there's some mint over there.

The people who live here have got a willingness

to grow their own vegetables,

and that's a good starting point for a designer.

This morning, Danny's here to put his plan into action.

But first, he wants to find out what Shelley makes of her outdoor space.

OK, let's have a look at this garden.

-Here he is. Danny, good to see you.

-Hello, Helen.

-This is Shelley.

-Hello, Shelley, how are you?

-Hi, nice to meet you.

So, what a huge garden you have here.

Yes, uh-huh, it's really big.

-Which is very unusual.

-Uh-huh.

Normally people's back gardens are bigger than the front gardens.

Yeah. Because it's so big, I find it really hard

to try and imagine where things would go,

and how to make... I don't know, little areas...

Plant, you know, it's just...

Well, you can see, yourself, it's...

-Yeah.

-I know what you mean, though.

You're kind of spoilt, aren't you, because it is so big?

-Uh-huh.

-It's like, where do you start?

-Yeah.

-I'm guessing you want something that's welcoming.

-Uh-huh.

-Cos at the moment, it's quite bland.

I'd love somewhere that's got little flowers.

I just want it really to look like a country garden,

somewhere that when I do get home,

that I can actually come out and sit and enjoy it,

cos, at the moment, I come out and it's just weeds.

I noticed over here some strawberry plants.

-Uh-huh.

-Is fruit and veg important to you?

I love growing fruit and veg.

I'm absolutely rubbish at it

but I really do want to get green fingers.

What would you like to see in the garden?

I'd like it to be low-maintenance.

I got diagnosed with MS a few years ago,

so, sometimes I can be a bit sore and a bit stiff,

so, going down low all the time's hard -

hence I've got a raised bed.

So, little and often is kind of what I'm hoping

to be able to do in the garden.

So, low-maintenance is key.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Sorry to rain on the parade, but you can't go too crazy

-because this is a rented property, isn't it?

-That's right, yeah.

So, there are some limitations as to what you can do.

-Yeah.

-Basically, don't concrete it

-and build a big structure.

-No, I wouldn't do that!

Danny, we're going to go off and leave you to it,

head off on some inspiration.

Don't worry, we're going to leave you some help.

Is there anything you need us to pick up?

Yes, definitely. If I can give you the book and whatever's in there.

Okey dokey.

Four small fruit trees.

Ooh, lovely!

Other than that, you can't know anything else about what's happening

-in the garden. Let's leave you to it.

-See you soon.

-Have a lovely day.

-Happy shopping.

-Come on, Shelley.

-OK, thanks, bye.

-Bye.

While I take Shelley away on a hunt for inspiration and some shopping,

Danny has just nine hours to turn her plot

into a gorgeous cottage-y, kitchen-y garden.

So, what's the plan, Dan?

Shelley would like a kitchen garden,

but I'm going to give her a modern-day potager -

a mixture of edibles and ornamentals.

And I'm thinking about doing something that's formal,

so, I don't want anything that's over-fussy.

I'm going to divide this garden into quarters -

it's already divided into two by this long, straight, boring path.

But now I want to create a bit of a journey, and what I'm going to do,

I'm going to have a square bed over here, and a square bed over there,

and I'm going to have a path running around it.

And within these squares we're going to have herbs, flowers and veg.

It's going to look absolutely fantastic.

It's important that we don't have everything at one level.

We want the eye to move up and down,

and the way we achieve that is by putting fruit trees

in the centre of each quadrant,

and that will enable the eye to float around the garden.

Now, on this side, there's the remnants of a bed

and we want to tidy that up, want to bring it back to life,

and I want to mimic what's going on here on that side,

and that will add to the formality of this whole space.

I know Shelley is an MS sufferer,

and she finds it difficult to bend down and stretch,

so this trug is very important to her.

So, our intention is to do this up

and make it the centrepiece of this garden.

With a new formal layout

of symmetrical beds, fruit trees and parallel paths,

topped off with a stylish centrepiece,

Danny's going to transform this plot from a bare expanse of lawn

to a gorgeous country potager -

but there's just one day to do it, and the clock is already ticking.

Luckily, Danny will have the help of handyman AJ

and garden helpers Amyrose and Luke,

as well as Shelley's daughter Nicole and son Ross.

Time to divvy up the first jobs.

We need to cut the grass and strim the edges.

So, we're going to get this nice and tidy to start off with,

and then we'll start building.

And see that trug over there?

We're going to do that up, and we're going to make that a centrepiece,

so that's going to be AJ's job.

All right? So, you're on lawn-cutting detail.

I'm going to be on strimmer detail.

-We'd better get moving.

-Cool.

OK, great.

Giving Ross the grass to cut might have the long-term benefit

of making him lawn maintenance man.

Now most of us have got lawns.

They do need a lot of maintenance, they need a lot of cutting.

In fact, I would say that lawns need more maintenance

than our flower beds.

Because you should really be cutting your grass at least twice a week.

Twice a week?! It sounds like a lot,

but there's method in Danny's mowing madness.

So, what we're trying to do is create a weed-free lawn,

by keeping the grass cut on a regular basis.

And eventually your weeds will weaken and you will definitely

-have less of them.

-OK.

OK, let's go.

While the elite cutting corps take on the lawn,

AJ's doing battle with the battered old trug

to see if any of it can be reused.

-First thing we have to do is start digging this out...

-OK.

..and put it down on the floor there so we can then re-use it later.

Let's go.

Working together with Nicole on the raised trug

gives AJ a chance to find out a bit more about its history.

Did your grandad make this?

He did. He does a lot of building stuff.

He loves to... He loves his garden as well.

He's always giving my mum tips.

-He's done a good job, really, hasn't he?

-Yeah.

Right, that should be enough, there.

With the trug empty, AJ can remove the sides -

but things aren't quite going to plan.

I think it's seen better days.

As you can see, it's starting to rot quite easily,

cos there's two screws there that I've just pulled straight out.

Last bit of the base - this is...

You know, scaff plank, so it's nice solid wood.

It has been sort of painted, so it is quite...

..robust.

We can use that again, there's no problem with that.

While AJ's trying to salvage the old,

Danny's working on his brand-new garden layout.

So, what I need to do now is to mark out where our beds are going to go.

I'm going to try and make them as symmetrical as I possibly can.

In Danny's formal design, it's really important

that all of the lines of his beds and paths look straight.

So, Ross and I are just going to measure this,

and then do the equivalent on the other side,

and then we'll just join up the two marks.

That's it - way out.

So, it's a good job I did that.

Danny's not the only one having a hard time -

AJ's still struggling with his trug.

Hello, AJ, you all right?

Yeah, slight problem -

the recycling of these legs.

I've got some bolts out but I can't get the Allen key ones out.

Which means, basically, I need to just get more wood

-for different legs.

-OK.

-We've got to lift this up and break it.

With no way to get the legs off without breaking the wood,

AJ's recycling dream has been crushed.

It's not playing ball, unfortunately.

Building a new trug framework from scratch will take time -

better get a move on, then.

Shelley has dreams of a perfect cottage garden.

I'm taking her to meet a lady who has created exactly that,

including an ornamental kitchen garden area.

I know you're quite keen on the sort of country cottage,

countryside type of a garden, which would fit in with your surroundings.

-Uh-huh.

-So, we're heading to a garden that

I think, I hope, fits that bill, and I hope you're going to like.

Oh, I'm sure I will.

Once a wilderness, Hunter's Tryst is a secret treasure

which has emerged over the past 30 years,

hidden behind an unassuming bungalow in Edinburgh.

Right, Shelley,

have a look at this garden.

Lots and lots to take in.

It's absolutely lovely.

I love this sort of rustic-y look, and I love this.

Lovely sort of rose-covered arbour there, a couple of seating benches.

Just lovely colours, as well.

You know, it's really nice -

and the lawn looks lovely.

And the beautiful blossom tree, that is beautiful.

-I love that.

-Stunning, isn't it, that cherry blossom?

Yeah, uh-huh. I've always wanted a blossom tree.

Right, so, let's head into the next bit of the garden.

To the untrained eye, the planting may seem haphazard,

but it's actually been very cleverly divided into sections,

with paths leading between each area.

Shelley, because of the way the plants are layered,

and they kind of grow in height,

this bit of the garden is completely hidden.

Yeah. It's lovely up here as well, isn't it?

I mean, you kind of have no idea that this section is here.

It's a different feel from down there.

Yeah. This is the bit we're particularly keen for you to see.

-Uh-huh.

-Fruit trees.

Yeah, lovely. I think cos she's got all the other plants,

she'll get the bumblebees in to pollinate them, to get the fruit,

-which is...

-Oh, get you!

-I know, yeah, I've been reading up.

-Yeah, yeah!

You know what's happening.

If you strip everything away, it's a relatively regular-shaped garden.

-Yeah.

-What do you make of the paths

and the way it kind of leads you round in a circle?

I love it. I absolutely love it.

It really... It breaks the garden up,

and it makes it feel as though it's been here for a long, long time.

You know, rather than my garden, which is just blank, with nothing,

whereas this feels...

I don't know, it just feels really nice.

You know, it's character.

-Yes.

-Uh-huh.

-There's a lot going on here, but it's quite relaxed,

isn't it? It's quite... I feel like this is a country garden.

Yeah, this is absolutely lovely.

I mean, this is the type of place

that, if I got home from work in the afternoon,

I'd come out with my cup of tea and my book,

and I would just sit and relax for an hour or two

before I had to go out again.

Let's go and meet the owner,

-and she can talk us through how she's done it.

-Lovely. Lovely.

While we explore the makings of a Scottish country garden,

back on Shelley's own plot,

Danny's rejuvenating the bed by the front gate -

the welcome mat of the garden.

So, what we need to do now is use the half-moon edger,

and just edge these bed out.

Keep it as straight as possible.

Put your foot on the end, press down,

give it a little bit of a lift.

Just keep following the blue line.

While Ross takes the turf off the small beds,

Danny need to tackle the other huge expanse of lawn

that needs lifting to create the new paths.

Now I'm using one of these turf lifters to make life easier.

The good thing about using one of these

is that you can cut even strips,

and if you need to recycle the turf, you can.

Really, my plan is just to clear this area here,

and to clear that area over there.

As Danny strips the garden down,

AJ is rebuilding that vegetable trug from the ground up.

Well, then, that's the four legs.

I'm going to cut this wood now which is going to be the framework

to tie all four legs together, and make it a lot more sturdy.

Once the crossbeams have been cut, they can be screwed to the legs.

There's a crossbeam -

this will be one end so it makes it nice and study.

But sturdy doesn't have to mean squat and unsightly.

AJ's offsetting the timbers on the sides of the trug

to give a decorative finish.

When you walk up to it, that's what you'll look like.

These will be cut off,

this will be filled with soil down to this level here.

I've put in this crossbeam,

which is obviously - one, making it very strong,

but, two, this is where the wood will recycle

for the base of the soil to sit on.

I'm feeling happy - that's one side done,

just another two to do and a small one at the end.

Nothing is wasted on an Instant Garden day, not even space.

AJ's come up with a plan to make use of the dead air under the trug.

A little bird told me there's quite a bit of a journey for the lawnmower

from round the back of the house

to come all the way around this way here

-and up through the drive, to get in here.

-Mm.

So, what I'm doing with this is actually making

-the bottom half of these three sides enclosed.

-Mm.

I'm going to put a little gate on here, we're going to have a little

-cupboard underneath there, so the lawnmower can go in...

-Mm.

-Storage.

So, we've got a planter on top and a little garage underneath.

I really like that, it's really good.

Great thinking, AJ. Now to get the rest of the side panels built -

and don't forget to leave a door for the lawnmower.

That's the final bit of the side on.

All I've got to do now is put the gate on.

Back on the lawn, and the turf has been lifted

and the new beds need to be dug over -

a job for Danny and Nicole.

Your mum likes growing her own stuff.

Well, we're going to provide a garden where she can do that.

So, we're going to have a mixture of ornamental plants, you know,

the sort of plants you've got over there, and vegetables and fruit.

I think she's going to love it.

I think she's going to like that she can get to it easily.

She's always tried to do things in the garden, but obviously,

with having MS, she'll come out and she'll do a little bit

and then she has to go back inside cos she's tired.

-Right.

-And...

We don't get many nice days for her to come out and do it,

and she doesn't really get to enjoy the garden

cos she's constantly trying to do it up,

when really she shouldn't be trying to do it anyway.

It's a shame that she's ill now, my mum, because she's spent

-her whole life looking after...

-People.

-..everybody else.

-Yeah.

-And this is the time when she really does get to enjoy life.

She had me and Ross young, so this is her time.

She's been looking after people all this time,

and now she's got the illness,

so she's not had time to really enjoy herself.

Yeah.

But hopefully we can sort of give her something, in some small way,

with this garden.

While Shelley's garden begins to take shape...

..Shelley and I are meeting Jean Knox,

whose labour of love has given life to Hunter's Tryst.

Here she is, the lady of the garden. Jean, this is Shelley.

-Hello, Shelley.

-Hi, Jean, lovely to meet you.

Tell us about this fantastic garden.

This garden was a wilderness 30-odd years ago when I arrived,

so everything here is less than 30 years old.

And it's been a great experience to do it,

but it's also been such a lot of hard work.

I wouldn't like to do it again, now, at this stage.

The thing that's striking, for me, is this is a square garden...

-Yes.

-..but it doesn't feel square,

because of the way you've done everything.

I like the centre to be open.

I've got the circles edged with pavers, and I like that precision,

because the planting is then quite informal round it.

I really like the effect of the very precise against the quite informal.

Yeah, it looks absolutely beautiful, I must say.

I'm really impressed with it.

Thank you.

Talk me through the plants in this garden,

because I feel like you've got a bit of everything in here.

Well, there probably is a bit of everything.

When you start a garden, people give you bits from their garden,

and almost inevitably it's bits of thugs that will survive anywhere,

which is why they have them to give away.

By thugs, you mean plants that are just going to survive...

-Anyway.

-Right.

-Yes.

For me, life's too short to waste time trying to nurture things

that really don't want to grow.

And I do research things.

You learn to read between the lines.

And if it says that it's hardy in most of the UK,

then I wouldn't buy it because it wouldn't be hardy here.

I must say, I hope that my garden one day will look

half as good as this garden.

-I'm sure it will do - it just takes time.

-Yeah.

-Definitely given us food for thought, hasn't it?

-Yes, definitely.

Thank you, it's absolutely beautiful.

Well, thank you, it's been my pleasure.

Whether your plot is in open farmland or the middle of a town,

a gorgeous and rewarding country-style garden,

full of flowers and fruit, can be yours with a few simple tips.

Maximise your space by planting between paving and paths

for a garden overflowing with goodies.

For a garden that's as beautiful as it is bountiful,

use ornamental edibles such as fruit trees,

which will blossom in spring and give juicy-looking fruit in autumn.

Create your design treating plants as a building material.

Use them as focal points, boundaries, screens or shade cover.

Taller species can create a great dividing wall

that has natural country charm.

In Shelley's own garden,

there's more stripping down than growing going on,

and I'm about to add to Danny's workload.

-How are you?

-How's it going?

Very well, thank you.

To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?

Lovely Jean, whose garden we're visiting, has offered us a bench.

It's rustic,

it's ageing in a lovely way.

Shelley loves it, and Jean is kind of thinking about getting rid of it,

so she said we can have it if we can take it.

It sounds lovely. Yeah, let's take it.

-Brilliant.

-I think I know where we're going to put it.

OK, brilliant. Thank you, Danny.

Take care. Bye, bye.

But before sorting out the seating,

Danny still needs to mark out the inner edge of the path,

which is also the outer edge of the new bed.

Keep up the good work, guys.

I'll move in a second.

-You OK?

-Yep.

-Are you?

-Yeah, I'm fine.

To me. OK. To you.

With all the new beds now dug out,

Danny can edge the path around them with timber.

I'm trying to get these parallel.

-Been quite fiddly, actually.

-It is.

Fiddly is an understatement.

For all Danny's meticulous measurements,

the garden stubbornly persists in looking, well, a bit wonky.

Nothing's straight in the garden.

I mean, the walls of the house are out,

the fence is out.

Sometimes you've just got to go with your eye.

And that's what I'm doing at the moment.

It's a perfectionist's worst nightmare,

and it's costing Danny precious hours of daylight.

-Danny?

-Yeah?

-How do you think we're doing?

I know it's costing us time trying to get it right,

but I think it's really important that we get it right.

Because this garden is all about angles, and if we get it wrong,

it's just going to look...

It's just not going to work.

Does that work?

-Yeah, that works, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

Thank goodness for that.

Now all Danny's new beds are in place -

but he still needs to plant them up, gravel the path, add the trug

and fruit trees and clear out this old bed beside the front door.

What we need to do is take this decking out.

These deck boards - they're going to be very useful.

With Nicole on digging duty,

Danny can concentrate on the beds at the end of the garden by the gate.

Now, this gorgeous specimen of a plant is called a pieris,

and as you notice it's a kind of pinky-red colour on the new growth.

And it's got a lovely white flower.

It's also known as a lily of the valley bush.

That's because its flowers look just like the flowers

on the lily of the valley.

Now, the reason I'm using this in this garden

is purely for symmetry,

cos there's already one here, over there.

So, I thought I'd just continue the theme through,

cos that's what this garden's all about - being symmetrical.

What I'm going to do here,

because this plant likes slightly acidic soil,

I'm just going to just spread a handful

of ericaceous compost around its base.

Ericaceous compost is more acidic than normal compost -

great for plants that prefer their pH on the sharp side.

There you go -

and this beauty will soak up the nutrients when it needs it.

And there's another existing plant that Danny wants to build on

for his formal planting scheme.

We've already repeated this pieris over there,

so I'm going to repeat this cordyline as well.

This plant is ideal for this plot,

because it's tough as old boots and it won't mind the wind.

The other one, you may have noticed, eagle-eyed ones of you will notice,

that it's got a trunk.

That's perfectly normal.

This will also develop a trunk.

The way it does that, these leaves just fall away as it grows.

Just to tidy it up as the leaves start to fade a bit,

you can pull them off -

it's not going to do the plant any harm.

Or just let them drop off naturally.

It's entirely up to you.

It's a lovely plant, it's great.

And what I like about it, too, is that it's architectural.

It stands out.

While Danny's getting his hands dirty in the borders,

I'm finding out what a new garden would mean to Shelley.

Right, Shelley, talk to me about your garden, then.

Do you spend a lot of time out there?

Not as much as I would like to

because it's not a very nice place to sit.

Hopefully, one day, I'll have a garden like this.

So, you want the finished product, but the work, well, let's be honest,

it's a bit of a hassle for anyone...

-Yeah.

-..but, for you, with your multiple sclerosis...

-Uh-huh.

..I mean, is it feasible?

Well, little and often...

-OK.

-..is kind of what I keep getting told to do, you know.

Don't try and do everything all at once -

and my balance can be a bit off at times,

so sometimes, you know, nine o'clock in the morning,

I can look as though I've had a little tipple, cos I'm staggering -

but it's not, it's just the MS!

But how frustrating is the unpredictability of MS?

Extremely frustrating, and scary, very scary as well.

Not knowing, you know, if you wake up tomorrow morning,

if you're going to be able to get out of bed.

Cos the last time I was really ill,

I was numb pretty much from here down, and I was on crutches,

and when that happened, I couldn't do anything.

Was it a shock to be diagnosed?

It was a big shock.

I mean, one of the most terrifying, scary things

that's ever happened to me, and will ever happen to me, I assume.

And this all comes after you've had quite a full-on time

in terms of you and your partner - you looked after him

when he wasn't well a few years ago.

Yeah, he had a heart attack

a few years ago, as well,

so I was playing little nursemaid there.

-Right.

-So, we got him back on the straight and narrow,

and then it was my turn.

It's like we kind of take things in turns each.

Before he was ill,

you were looking after your family as well, weren't you?

My mother... My mum got diagnosed with cancer,

so I pretty much took a year off work and nursed her for a year.

And then, sadly, she passed away, so...

Sorry to hear that, Shelley.

-But it seems like you spend a lot of time caring for other people.

-Yes.

So, how important is it to you to have a space for you?

It's really important.

You know, I really would just like somewhere, when...

..things are just a bit too much, you know,

that I could go home and have somewhere nice to sit,

soak up some of the vitamin D, and just knowing that's helping.

-Yeah.

-You know? With my MS.

And, again, I think even being able to do a little bit

of gardening here and there, it's such good exercise.

-Yeah.

-It's good, it's kind of getting everything working.

-Yeah. So, there are a lot of potential benefits...

-Yes.

..to having an enjoyable garden.

And, again, being able to grow my own fruit and vegetables.

It's just fantastic being able to pick something so fresh and eat it.

I love how the thought of that brings a massive smile to your face.

Oh, I really do, I love the idea of it.

If I could have chickens and things running about

giving me my own eggs as well, I would, I really would.

I'd have a cow and I'd be out there milking -

but we'll stick with the vegetables!

We're probably not going to buy you a cow today.

-Yes, OK.

-However, fruit trees are doable.

-Ahh!

It's never going to become a reality if we don't go and get them, though.

-Shall we crack on?

-Fantastic.

-Let's go.

Back at Shelley's garden,

the team now has less than four hours to complete the job,

and getting the angles of the beds and path right

has taken much longer than Danny's bargained on.

I was having a bit of a stressful moment a little while ago,

cos nothing seemed to be working.

But we're back on course now, much to my relief.

And everyone else's.

Now, remember those decking boards Danny dug up?

He said they'd come in handy - and they have.

I know that your mum has been donated a bench.

So, I thought it'd be a nice idea to use these as a base for the bench.

-Yeah.

-So, I thought we could put them over there.

There's some more over there, by the way, under the window,

-so if we can collect those...

-Yeah.

-..put them together,

and then she's got a seating area.

Making good use of garden salvage like Shelley's old decking boards

is a penny-wise way of improving your garden.

Pre-used timber also has a lovely weathered appearance,

well-suited to a cottage garden feel that money simply can't buy.

Now, we can be fancy with this...

and have the deck boards going in different directions.

I think that's perfect, don't you?

-Yeah, I think it's really nice.

-Yeah, I like that.

Brilliant.

And at last, AJ's bit of carpentry

is ready to be placed into position in the middle of the design.

It looks like a Trojan horse.

Is AJ going to escape from it at night?

-I will.

-Yeah?

Now there's a scary thought!

I think it's looking good.

It looks really solid.

Well, then - get the recycled bits.

With the new trug in position,

AJ can make use of those salvaged scraps of wood

from the old trug as a base.

-I'm going to put some plastic liner in this...

-Yeah?

..and then you just make holes in the corners.

Cos I'm going to put the lawnmower

underneath here, so we don't obviously... The water going through

the plant and going on to the lawnmower. But if we line this

with plastic sheeting and just have the holes on the side

then anything that... Any of the water that does go through

can just go down the sides.

While AJ waterproofs his trug, Danny can make his veg beds -

the cornerstone of a country kitchen garden.

Now, when it comes to growing crops,

it's always a good idea to have more than one bed.

In this instance, we've got four beds -

we've got a bed here, a bed over there and the trug

and there's a bed near the house.

So, what you do, you take a crop and put it in another bed

at the start of another season.

The following year, when you use a different crop...

Don't use the same crop.

Perhaps follow carrots with peas, that kind of thing.

You don't want to use one root vegetable after another.

We call that crop rotation.

Now the reason for that is that we don't want the soil to be exhausted

of minerals - all the same minerals.

And the other thing, as well, is we don't want a build-up

of pests and diseases. So, that's the reason we've got more than one bed.

And the first crop to grace Shelley's new potager beds

is the blueberry.

Now I'm going to plant these blueberries near the house.

This is an ideal place to plant them here,

because the garden slopes back

towards the house and it's very damp here -

and they love the wet.

In this case, I think I'll put them at an angle.

That adds to the formality of the garden.

They do like acidic soil,

so I'm going to help them along with this ericaceous compost.

So, what I'm going to do here is just mix this soil...

..in with the ericaceous.

Then put it in a hole like this.

Position the plant...

..see if I'm happy with it.

Which I am.

And then just backfill.

Lightly firm this in.

And there we have one nicely planted blueberry.

While Danny admires his shrubbery,

Shelley and I are on the hunt for the rest of the plants on his list.

Some small fruit trees for her garden.

We're calling on the expertise of garden centre owner Carolyn Spray.

-Carolyn, just the lady.

-Hello.

-This is Shelley.

-Hello.

-Hi, nice to meet you.

-We are after four small fruit trees.

-Mm-hm.

Where do you start if you want to have a fruit tree in your garden?

Are you going to grow them in the ground or in containers?

How big do you want them to get?

We need to have them in pots because my landlord's not too keen for us

ending up with big trees growing in the garden.

So, you want to be able to plant them and then take them with you?

-Exactly, yeah.

-OK.

But the good thing about putting them in pots - you can also

move them around for a bit of variety.

Exactly, you can change them.

And presumably, if you are going to be growing it in a pot,

like Shelley, it needs to be the smallest.

Yes. You're looking for a dwarf rootstock.

Lots of different varieties are grown on different rootstocks,

which makes them either very dwarf, dwarf, you know, a bit bigger.

So, you can choose the same variety and have it in various sizes.

The rootstock is the vigorous healthy root system

onto which another variety of tree has been grafted.

Grafting like this means you can combine the attributes of two trees,

such as short stature but tasty apples.

So, if we were to get something that's dwarf rootstock,

is there a specific type of apple tree we should be getting?

Not a specific variety, but you have to look for this dwarf rootstock.

-So, M27 is the one.

-It's the size rather than the type?

I had no idea they could do that.

I thought you bought a tree and the tree just grew to whatever size...

-No, no, no.

-..it decided.

-It's clever, isn't it?

This goes for not just apples but plums and pears, cherries.

They all have a dwarf version that you can choose to put in a pot

or, you know, somewhere that you want it to stay compact.

That's great, I never knew that.

-So, you got loads of choice and then you can take them with you.

-Lovely.

In terms of fruit, what could Shelley grow successfully?

-Well, I've got a selection I could let you see.

-Perfect.

While Shelley and I go off in search of the perfect fruit trees,

the fruits of Danny's labours are coming together in Shelley's garden.

But time is ticking on -

with less than two hours left, the beds need filling -

as does the trug.

There we go - filled it with the old compost soil mixture.

Beautiful, spot on.

I've just got to finish the gate now.

And finally Shelley's lawnmower is ingeniously rehoused.

All safe and sound, under lock and key.

Meanwhile, Danny's got a cunning planting plan

which will make life much easier for Shelley

and help her to get the most out of her patch.

This is my favourite part when it comes to gardening.

I just love planting - and I love my plants.

So, what we're going to do with this garden is companion planting,

which means that plants that are friendly with others -

they're mates, they work well together,

and they work well because they keep pests and diseases away

from their friends. So, we put them together, they will look after them.

For example, these Marigolds...

Now they keep whitefly away.

So,, if you put these next to your cabbages,

you shouldn't have a problem with whitefly.

Now, as for this lavender... We all know lavender

but the roots emit a chemical

which keep the weeds down,

so the more lavender you have in a garden,

the less maintenance you'll have to do.

The scabious over there attracts butterflies, which lay larvae,

which gobble up the greenfly.

So, this is all part of the wonderful ecosystem -

and that's a good reason why we need to look after it.

Now, the other thing I'm going to put in the garden are two obelisks -

this one and that one over there.

Now, these are going to give height to the garden

and give a bit of structure as well.

So, maybe in the winter when there's nothing around,

you've still got something to look at.

Now, they are for the sweet peas,

and I think if I put one there, and one over here...

..I think they're going to look absolutely fab.

And they fit in with the symmetry of the garden.

However, those beds are going to be symmetrically empty

unless the team gets a move on.

Come on, we need some activity, everybody.

-They're nice.

-They are quite nice.

You won't find Shelley and I slacking.

We're at a local garden centre looking for fruit trees

that should be more manageable than a full-size orchard.

Carolyn, talk us through what we've got here.

I've got a plum, two apples and a pear -

these are all dwarf rootstocks, so, nice and small.

Tell us a bit more about each one, if you would.

Well, the two apples...

James Grieve is quite a sharp, acidic variety.

Red Devil is a sweet and juicy one.

The pear - that's one of the most popular varieties, Concorde.

-I love those.

-It's a really nice variety.

And the plum is Jubilee,

which is a really sweet, lovely eating plum.

You've got your own fruit salad right here.

I know, it's absolutely fantastic.

I didn't realise you could have so much variety.

Is it possible to get a lot of plums if you've only got one plum tree?

-A lot of pears if you've only got one pear?

-Yes.

These ones are all self-fertile.

Some apples, you need two varieties to pollinate,

but these ones all say self-fertile.

So, you could have just one and you would still get fruit.

Same with the plum, self-fertile.

What have we got over here?

Well, do you know, if you got a teeny-tiny garden,

then this is one tree and it's got two varieties grafted onto it.

So, this bit here is James Grieve

and the other variety is Egremont Russet.

It's called a double cordon, so you've got two varieties on one tree

if you've got, like, literally that much space.

That's fantastic. That is so good, it really is.

It is crazy to have two fruits on one tree.

That would blow Danny's mind, though, if we take that back.

Because he sent us to get four separate plants

and I feel like we should go with these.

-Right.

-OK.

-Lovely.

-Great.

-Yeah.

-Carolyn, thank you so much.

-You're welcome.

Our mission has been a success.

For Shelley, this means a well-earned break

while the garden is finished.

But for me it's the moment of truth.

Just how much has the team managed to do in my absence?

Danny Clarke!

-Hello, Helen, how are you?

-Hello!

You're a sight for sore eyes.

-Oh, thank you.

-Thank you.

Here is one of four fruit trees.

-OK.

-I'm really excited about them, as is Shelley.

She loves the idea of growing her own fruit and veg.

-She'll have her own orchard here, won't she?

-Ohh!

Where are they going to go? Because I love this, I love this.

-It's great.

-We're not quite finished yet, though, are we?

Not quite finished - we've got a bit of a way to go.

-But don't tell everybody.

-I'm here, don't worry.

-OK, you're going to help.

-What you need?

Well, what I need is, these need to be put in pots.

-Yeah.

-OK, so I've got a pot there, pot there, pot there and pot there.

-A tree in each.

-And they're in position...

-OK.

-..so they need to be planted. Could you do that for me?

-No problem.

-Brilliant. There you go.

-Right, I'll crack on.

We are up against it,

so I don't know how we're going to get it done, to be fair.

Now there's two reasons why I've put these plants in groups.

One reason is cos I want to stick with the formality of the garden.

And the other reason is, it's just going to be easier to look after,

because in blocks it's easier to look after and to maintain.

And speaking of sticking to the formality of the design...

Does that look a bit skewwhiff?

Seriously, is that leaning?

Start trimming that corner up over there.

Try not to wreck the place, team.

This stuff is great.

I love it - it allows rain to filter through.

And also, it's cheap.

It's cheaper than laying paving.

And another thing, Danny, it's extremely quick to lay.

Good thing, too, because time is nearly up.

Five minutes, guys and gals.

We're almost there now.

We are going to get it done.

Finally, this instant garden is complete -

and not a moment too soon.

Nicole, Ross, thanks for your help today.

We got the job done, just about,

and we definitely couldn't have done it without you.

-So...

-Oh, thank you.

-Thank you very much.

Well, the only thing that's left to do is bring your mum out.

Yeah.

This morning, Shelley's featureless front garden

was an unwelcoming expanse of weed-ridden lawn,

tired borders and pedestrian pathways.

But now Danny's makeover has given a classic country charm

both formal and fruitful...

..bursting with edible treats and delights for the eyes.

A smart, symmetrical new layout

has broken up the bare and battered lawn,

with a stunning raised bed

and a handy hidden secret as its centrepiece.

The old beds have been revitalised with gorgeous new plants

and new beds have been created full of well-chosen herbs,

flowers and fruit and veg.

The portable potted trees give eye-level interest

as well as fabulous fruit.

Even the neglected lawn has had a Danny-special manicure.

To finish it off, there's a salvaged rustic bench

for Shelley to sit and admire her new front garden from.

What's more, this was all done on a tight budget and in just one day.

Congratulations, Danny.

Now it's finally time for Shelley to meet her new kitchen garden.

Let's hope she finds it as mouthwatering as we do.

OK.

We have one very excited lady.

Wow!

This is lovely.

A couple of fruit trees.

I can't believe it. I really can't believe it.

This is just lovely.

It looks completely different.

Sorry! And I said I wouldn't do this.

What a marvellous job yous have done. It's...

It's great. It's brilliant.

I knew that you liked your fruit and your vegetables and stuff like that,

but we wanted to do something that's ornamental, as well.

Your children have done all the work.

Well, ably assisted by Danny, obviously.

Thank you, thank you, honey.

Oh, yous have all worked so hard.

What do you think?

I'm speechless.

For once in my life, I'm actually speechless.

This is just beautiful.

It doesn't feel like just the one big long space,

it feels like I've got little areas.

You know, little things to do.

Oh, is that...? Is this...? Oh!

That's fantastic. I've just realised... The raised bed.

And my lawnmower.

Fantastic.

Cos see having to pull that from the back garden all the way around here

was strenuous - and then to cut the grass, whereas now...

and I've got less grass!

Guys, great job.

You look exhausted, but you've achieved so much.

-Thank you, Danny.

-That's OK.

-It's absolutely fantastic, it really is.

-My pleasure.

-Go on, explore. Go on.

-OK, yes. I want to go and have a look.

We'll let you go for it. Good job, team.

Are yous coming up to have a look?

I am absolutely thrilled that Shelley loves this garden.

She wanted to grow some fruit and veg - she's got that.

She wanted a space she can chill out and relax in,

and she's got that, too.

And I, for one, think this is a gorgeous garden.

Join us next time for another Instant Garden.