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  • 5/29/2025
Garden Rescue 2025 episode 6
Transcript
00:00The Garden Rescue Team are on a mission to make garden dreams come true.
00:10Charlie Dimmock, Lee Burkill, Flo Hedlum and Chris Hull are here to answer your
00:27gardening emergencies. Feels disorganized, a bit chaotic. It's a bit of a shocker. Each week two of our designers will go head-to-head. Pick me and let's do this. The garden we're going to go with is... Drumroll!
00:44Lee. Oh yes! And whichever designer loses. The race is on. Go! Helps the winner build the garden. Good idea. Did you get that on camera? Lee said good idea Charlie. Amazing.
00:57Turning garden dreams. Open your eyes. I'm so overwhelmed. Into reality.
01:04That is amazing.
01:13Today the team are taking on a garden in Panath, Cardiff. I'm Hannah. I'm Gemma.
01:20So this is our garden. Unloved and unused. It's all a bit sad really.
01:26So we've been engaged for three years now, embarrassingly. We still have no wedding plans. We decided to prioritise getting the house of our dreams.
01:35It's quirky to say the least. Which suits us I think. We love nothing more than trying to find the right picture and the right things. Our families joke that we've got a lot of stuff.
01:47We love to travel. One of our favourite things to do I think when we're travelling is just to be outside and enjoy kind of those twinkly lights at night.
01:58We love to collect things whenever we go out and about. We always pick up, you know, nice bits of stone, nice bits of wood.
02:05Whilst Gemma and Hannah have a strong sense of style, when it comes to gardening, they're not so accomplished.
02:11We've got this grass area, if you can call it that. Yeah. It's mainly weeds. Weeds. Mud. Yeah. Everything you don't want in a garden.
02:21There's nice zones outside, but the central bit is completely unused and that's the bit that gets the sunshine. We kind of love sitting in the sun, don't we?
02:28Unused and loved at the moment. There's a few examples of things that we've managed to kill over the years.
02:33Or pots that we've managed to break. Yeah.
02:35Because we've had the experience of putting plants in pots and then they all die, we just are worried to spend too much money on it.
02:43Both sides, we've got walls. They're very low, so I just feel like we're in everyone's business all of the time, especially living on a terraced street.
02:51Kind of, you know, it's a bit communal for our liking.
02:54So we did make an attempt at creating something nice in the garden.
02:57Being a bit creative.
02:58We've created our own little bar area. We liked the idea of this gabion wall and to make use of the Welsh stone that we had in the garden.
03:06And I think what we created is something quite beautiful.
03:09Hmm.
03:12So this is where we tend to sit of an evening and have a dinner, but then we look back over the garden and it's just depressing.
03:20We haven't done anything about it because we just don't know how to approach it.
03:24We think we have an idea and then we change our mind.
03:27Yeah, and we'd love to be able to see the bigger picture of the garden, but we're just totally stuck, aren't we?
03:32Absolutely stuck in a rug.
03:39It's a lovely building, isn't it?
03:41That's beautiful.
03:42That's a nice place to hang out, isn't it?
03:44Charlie and Chris are hoping to be in with a shot of designing Hannah and Gemma's dream garden.
03:49Wow, Hannah and Gemma's garden.
03:51First impressions, lovely.
03:54But then when you start looking, actually, no.
03:57I know, there's all this weird edging, the piles of rocks.
04:00It's sort of like things are half finished and not.
04:03Yeah.
04:04And the lawn has had its day.
04:05I know, it needs a really strong design in there to make it work because at the moment you just go woof and you're all the way through it.
04:11Yeah.
04:12Now, Hannah and Gemma come across as very stylish and well-travelled.
04:16I wonder what part of the world they want us to vibe in the garden.
04:20Let's see what Gemma and Hannah want.
04:23Yeah, let's find out.
04:24Chris, Charlie, what we really want is a Tulum-inspired jungle bar garden.
04:31Absolute paradise, yeah.
04:32It will be.
04:32Tulum jungle bar.
04:34Well, I wasn't expecting that.
04:36So, Tulum is a place in Mexico.
04:38It's that mixture of you have the beach and then you have the jungle right next to it.
04:42So, you can kind of come out of the sea and then find yourself in these luxurious bars with lots of exotic and lush planting.
04:50Kind of rustic but elegant, right?
04:52Yeah.
04:52It's a real challenge, actually, trying to make a space feel really lush, full and jungly.
04:57And I have to say, jungle plants, if you go with bananas and stuff like that, it's quite expensive.
05:01Yeah, it is.
05:02What we really love is a garden that's a sensory experience.
05:05So, lots of textures.
05:07I mean, we've got lots of stuff in the garden as well.
05:09So, we've got some big slabs and bricks and lots of stone.
05:13And we love it, don't we?
05:14Yeah.
05:14We love reusing stuff.
05:15We're absolutely clueless when it comes to the garden.
05:17So, please, Garden Rescue, bring that Tulum paradise to beautiful Wales.
05:21So, what's the budget then?
05:23Well, it's five grand on this one, Charlie.
05:25It's not a huge garden.
05:27No, but it is, you know, it's expensive.
05:30Big plants, especially unusual ones.
05:31They cost a lot of money and if you want it to be like a sort of Tulum holiday resort, it soon starts to add on to that price tag.
05:39You've got to spend the money.
05:41Oh, yes.
05:42Yeah.
05:43I'd quite like to win this one, you know.
05:45I think it's right up my street.
05:46It is up your street.
05:47It's very designery.
05:48I might be a bit too weird and quirky.
05:50No, never can be too weird and quirky, Charlie.
05:52Chris and Charlie must create a design inspired by the beaches and bars of Tulum, Mexico to fit Gemma and Hannah's £5,000 budget.
06:05The couple must pick the one they prefer and the losing designer will help the winner build it, along with an expert team of landscapers who provide their labour for free, which leaves the full budget for materials.
06:18Back in Penarth, here we go, the videos are in, the designers' pitches have arrived.
06:28Excited?
06:28Yeah, can't wait to see them.
06:30Let's do it.
06:31Hannah, Gemma, this is your stepping into paradise garden.
06:35Oh.
06:36Let me take you on a journey through the garden.
06:38So starting over here, this is where you come out of the existing house onto that beautiful patio.
06:43As we step off of there, this is where the garden is going to radically change.
06:47At the moment, you've just got that lawn that sort of wiggles all the way down to the coach house.
06:51And I wanted to divide it up into some more sort of inviting rooms.
06:55And this little part here, this is like a transitional zone into your sort of very own Tulum paradise.
07:01Oh, wow.
07:02Stepping into paradise.
07:04That looks incredible already.
07:05So these are going to be plank pavers set in Welsh slate chippings.
07:10And as you move through there, then you're going to step over this show-stopping water feature,
07:15just like in your very own holiday resort.
07:17So it's a stepping into water.
07:18Over the water.
07:19That just looks incredible.
07:21Hannah, Gemma, you wanted a garden with a Tulum jungle bar vibe, with lots of textures.
07:30Well, there's a little bit of quirky.
07:32She's got our quirky.
07:35To give you that sound in the garden, we've got this water feature.
07:39Now, I say it's a water feature.
07:40It's actually a fully functioning pond using your stone that you've got there.
07:46So this is going to be like a dry stone wall with lots of plants in.
07:51So it's going to have lots of texture to it.
07:53Oh, that's good.
07:54Yeah.
07:54I love that she's reusing that.
07:56To replicate the soothing sounds of coastal Tulum, Charlie and Chris have made water features central to their design.
08:04And Charlie's design includes a chilled seating space.
08:08To give you a bit of extra privacy, I've got these bespoke sort of, they're not really pergolas,
08:14they're sort of a screen with a capping to them, made from steel, so it'll go that sort of orange, rusty colour.
08:23Rusty.
08:24Mmm.
08:24We love those.
08:25And then on the top, we've got this sort of construction that's sort of just a little bit different,
08:31so it gives you a bit of coverage so that the climbers can come up and over.
08:37And you'll see the plants coming through.
08:40I think that'll look amazing.
08:41I love the bar area that you've got down by the coach house, the use of the gabions and the slate.
08:46I really wanted to reflect that in this zone.
08:49So to do that, I've made a gabion bench for you,
08:52and it's going to have stacked slate and stone that's been reclaimed from your garden.
08:56Oh, my God.
08:57Wow.
08:58Got a gabion wall again.
08:59In the centre of that, I wanted to give you a simple fire bowl
09:03and then two new bespoke chairs so you can just sit back there in front of the fire
09:09and chill out with a glass of wine.
09:10Oh, they're going to look incredible.
09:12Another feature I've designed is this really simple screen that wraps around this social area.
09:17I know it's not a permanent screen like a fence that's all fixed,
09:21but it's just enough to take the edge off and sort of break up the view into the garden.
09:25Hopefully that'll block the view a little bit, give us that privacy that we need.
09:28Charlie and Chris have both considered privacy, social spaces and water features.
09:35Perhaps the planting will set one of them apart.
09:38We're going to put in a couple of palm trees and then also some cordial lines
09:43that look like palm trees but they're not and they get sort of multi-headed
09:47so it'll give you a little bit of height without giving you any shade
09:50because I know you like sitting in the sunshine.
09:53Yeah, we like the sun.
09:55Really feels like she's listened to the brief, doesn't it?
09:57I wanted to give you some really nice feature palms.
10:01Trachycarpus, which is a great hardy UK palm
10:04and then lots of exotic underplanting all around them.
10:07Feels like it's going to be really enclosed in the garden. I really like that.
10:10All around here I wanted to put in some really lush exotic style planting
10:14so things like bamboos, fatsias with the big leaves, stuff that is hardy in Wales
10:19but that's going to give you that sort of jungle effect.
10:21Wow, it's just completely different, isn't it?
10:23It just doesn't look like our garden at all, does it?
10:25No.
10:25So I've given you a garden that surrounds you with lots of jungle planting,
10:30lots of textures, so it's going to be a lovely space for you to sit and relax
10:35and enjoy your cocktails.
10:38This is absolutely amazing. I can't get over it.
10:41I think this garden gives you everything you've asked for.
10:44I think the show-stopping water feature is going to be a real triumph.
10:47Wow.
10:48I really hope you pick this one.
10:51It's going to be a tough choice.
10:52They didn't make it easy, did they?
10:53No.
10:55Hannah and Gemma must now decide which is their favourite design.
11:00Shall we go this one first?
11:01Yes, do it.
11:03There we go.
11:04I think Charlie's really nailed this bit.
11:06Can you imagine walking on that?
11:07Sensory experience.
11:07Oh, yeah.
11:08I mean, it's an incredible design.
11:09Just love it, yeah.
11:10I mean, it's absolutely amazing.
11:11OK, shall we have a look at Chris's now?
11:12Yes.
11:13OK.
11:14The water feature, I mean.
11:15I was just going to say, yeah, the stepping stones as well.
11:17And I love that we've got a fire pit.
11:19Yeah, I think.
11:20It's going to be impossible.
11:21It's going to be tough, isn't it?
11:22Yeah.
11:25Right then, Charlie.
11:26Hannah and Gemma have got back to us.
11:28Right.
11:29Shall we see who's going to be building this Tulum jungle bar?
11:32Yeah, I know you're up for this one, aren't you?
11:34Hi, Chris.
11:35Hi, Charlie.
11:37Hello.
11:37Charlie, what we loved about your design was all of the colour.
11:42Ah.
11:43The big palm trees, but with these pops of colour throughout.
11:46And, of course, the pond.
11:47Oh, we've got a pond as well.
11:48Yeah, that's nice.
11:50And, Chris, what we loved about yours, when you go into the middle room, as we keep calling
11:54it, we've got those bespoke chairs as well.
11:55I think that'll be absolutely incredible.
11:57Yeah, I love those chairs of yours.
12:00So, it was a very hard choice, but we have made a choice, haven't we?
12:02We have.
12:03Who?
12:04So, who is it then?
12:06Who?
12:10Chris!
12:11Yes!
12:13I'll tell you that one, Charlie.
12:14You would have been in tears if you hadn't have won this one.
12:17Yeah.
12:17We can't wait for you to come and build it for us.
12:19Yeah.
12:20And see our garden come to life.
12:21How are you getting all this stuff into the garden, then?
12:23Oh, we'll figure it out on the day.
12:25Might need a big crane or something.
12:28It's going to be fun.
12:29I think it's this one.
12:40Project manager Dan and a top team of landscapers have arrived in Banarth and have the access
12:47sorted.
12:48With just two days to rescue Gemma and Hannah's garden, the quickest route for bringing materials
12:53in and out is the tight back entrance.
12:55So, what we've got to do here, we are keeping the existing patios at the front and the rear
13:01of the garden.
13:02So, this section is the section where all the magic is going to happen.
13:05But the main feature in this is going to be this nice water feature here and then these
13:10planks, which will link both patio areas together.
13:14We're also going to have a gabion seating area just along there behind Kyle.
13:18So, a nice seating area, well rested after such a hard graft.
13:22Is everyone ready?
13:23Yes, sir.
13:23Right, let's go for it.
13:24Time to race.
13:28To make way for Chris's connective patio and water feature in the centre of the garden,
13:34the team need to clear the old tiles and brickwork.
13:41We really are going to look after these stones and reuse them.
13:44They are about £150 to £200 a square metre.
13:50Really lovely stone.
13:51Well spent, aren't they, they're called.
13:52So, yeah, we're going to do everything we can to make sure we keep them and use them
13:57in the gabion basket and keep that whole natural feel within the garden.
14:01Striving to reuse and recycle as they go.
14:05Well, that wasn't difficult.
14:07Susie's working hard to bring new life to overgrown trees.
14:13So, to your casual observer, you might not realise that this is actually an olive, because normally
14:19they're quite short.
14:21But this one has been left to form its own natural shape.
14:24It creates a nice bit of height within the garden.
14:26So, I'm just going to take these little bits of dead branches out and give her a little
14:31bit of a tidy up and she'll look great.
14:35As they unearth old bricks and remnants, Dan and the team discover there's more work than
14:40they imagined in getting the central space straightened.
14:43You know, that patio is higher than this one, so we've also got to make sure and take
14:47into consideration our levels, merging the one patio from that side to this side.
14:52To bring the levels of the garden together, Danny needs to get a micro-digger through
14:57the coach house.
15:03Well, that was no problem.
15:18So, we've had a dig out, we've had a scrape off, all the lawn's gone.
15:21That's where we've been put in the skip.
15:23Now, we can start excavating for the actual pond itself, which is going to be about four
15:27metres long.
15:28Yeah, we're up against it, as always.
15:33Chris's design calls for a pool four metres long, 1.2 metres wide and 300 millimetres deep.
15:40So, we're just at the final stages now of doing the ground prep.
15:51MOT's going in.
15:53That'll create a nice sub-base for us.
15:56We're going to get this compressed with the wacker plate, and then we'll be good to start
16:00putting the blocks in.
16:01Once the sub-base is compacted for the bottom of the water feature, the team can start laying
16:12up a retaining wall to surround it.
16:15So, the block work's going in, a little bit behind schedule, middle of the afternoon.
16:23The ground work took a lot longer than we anticipated.
16:26More than 60 breeze blocks are laid to contain this pool.
16:29And a layer of sand levelled over the sub-base to minimise any chance of the pond's lining
16:37being damaged.
16:38The unfurling of the fleece is an ancient ritual carried out by landscapers throughout centuries.
16:45It's quite a spiritual moment, as we hope and pray that it fits and it doesn't leak.
16:53Why are we sitting out on something here?
16:54The fleece is laid on top of the building sand, before adding the waterproofing material.
17:02So, this liner is bespoke, made to measure.
17:06It costs us about 350 quid.
17:09And it's tough, hard-wearing and UV resistant.
17:14Get out of my way, Kyle.
17:15And hopefully it'll fit.
17:17It does, that fits like a glum.
17:19Chris's design has sleek plank paving, framing Hannah and Gemma's water feature.
17:27And it's Susie's job to make it all work.
17:31I'm laying these wood-effect porcelain planks, which are going to go from the existing paving
17:36through the new water pool, out the other side into the gravel area.
17:40It's essential when laying porcelain next to a pool that you consider the slip rating of porcelain.
17:47Not all porcelains are created equal.
17:50This is R12, so that means it's suitable for near-water features.
17:55So, it will help prevent people slipping on it.
17:58With the garden cleared and levelled, the pond dug and ready for framing...
18:02That's lovely.
18:03...the team should be proud of their work today.
18:05They're ready for Chris and Charlie to help make this garden rescue a reality in the morning.
18:13It's lovely round here, isn't it?
18:15It is.
18:15There's such an eclectic mix of architecture.
18:18Well, there is.
18:19You've got Georgian on the bottom.
18:21Tudor on the top.
18:22How much mix?
18:23It's a real mix, but it's a bit like my garden, Charlie.
18:26Oh, OK.
18:26Why is that, then?
18:27Well, because we've got old, new and exotic.
18:30Well, it's a bit like us, then.
18:31The landscapers are already busy, creating a sub-base for a patio in the central social space.
18:43Oh, this is fun.
18:44A big reveal.
18:44This is nice.
18:45Well, I'll just be here, Chris.
18:47In the dry.
18:48Yeah.
18:49I tell you what, I love this.
18:52Wow, it's looking gorgeous already.
18:54So, what am I on, then?
18:55So, today, I would really like you to start embellishing this bar area, because Hannah
19:00and Gemma, they've had a go, but it kind of feels a bit lost in the corner of the garden.
19:04Yes, it seems like they were a bit nervous about it and, like, pushed it in the corner,
19:08so you want to bring it out a bit more and make it a bit more flamboyant.
19:10I've got lots of bits and bobs with me, because, as you know, I like playing with lots of bits
19:15and bobs.
19:16And bobs.
19:16This garden really is about making different zones.
19:27So, immediately, as you come out of these beautiful bifold doors, I wanted to make this
19:32a transitional space.
19:33And, luckily, it's framed by these two beautiful trees.
19:36We've got the birch and the olive, and they're kind of making this gateway into the garden.
19:41So, as you start walking through here, you have to walk over this very modern, sleek water
19:46feature.
19:47And then we get into this social zone in the middle.
19:50With this space, I really need to make sure that whatever I do here makes them feel cosy,
19:55feel protected, and makes it a space that they actually want to go and sit in their garden.
19:59In Chris's design, the central social area has a three-metre-long bench with a Gabion
20:05basket base.
20:07Yes, Dan, the Gabions are coming together.
20:09Yes, slowly, surely, mate.
20:10I know, I know.
20:11A little fiddly thing.
20:12They are really fiddly.
20:13They take some patience, don't they?
20:14Yes.
20:14But they're great, cos you get to reuse all that stone, don't they?
20:17Yes, well, we've saved all the stone from the garden, yes, so it'll definitely be useful.
20:21And it's not going to end up in the skip, so we like that.
20:23Definitely.
20:24Gabions can be filled with heavy materials like slate and stone to ensure they stay in
20:30place.
20:31This garden has plenty of limestone.
20:33The swingers didn't have to pay for any of it.
20:35No, no, we didn't.
20:37And I found a fossil.
20:38Oh, look at that.
20:40Let me have a look.
20:41Oh, that's good.
20:42It's a little shell.
20:43Yeah.
20:43I love that about limestone.
20:45It's so cute, yeah.
20:45You're going to have to show off the fossil in the front of the Gabion, like both bits
20:50that may be in the same.
20:51Yeah.
20:51Yeah, that would be cool.
20:53Yours is looking pretty good.
20:55The team needs to fill enough Gabions to create a bespoke bench.
20:59It's like a revolving door, this.
21:01Everyone's coming in and having a five-minute go.
21:03Yeah, it's quite cool for about five minutes.
21:06Charlie plans to reuse materials to create a Tullum-inspired bar area near the coach house.
21:12Gemma and Hannah have got some lovely pots and some plants.
21:16I mean, they joke that they've killed nearly everything that they've put in the garden.
21:20I think that's not quite true.
21:22This host is looking good and even exotic.
21:25Cordyline here, tricoloured cordyline.
21:27And we've got a Nandina, so there's lots of bits and bobs.
21:31So, treasure trove here.
21:36So, when you're thinking of buying pots, there's certain things that you want to think of.
21:42First of all, you've just got to remember that you are playing host to that plant.
21:47So, you must water it, you must feed it.
21:49But what you can do, if you want to use the container, because it is gorgeous,
21:54think about the plant that you're going to put in there.
21:56So, maybe put something in that's going to put up with occasionally drying out and doesn't need much.
22:03So, we're talking succulents.
22:05So, whether it's sempervivums or sedums, they'll tolerate, you know, drying out
22:11or being in a slightly more arid condition.
22:13It's the type of plants that you see growing in these gorgeous dry stone walls.
22:19While Charlie prepares her pots for planting...
22:22That was quicker than I thought.
22:23Chris is building bespoke seats for the social space.
22:28Now, I'm just working my way through my cutting list,
22:31so I can cut every single bit of timber that's needed for these two chairs,
22:35get them all cut, and then I can just start putting it together.
22:37And it really does pay to do that, to spend the time working out exactly what sizes everything needs to be.
22:43This way, I know everything is going to be bang on.
22:47Chris builds the frame for the legs by cutting three posts to size and screwing them together.
22:53So, this is the first side profile of the chair coming together,
22:57and then it's all going to happen quickly after this.
23:00I hope.
23:00Chris will build two seats for the socialising space...
23:06It stands up!
23:09...while Charlie sorts through previously unloved plants to salvage any that can be revived.
23:15Now, I have to say, Hannah and Gemma's houseplant is looking a little worse for wear.
23:21You can put houseplants out for the summertime,
23:24but if you're going to put your houseplants outside,
23:26the best place to put them is in, like, dappled shade in a sort of protected environment.
23:32So, they'll be absolutely ideal on the patio just under that birch tree there.
23:37Now, when you're potting up, it is important that you make sure
23:50that you leave a big enough gap between the top of the soil and the top of the pot
23:55so that when you water it, you don't wash the compost out.
23:59And although this hosta's looking a little bit yellowy,
24:01once it gets into that fresh new compost and starts feeding properly,
24:06it will come right back to life.
24:08It's amazing how quickly plants recover.
24:11Charlie will combine Hannah and Gemma's revived plants
24:14with new varieties Chris is eager to introduce
24:17to create that Tullum, Mexico-inspired vibe.
24:21Look at this, Charlie!
24:22Fantastic instant jungle.
24:24Lush, colourful.
24:26And for me, it's all about the big leaves on the fats here.
24:30Not that I want this one or anything.
24:33Horticulturally, it's really not going to survive.
24:36No, it's a bit of a tender one.
24:37It's a bit of a tender one.
24:38So I could have it in a container and then Hannah and Gemma can move it inside.
24:44Oh, yeah, yeah.
24:44As a house club.
24:45I think you're right there.
24:46You have it for the bar, it'll look really nice.
24:48I'll take all the big leaves.
24:50You can't have an exotic-style garden without some bamboo, eh?
25:01Look at that height to it.
25:02Whoa!
25:03That's what you need, drama.
25:05And these are going to go in two pots, so they'll be even higher.
25:07Oh, OK.
25:08Chris's design uses potted bamboo and posts to create privacy and distract the eye.
25:15Chris!
25:16Up right here, then.
25:17Oh, yes.
25:18Now we're talking, bringing some privacy into the garden.
25:22Yeah, I'm super keen to get these in, Dan, because that's going to instantly change this
25:25space and make it feel really private.
25:27Oh, I'd better get cracking with it.
25:28Yeah, get cracking, and then we can put plants around them.
25:30Using the post hole digger suited for loose soil...
25:34The ground's not the best, do you?
25:35Dan will plant seven tall posts across the social space.
25:40If he was doing a pergola, we'd go down at least 600.
25:46But as they're just upright, 400 is more than enough.
25:50So I might be here a while.
25:52Charlie is collaborating with Danny to craft unique woodwork for her bar area.
25:58Basically, Danny and I are using the scaffold boards to make a tower, a wooden tower.
26:05So we're going to go up two, maybe three, and then put on top a piece of slab that's
26:13left over that was in the garden already.
26:15So we're recycling.
26:21Nice and rustic, as you said.
26:23What do you reckon, best chair you've ever made?
26:28It's going to be ace.
26:33All right, let's test this out then.
26:35I know there's no back.
26:37But this is a throne fit for a king.
26:46Oh, look at that!
26:48Oh, Danny, that's perfect.
26:50Absolutely amazing.
26:52Loving it.
26:53So there's another one to go now.
26:54I'm starting on it now.
26:55So that works really well.
26:58Going to be great because if they're barbecuing and they want to put something hot on it, that's
27:01fine.
27:01But I'm going to probably put some of my pot plants on there as a display area.
27:07And then we're going to have a gay bin here with a few more containers as well.
27:10So it just makes a bit more of this bar space.
27:14The two stacks will feature a mix of new and old plants to create a stylish backdrop.
27:19So I'm going to do several different containers for Hannah and Gemma based on their love of
27:26cocktails and holidays.
27:30Everybody loves a Bloody Mary or even a Virgin Mary.
27:33So we've got this tomato plant so they can use that to dress it.
27:37And then you can't have cocktails without mints.
27:40Now I'm going to put those in separate pots because we all know that mint can be a bit
27:44of a thug and it will just keep it under control.
27:47But the scent is absolutely, oh, yummy, yummy.
27:52Just like Chris's seats, which are actually looking a bit fancy now.
27:56Thank you very much, Charlie.
27:57Looking pretty comfy, aren't they?
27:59They do look comfy.
28:00Yeah.
28:01We're slowly getting there.
28:02You know, the garden is coming along, but there's still no sign of plants yet, apart
28:06from yours.
28:07No, it's sort of still not quite looking tropical.
28:10It's still looking quite penar.
28:12Yeah, yeah, yeah.
28:13But not for long.
28:14As soon as these chairs are underway a bit more, I'm going.
28:17Plants in.
28:18Boom.
28:18With just three hours until garden reveal, the benches are nearly complete.
28:22And because we've built it, we can go and have a relax in it at the end.
28:25Brilliant.
28:26Champagne.
28:27Yes, please.
28:28Dreamy.
28:29The bar area's beginning to colour.
28:31Look at that.
28:33Lovely.
28:33And the water feature, which helps sell Chris's idea to Gemma and Hannah, is being filled.
28:40We want to be able to sit out there and look at the reflections in that pool, don't we?
28:44That's going to be incredible.
28:45As we sit in our bespoke chairs.
28:46The jungle is coming.
28:48Yeah, it is.
28:49Definitely coming.
28:50Look at all these ponds.
28:50Look at that.
28:52And be surrounded by some of that jungle foliage.
28:56We just can't wait.
28:57But it is a big undertaking, isn't it?
28:59Yes, a lot to do in two days.
29:00Yeah.
29:02With the gabion baskets for the bespoke seating bench filled, Kyle is ready to install some
29:08special wood for the top of it.
29:10Now, originally in his pitch, Chris specked oak.
29:13But this is actually a tropical hardwood called Oroco.
29:16This is sustainably sourced.
29:18It's got similar sort of properties to oak in the sense that it's hardwood and it'll weather.
29:23It'll last for a long time.
29:26I like working with hardwood.
29:27It makes a change.
29:30Susie's taking control of finishing touches for the bespoke benches.
29:34The team are barrowing gravel to lay across the social space.
29:39So, Chris and Charlie...
29:41The bamboo man needs to decide where to put his bamboos.
29:44Can focus on planting.
29:47Now, I'm just figuring out where everything is going to go.
29:49Because the most important thing with this scheme is to get those big palm-leaved structural
29:54plants in place.
29:55Because these are what's going to make it feel just like a Tulum jungle bar.
30:00So, I'm thinking maybe I could have this fancier in this corner here so you can get reflections
30:04of these big palm-ate leaves in the black water.
30:09So, something like that.
30:11These will take a bit of shade.
30:12So, you can imagine that spilling out over the edge of the reflective pool.
30:16It's all about repeating some of these plants through the garden as well.
30:20Because by doing that, it's going to make the whole scheme cohesive and give it a really
30:24strong identity.
30:25While Chris sweats the big stuff...
30:27Two hours to reveal, everyone.
30:29Come on.
30:29Hurry up.
30:30Yeah, I've got into second gear then.
30:32Charlie's focusing on finer details...
30:34Spiral it round and round and round in the bar area.
30:38This is just a little bit of fun.
30:39Just picking up the detail of the gabions that are around.
30:43I've just planted this hemricalis here with the gabion over the top.
30:48So, it'll still get the rain.
30:50It'll still get the light.
30:51But the leaves will come through and a few flowers will.
30:54But then, Hannah and Gemma can use this to put a tray on if they want to.
30:59If they're down here barbecuing.
31:01Just ups the ante of the garden.
31:03A really exciting plant I'm putting in this garden is this amazing red-hot poker, Nifofia.
31:17And the great thing about Nifofias is that they are really hardy, but they give you that
31:23exotic look.
31:24Over time, this clump will really fill out and you won't just have one flower spike.
31:29You can have ten all coming out here.
31:32So, if by just having a few plants along this line of posts, in a couple of years, Hannah
31:37and Gemma are going to have this huge, fiery line of colour through here.
31:48So, I've got another plant here, Mandevilla, or it's also known as Brazilian Jasmine.
31:56It's not hardy.
31:57It makes a great conservatory plant, but you can put it out for the summer and it just
32:01adds that glorious, lush colour.
32:04It's a climber, so during the summer it's going to scrabble up this apple tree.
32:09And then come late September, Hannah and Gemma, all they have to do is snip it back to a framework,
32:16bring it inside as a house plant, and then they can put it out next summer.
32:20But look at those trumpet flowers, very jungly.
32:30Another show-stopping plant for this border is this amazing agapanthus.
32:36I mean, look at it, covered in flower heads like little fireworks poking up around the posts.
32:41Now, it used to be said that agapanthus thrive on being pot-bound and root-bound, but actually,
32:49it's not the case.
32:50You can plonk them in the soil like this and it will be absolutely fine.
32:53And in time, just like the nifofis down there, will form a really nice clump.
32:59It's the sort of plant that anybody should give a go.
33:05All right, let's get these into position.
33:08Glimey O'Reilly!
33:09Yeah, you like it?
33:10I like!
33:11But it's all about adding drama and interest and hype.
33:14Oh, you've definitely done that there!
33:16All right, we've got one over in this corner here.
33:21Yeah, that's perfect.
33:22And that one can go back in there.
33:24And you can see now, just by adding these two pots in, it just frames the end of this space,
33:30especially once the two big bamboo are in there.
33:33And the thing is with that, is once that's in, and you're sat down low in those chairs,
33:37it just gives you that feeling of enclosure, feeling of privacy in this little cosy social space,
33:43which is exactly what Hannah and Gemma wanted.
33:53Now, this is an evergreen agapanthus, and they need a little bit more protection.
33:59They've got much thicker, strappier leaves, and because they don't die down in the winter,
34:04it means they're more prone to frosting.
34:07But having it in a container like this means that Gemma and Hannah can either move it into the coach house there,
34:15or they can move it up close to the house, and it will get the protection and the warmth from the house.
34:21But this one is absolutely gorgeous, and just fits in with that sort of lush, glamorous planting that Chris has gone for.
34:28It's time for the big beasts of this garden.
34:41This enormous thing here is a phylostachis bamboo.
34:45And people can be quite scared of bamboo sometimes, because they think it's going to take over the garden.
34:49So the trick with these is to pop them in a container like this, and that way they can't run away and end up in the neighbour's garden.
34:56Now, the thing with bamboos, you really don't need to do too much to look after them.
35:01You just want to keep them very well watered, because they love a drink.
35:04And you can also give them things like manure or some sort of feed, because they just love a good burst of energy.
35:09And that way, in spring, you'll get some really nice vigorous new shoots coming up.
35:15Look at that. Amazing.
35:19With plants in place.
35:21Ah, yeah. Let's get the cushions on.
35:23And all the main structures too.
35:25This garden was all about going big or going home.
35:28Did it with the water feature, we've done it with the plants.
35:31So I had to do it with the fire pit as well.
35:33There are some finishing touches to add to the water feature.
35:37I'm just about to add some of this black dye to the pool, and it's going to do a few things.
35:42It's going to give it that dark, reflective quality, which is going to be really nice and modern.
35:46Fits with the style of the garden.
35:48But also, it's going to help the pond by preventing algae growth, because it prevents the sunlight getting into the pond,
35:54making it hot and being a perfect spot for algae to grow.
35:57So you just do a little glug at a time, and you move it around the pond.
36:03And it will soon start to settle and all blend together.
36:08Time to get the pump in.
36:10Look at those reflections, Chris.
36:12I know. It's good, isn't it?
36:13Solar panel.
36:14Right. Thank you.
36:15Now, I've got to find the optimum spot for this one as well, haven't I?
36:18Yeah.
36:19Chris has chosen a rechargeable solar panel pump to get the sounds of his water feature flowing.
36:25I'm going in, everyone.
36:30There we go.
36:31It's about in the middle.
36:33Now, we're just going to plug this in for the moment of truth.
36:37There we go.
36:38It gives you that nice rippling effect.
36:40I never wanted this to be some big showy fountain.
36:42It was all about just having a gentle ripple, the tiny sound of water,
36:46so when you're sat in those chairs, it's really relaxing.
36:49The team have worked hard to bring the Tulum-inspired garden to Penarth in just two days.
36:56Right, Charlie, I think you've earned this.
36:58Am I allowed to test these out?
37:00Yeah. Take it for a spin.
37:02Oh, very nice.
37:04Isn't it?
37:05I can see them, like, curled up out here.
37:07Even if it's just getting cold and chilly, the fireball goes...
37:10Under a blanket.
37:11Blanky hot chocolate.
37:12Oh, you're selling it to me. That sounds good, doesn't it?
37:15It looks amazing.
37:17I mean, it doesn't look like we're in Penarth anymore.
37:21Not anymore.
37:22It's just took some of these big statement plants and then all of a sudden, boom, you're into them.
37:27Yeah.
37:28You feel comfortable just sat here.
37:30Yeah, exactly.
37:31Watching the clouds.
37:32Well, we can't watch the clouds wish by all day, Charlie.
37:34We've got to go and get Hannah and Gemma.
37:36Oh, go on then, as it's you.
37:38All right, come on.
37:41Hannah and Gemma's garden was once a boggy, uninspired,
37:44uninspiring space with no privacy and abandoned pots and plants.
37:50But with a £5,000 budget,
37:55it has been transformed into a serene, screened and soothing space,
38:01inspired by happier times on the coast of Tulum, Mexico.
38:05OK, now keep looking down or closing your eyes.
38:10Keep coming forward.
38:11Come forward.
38:12Come forward.
38:13Right, now stay there.
38:14No peeking.
38:16Will it be everything Hannah and Gemma were hoping for?
38:19Now, open your eyes.
38:24Oh, my God!
38:26Oh, my God, I've got chills.
38:29This doesn't even look like our garden.
38:30I can't even...
38:31I said I wasn't going to cry and now I'm like...
38:33And she's come dressed as a jungle, right?
38:35She's on theme.
38:36It's a great outfit.
38:37You're very on theme.
38:38This is incredible.
38:40Safely say, shock and awe, dumbfounded.
38:43My eyes are just going everywhere.
38:44It doesn't even seem like our garden.
38:47This bit, look at this.
38:48Yeah, I mean...
38:49It's just incredible, isn't it?
38:50It's just incredible, isn't it?
38:51Jungle villa aesthetic.
38:52That's what this is all about.
38:53I want to draw you into the garden.
38:55Yeah.
38:56Where a boggy patch of grass
38:58was once surrounded by long-forgotten pots and plants,
39:01there is now a plank-paved boardwalk
39:05leading across a serene water feature
39:08surrounded by tropical planting.
39:12This is all about getting that jungle feeling in the garden.
39:15I've repeated some of these plants through the space
39:17so it ties it all together.
39:18We've got this amazing fats here with the big leaves.
39:21That's the sort of stuff on your jumpsuit.
39:23And we do have some Mediterranean plants in here.
39:26We've got the oleander.
39:27And beautiful colours as well, I think.
39:29And the orange over there.
39:30Oh, yeah, the orange, wow.
39:31It does look amazing.
39:33Now, this is the show-stopping feature for you,
39:35so go on, take it for a spin.
39:37Look at this.
39:38Just look at everything around here.
39:40Oh, wow.
39:41Just like your very own villa.
39:43So different from that old garden.
39:47A lawn previously offered no potential
39:50for socialising or seclusion.
39:55Now, a new gravel patio hosts bespoke seating
39:59and a three-metre-wide gabion bench
40:02surrounded by tall jungle plants and screening.
40:06Why don't you take these for a spin test there, Mal.
40:08Shall we?
40:09Yeah.
40:10This one's going to be mine.
40:12Oh, you've already decided that's your one.
40:13Yeah, this is.
40:14Between the bamboos, perfectly framed.
40:16The whole idea is they're really low, relaxed.
40:18And it is very reminiscent of the Tulum jungle bars that you stay in,
40:22where the chairs are kind of big and sumptuous, kind of rustic, but then...
40:27Rustic, but, like, luxurious.
40:28Exactly.
40:29And that is what helps it tie in with, like, the old walls in the garden,
40:32which are beautiful, by the way, as a backdrop for the planting.
40:35And the posts, you know, obviously they're not blocking all the views into the garden,
40:39but they're just enough to make you feel a little bit more sheltered in your own garden.
40:42I love how it zones it off as well.
40:44It feels like this feels separate to that part.
40:46Exactly.
40:47But still a continuity, I think.
40:48And you can still see through.
40:49Yeah.
40:50And they've got this massive bench over here.
40:52Go and have a look.
40:53The guys have been working really hard on that.
40:56And I don't know if you recognise all the stone.
40:58I do.
40:59I can't believe that you've managed to make use of all of the stone that was just in a pile.
41:03It's just honestly mind-blowing.
41:05I'm questioning whether we're actually in Wales right now.
41:07Yeah.
41:08Or are we back abroad?
41:09That's the aim.
41:10That's what we were trying to do.
41:11I can see Hannah and Gemma sitting there all the time.
41:15Why don't we go down to the third zone of the garden now.
41:18OK.
41:19This is where Charlie's been working very hard today.
41:21OK.
41:22Hannah and Gemma were unenthusiastic about the bland back end of their garden.
41:31But reinvigorated pots and new plants make it the perfect area for creating and enjoying cocktails in a zoned space.
41:39Oh, look at this.
41:40Your new and improved bar area.
41:43The whole idea is that you've got stuff in here that you can actually use for your coffee.
41:47Cocktails as well.
41:48Oh, I did see them.
41:49Oh, wow.
41:50I don't know if you like Bloody Marys.
41:52We've got tomatoes.
41:53We've got chilis.
41:54There's all sorts of different things in here.
41:56It's just a perfect spot for you.
41:57Cocktails all round.
41:58I know where you'll be spending more time tonight.
42:00Cocktails all round.
42:01That sounds good.
42:02Chris did a fantastic job.
42:04It is full on jungle impact and wow.
42:09Well, it wasn't all me.
42:10As much as I'd like to take the credit for it all.
42:12Charlie has been helping me and slaving away all day.
42:15So come on then, Charlie.
42:17He made me take my boots off so I didn't get your paving dirty.
42:22Don't mess up our stepping stones, Charlie.
42:25So isn't it fantastic?
42:27Yeah.
42:28Yeah.
42:29Speechless.
42:30And they love your cocktail bar.
42:32Yeah.
42:33I mean, you know us already.
42:35Yeah.
42:36I feel like suddenly all the neighbours are going to want to be our best friends.
42:38Oh, yeah.
42:39And yeah, we'll have the whole neighbourhood in here.
42:41It's, oh yeah, it's fantastic.
42:42Well, you've got the room.
42:43We have.
42:44Yeah, yeah.
42:45And we've got all the seating areas in this space.
42:46Yeah, yeah.
42:47Well, I feel like I'm going to cry.
42:49Oh, I knew it.
42:50I knew it was.
42:51The late reaction.
42:59I mean, to me it just feels like a Mexican paradise in a Welsh back garden.
43:04It's just absolutely mind blowing.
43:06It's just everything that we dreamed of.
43:08We're not going to spend any time in the house.
43:09We'll always be in the garden forever more.
43:11Yeah.
43:12We won't see anyone.
43:13So friends, family, forget it now.
43:14We're just going to be in this garden together.
43:16Yeah.
43:17Enjoying it.
43:18We're done.
43:34We'll see you later.
43:36Thank you for being here.
43:37Bye.
43:38Bye.
43:39Bye.
43:40Bye.
43:41Bye.
43:42Bye.
43:44Bye.
43:46Bye.
43:47Bye.
43:48Bye.
43:50Bye.