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  • 6/5/2025
Garden Rescue 2025 episode 8
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. It feels disorganised, a bit chaotic. It's a bit of a shocker.
00:32Each week two of our designers will go head to head. Pick me and let's do this.
00:37The garden we're going to go with is... Drumroll!
00:44Lee. Oh yes!
00:46And whichever designer loses... The race is on.
00:49...helps the winner build the garden. Good idea. Did you get that on camera? Lee said good idea Charlie.
00:56Amazing. Turning garden dreams... Open your eyes.
00:59That's so overwhelmed.
01:01...into reality.
01:03That is amazing!
01:10Today the team are transforming a garden in Salford.
01:18You like playing ball don't you?
01:20Are you going to get the ball? Go on. Here you go.
01:25I'm Mead. I'm Lottie.
01:27We're both fashion and footwear buyers. I work in apparel.
01:31And I work in footwear.
01:33Lottie and Mead met as interns in the fashion business and moved into their Edwardian terrace in 2023 with her rescue dog Bella.
01:42My friend just randomly sent me this house one day and said I think you'd like to live here.
01:48It was a period terrace. It was quite old, over a hundred years old and it was very different to what we'd experienced in the last few years living in a brand new apartment in central town.
01:58It had more outside space. We were going from sort of a full brick terrace to a lot of green space around and it was just complete change of environment but exactly what we were looking for.
02:08The couple have worked hard to bring their sense of style to the house.
02:13So inside I feel like we've made a really inviting space. It feels really cosy. Obviously there's lots of clashing colours, lots of clashing patterns.
02:21We've got a checkerboard rug, a lovely vibrant pink chair with a leopard print cushion.
02:27The house has some really nice features. It's got an original fireplace, the checkerboard tiles.
02:33And they're just beautiful. I really think, you know, as an entryway into the house it really is a showstopper.
02:38But the garden is where the style statements end.
02:43So this is the first part of the garden when you come out of the house. It's just a nothingness alleyway.
02:50We did try and paint it white to make it feel less dingy.
02:54It just hasn't made much of an impact as you can see. It's such a nothing space. It's not really got anything about it.
03:01This patio, when we actually had the house surveyed, the surveyor slipped through it. So we did start to take it up, but did really struggle with it.
03:13It's so unattractive. It's probably the worst thing in the garden.
03:17When we picked up the deck in, as you can see underneath it, there's like this, there is a checkerboard patterned floor, but there is also sloped down into concrete, which then when you move further towards the end of the garden, there's a giant step up, which, you know, you have to go past all of these weeds.
03:36And then it brings you into this ginormous space, which has absolutely no purpose. We've got two flower beds overgrown with weeds and the ivy coming down on both sides of it.
03:48You've got these nice paving stones, but again, overgrown with weeds and don't really tie back to the rest of the garden in any way.
03:54I think the garden is really lacking any kind of colour, character, any kind of like personal stamp on it.
04:02It's just feeling like a yard right now, and that's probably being generous.
04:06Yeah.
04:07Lottie and Mead may have a good eye for fashion, but when it comes to flora, fauna and this garden, they just don't know where to start.
04:16It's uneven, it's unsafe, it's unstable, it's unattractive, it is just awful.
04:23Lee and Flo will be fighting for the chance to bring new life to Mead and Lottie's garden.
04:36So here we have Lottie and Mead from Salford.
04:39Oh, they are a cute couple, aren't they?
04:41I know. Well, I'll tell you what isn't cute, Flo. Their garden.
04:45Oh, my days. That is tragic, isn't it?
04:48Look at this death trap decade. Oh, it's awful, it's got to go.
04:51Not very suitable for little Bella.
04:53Oh. The little rescue dog. Yeah.
04:55I mean, how do you soften all of this, make it dog friendly, inviting, because I look at that and I just want to turn around and walk away.
05:01No, I look at that and I just think, colour!
05:05Standard. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:08Should we take a look at what they want? Yes.
05:10I think a garden should always tie with the inside of the house, you know, it's an extension of your house, it should be another room.
05:18Well, that's quite nice, maybe trying to link the garden to the inside of the house and vice versa.
05:23Yes, yes, so they're thinking bold, aren't they?
05:26In our garden, I would love to have a cooking area. We love going away and holiday and we just love to sit outside and have a drink and eat a bit of food.
05:36So if we could do that in our own garden, that would be perfect.
05:39I am most looking forward to inviting friends and family around, like having everyone we love in a space outside where people don't have to feel like they have to just beware of the floor.
05:51So eating and food and family, I think, is very important to them.
05:55It's exciting, yeah.
05:57It'd be amazing if we could walk outside and feel like we're in a little area of Amsterdam or something on a nice summer's day.
06:05That's what we're looking for, to not feel like we're in our garden in Salford.
06:10On one hand we've got Edwardian, then we've got Edgy Bar in Amsterdam.
06:13Yeah, it's a tall order, isn't it? It's a tricky combo.
06:17You know, to be able to have some colour out there which isn't concrete slabs and green ivy, just be really inviting and luscious and lovely.
06:27Right, they want quite a lot.
06:29Yeah.
06:30What's the budget?
06:31Well, it's £5,000.
06:32Which is a healthy budget, yes.
06:34But there's nothing there.
06:35It's a blank canvas and there's all that deck to sort of either fix or remove as well.
06:40Yes, yes, yes, yes.
06:41Well, bring on the bold Edwardian cool fusion challenge, I say.
06:48Colour versus form, who knows?
06:50Mmm, yeah.
06:51Mmm, ta-da!
06:56Flo and Lee must create a design that fits Lottie and Mead's £5,000 budget.
07:02The couple must pick the one they prefer and the losing designer will help the winner build it,
07:08along with an expert team of landscapers who provide their labour for free, which leaves the full budget for materials.
07:16Back in Salford, the designers' pitches are in.
07:20Let's watch these designs.
07:21Lottie and Mead, I am so excited to bring to you this bold design, because let's be real, checkerboards are quite extra, they're quite bold.
07:30So starting with exiting the house, I've created what is effectively like a runner with this checkerboard paving.
07:38Now it goes right up along the side of the house and then hits the decking.
07:43That runner is fantastic.
07:45Now on either side we've got a gravel channel, so I'm going to plant some scented climbers here
07:50that will give you that sensory assault just as you come out of the house.
07:54Oh, brilliant.
07:55Lottie and Mead, first thing I've done is given you this really inviting,
07:59really inviting space that you'll see from inside the house and when you're in the kitchen,
08:04which is why I've painted this section of the wall a really vibrant, hot tangerine orange
08:10that's going to clash against some of the colours inside and also the blues and purples of the rest of the garden's planting scheme.
08:17I love that bright coloured wall, I think that really will tie in with the inside of the house.
08:23What I've done is to help bring not only a pop of colour, but use two green oil drums,
08:28that I'm going to plant up with things like evergreen fatsia japonica,
08:32maybe a miscanthus grass that's going to sway in the breeze.
08:35So this first part of the garden is going to use a really dark black gravel
08:39and I'm going to use these white pavers as stepping stones throughout,
08:42so when you're inside looking out you can immediately get that eye hook to the hall
08:47and that beautiful Edwardian floor in the garden.
08:51It's interesting how he's sort of used the black and white gravel and pavers to sort of emulate that contrasting like inside.
08:59Now I've replaced your deck with a new deck and we have this wonderful social space here.
09:06On the left hand side there are some planters and on the right hand side that's the main seating area.
09:12You've got the pergola and an opportunity to plant climbers up there, scented climbers that will cover the canopy.
09:20On this area here just outside the outhouse I'm giving you a table here, a preparation table, wooden with a nice stone top that you can put your pizza oven on.
09:31It's all part of the dream isn't it?
09:33That table's great.
09:34Now I know that you want to entertain and you also want to cook outdoors, so I've designed you this custom outdoor kitchen here.
09:43So what I've done is build almost a dresser behind the outdoor kitchen where you can hang glasses up, cutlery, plates.
09:50I'm also going to give you some beautiful herbs that you can grab and pop into cooking or cocktails.
09:56So this is like the food preparation cocktail bar area where all your friends can gather as you sort of shake up a mimosa or maybe a dark and stormy cocktail with loads of rum and ginger beer.
10:07It's thought about everything though because outdoor kitchen with storage.
10:12I also know that the weather is not always brilliant in Manchester which is why I've given you this tin reef arbour that you can sit under opposite the kitchen,
10:20have a chat with whoever's cooking but also take shelter from the sun or the rain.
10:25The bench looks a perfect size for me and Bella to sit.
10:29Lee and Flo have brought Lottie and Mead's interior to their exterior in very different ways and created distinct al fresco cooking areas.
10:39But what about the rear of the garden?
10:42So to transition from the deck area up to the paved area I've given you a step.
10:48Throughout the whole garden the steps are quite gradual the whole way through.
10:53And then I've painted these two areas in a dark grey.
10:59And what that does is it creates zones in this area here.
11:04So in the top zone I've created a little bed here in the corner and given you this beautiful multi-stem tree which will just create a canopy and just a really nice spot to look at the whole of the garden and just take it all in.
11:20I'd be perfect right where that sun hits.
11:24This area at the back of the garden is the largest generous space and as you journey up the steps you're suddenly going to be met with this beautiful really thin timber pergola that's going to help bring as much light into this part of the garden as possible.
11:38Also bring that feeling of privacy without being too domineering.
11:42I can really see my friends coming round sitting on the bench whilst we're all having a nice drink.
11:48So Lottie and Mead if you want a garden that's going to be the talk of the town and make everyone whisper behind those twitching curtains then this is the edgy Edwardian garden for you two fashionistas.
12:00Wow.
12:02So guys in summary you wanted a bold edgy garden that epitomises your style.
12:10That's what I've created for you and I've called it Bold Edwardian Modern Outdoor Living. What's not to love?
12:16I think this is going to be really challenging. I think we're going to have to make a list. Pros and cons.
12:25Mead and Lottie must now decide which is their favourite design.
12:30What I really like about Flo's design here is the pergola with these climbing plants and the seating area underneath it.
12:36You can see it being a really nice place to sit whether it's relaxing, a bit more of a social drinking afternoon or it's even just the perfect place to have dinner on an evening.
12:45And for me what I really really like about Lee's is this outdoor kitchen area where you know we are going to be able to prepare, cook, make food together opposite each other with me sat on the bench and then you in the kitchen.
13:00I think now that we've come outside into the garden and really kind of measured up, sized up where everything is going to be I think it just makes the decision even harder.
13:09So what are we going to do?
13:11What are we going to do?
13:12Right, Lottie and Mead have made their decision.
13:19This is the moment of truth.
13:21Moment of truth Flo.
13:22OK. Here we go.
13:23Hi Lee. Hi Flo. Thank you both so much for sending over our garden signs. We absolutely loved the both of them.
13:29I think if we were told we could only have one of those gardens we would have been happy with either of them.
13:35What a lovely thing to say.
13:37Unfortunately we can only pick one garden and that garden that we have decided to go with is...
13:46Lee.
13:47Well done.
13:48Lee.
13:49Well done.
13:50Well done.
13:51Lee.
13:52You are the chosen one.
13:54I think it was the kitchen area that swung it.
13:56And do you know what there's still plenty of clashing colours so I've got loads of parts of the garden where you are going to feel totally at home Flo.
14:02Brilliant, brilliant. Well let's bring Salford alive shall we?
14:05Yeah and maybe some cocktails as well.
14:06Oh yeah.
14:07Mmm.
14:12Project manager Ben and an expert team of landscapers have just two days to rescue Lottie and Mead's garden.
14:20On the wall there Lottie and Mead I think they've painted it white.
14:24Well Lee wants that terracotta.
14:26We've got some black and white checkered paving going in so we're going to put that in grid formation and then quite a lot of timber work going on there guys.
14:35We've got a kitchen area, we've got shelter, we've got raised beds, we've got steps, we've got a pergola, we've got a seating area.
14:43We've even got a chandelier made out of wood.
14:46I know.
14:47Everyone happy?
14:48Yeah.
14:49Let's get it done.
14:53To make way for a safer, stylish, social and al fresco dining space, the team are getting the 73 square metre garden cleared.
15:02Team's cracking on with it straight away.
15:04Tory, Jamie and Lee are lifting up the deck in.
15:08We've got to see what's underneath there because we've got to get it prepped, ready for the patio to go down.
15:13Lee has designed a checkerboard central space for Lottie and Mead to entertain in.
15:19So the team is stripping out 20 square metres of stubborn decking.
15:26One of the issues that I'm having straight away is that it's so old, the screws are rotted, rusted for them to actually smash it apart rather than take it apart.
15:36The whole outdoor space will reflect the colourful, creative interior of Lottie and Mead's home.
15:44It's going to be a big impact wall as they come out of the back of the kitchen.
15:49They'll come out there with the barrels here with the planting in, so it's really going to pop with the green against the terracotta.
15:54So, yeah, I think it's going to look really good.
16:08Look, this paint's going on really well, so we might get away with one coat.
16:11We'll see how it dries.
16:13With the rotten decking out of the garden, the team preps the exposed old patio, ready for the new checkerboard tiles to be laid on top.
16:27Well, that's the first one going down.
16:29At the top end of the garden, Lee is leaving the old block-style paving in place, but has designed raised beds to sit at either side of a long pergola.
16:42I'll just grab the level, mate.
16:45Lee and Jamie are building it up, attaching vertical posts to raised beds and screwing horizontal crossbeams in place to create a roof.
16:54That's the centre bracing, that's just firmly tore up a bit now.
17:00So, now we've got to concentrate on the seat below.
17:03So, two more slabs to go on the checkerboard patio.
17:28Then we've got three sets of stepping stones to do, and I'm all done.
17:41Lee is building a bench across the pergola to create a generous social seating space.
17:48What's the level like then, Lee?
17:50Oh, it's only damn bang on.
17:52Oh, lovely.
17:53Right then, boys, log test on this seat. Let's have everybody on it, see if it's old at all.
17:58Oh, that's lovely.
18:00It's nice being close to the ivy, isn't it?
18:04Lee's design zones three areas from the front to the back of the garden, connected by planting in raised beds.
18:11We've just created the lower bed around the patio area.
18:19We've got another bed to put there around that corner there.
18:22And then because of the ivy roots, we've got to put another piece down here to retain all that there.
18:27Looking at the patio compared to the wall there, it looks like it's not square to that.
18:33So, we'll adapt it. We'll make it work.
18:36It's what we do, isn't it, Andy?
18:37We make it work.
18:38Yeah, adapt and overcome.
18:40There's no doubt the team has worked hard today.
18:44The checkerboard patio is in position and Andy's laid three boardwalk planks amongst the dark gravel at the garden's entrance.
18:53This is the last slab of the job going down.
18:58I'm really happy with how it looks, actually.
19:01I really like the white against the dark and against the dark gravel.
19:05So, yeah, I think I've earned a cup of tea.
19:08With planks, patios, pergolas and raised beds in place, the landscapers are as ready as can be for Lee and Flo's arrival in the morning.
19:28We've got a really edgy couple, two fashionistas today to create something a little bit out of the ordinary.
19:34Edgy.
19:35Edgy.
19:36Maybe a dose of anarchy.
19:39Yeah.
19:40Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
19:42That one.
19:44This already looks like a garden transformation.
19:48Yes, absolutely.
19:49I'm loving that checkerboard.
19:51It's giving me almost dance floor vibes.
19:53Yeah.
19:54You never know.
19:55We could be having a little boogie on there later.
19:56But looking around, there's loads to do.
19:58What do you want me to do?
19:59Well, over there in that little nook near the house, it's what I think of as a pocket garden.
20:04So I would love you to work your magic over there.
20:06Yes.
20:07With a bit of colour theory.
20:08Yes.
20:09So that when they're sat inside, it's going to call to them and say, come outside, see the garden.
20:13I can definitely do that.
20:15Definitely do that.
20:16Right, I'm going to crack on.
20:17See you in a bit.
20:18The landscapers are already busy.
20:23Lee has built the frame for a snug seating space in the central dining area.
20:28Now, a key part of my design for Lottie and Mead is to give them usable outdoor spaces by cutting the garden into rooms.
20:35And at this top space here, we've got this really large entertaining space.
20:39What I wanted to do is make it feel as if they're in one of those bars that they like, in the back alleys of Amsterdam where they feel snug, where all the family and friends can come.
20:47But because the garden is just a bit of a barren wasteland at the moment, it's all about building up and giving them these little pockets of gardens.
20:53So we've got all of these raised beds going in that are going to be full of beautiful plants.
20:57As you move through the garden, and as I step over Lee, thank you, it's yet another room.
21:02We're then to this central courtyard area.
21:04Now, I've mirrored the same tile patterns that they've got in the house outside so it connects to spaces.
21:10And it's all about giving them that extra room.
21:12So rather than thinking about conservatories, extensions and really expensive solutions to problems with space, it's about using the garden and making this almost like another room to the house that they can spill out into.
21:25Lee's design marries different zones through the planting choices, types of material and new steps to guide them through the garden.
21:37And what I love about doing this is you're connecting the beds as well.
21:40Yes, it's holding everything together.
21:42Right, can I be the first person to walk on when it's done?
21:44Of course you can.
21:45You can walk on this bit now.
21:46Oh, I'll wait till it's done.
21:48For the entrance to the garden, Andy has cut drainage holes into metal drums as a statement piece.
22:04Now, when you have a container this size, there are a few challenges.
22:08First of all, you need to get your drainage hole sorted.
22:10And the guys have used an angle grinder to cut some slits that's going to provide the drainage holes.
22:15Then you've got the height of it.
22:17You don't need to fill the hole of it with compost.
22:20And what I'm doing is a really good trick that you can use.
22:23So I'm taking these plant pots, which for the most part can't be recycled.
22:28I'm going to go about halfway to about there.
22:30And then I'm taking an old tunsack like that.
22:37And I'm going to push down, push down.
22:43And that will leave enough room for soil and for a good root run for the plants.
22:48Oh, you're going to need loads, aren't you?
22:55Yeah.
22:57Half filling the drums save soil and makes them easier to move when filled with Lee's choice of plants.
23:06Right, let's take a look at these beauties.
23:09Oh!
23:10Oh!
23:11Wow!
23:12That orange is popping.
23:14I know.
23:15The whole colour palette is all about purple, yellow and orange.
23:18Really restrained but contrasting colours to really bring that small space to life.
23:22Yes, and it will do.
23:23Those little pockets of planting with the repetition is going to be really impactful.
23:27And I really wanted to make sure that this garden feels a little bit edgy but controlled.
23:31Yeah.
23:32Right, let's get these off.
23:33Let's get these off.
23:42Now, here's a beaut.
23:43We've got these nephofia, otherwise known as the red-hot poker plant.
23:48And you can kind of guess how it gets its name.
23:50Now, these are really bright coloured herbaceous perennials that need full sun.
23:55So these are going to go in the brightest part of the garden.
23:57But look at that for impact.
23:59Lee's plants will bring a purposeful clash and contrast to other materials he's chosen
24:05for the structures of the garden.
24:07So, here's your sheets.
24:09Oh, look at that.
24:10Now, this is going to look so nice in the garden because we're introducing a new material.
24:14We've got the black and the white, we've got the wood, and then we've got this metal.
24:18And the whole point of this is to give that little bit of bling to the garden with a bit
24:23of an industrial edge.
24:24Oh, yeah, it's lovely.
24:25Yeah.
24:26I love it.
24:27The sound of the rain on it is fantastic.
24:29Exactly.
24:30Landscaper Lee's cutting the corrugated metal to size to create a roof for the snug seating area.
24:36Now, what else do you need, Lee?
24:44Some big screws?
24:45I will do.
24:46I'll just get everything levelled up.
24:47Now, we're using these steel screws that already have built in a little rubber seal
24:52and a washer so that when they go in, they're watertight and they don't rust.
24:55Right, I'm going to pass you the first couple up.
25:04And what I really like about this part of the garden is the proportions.
25:07And it's just the right size for Lottie, Mead and the pup to sit here and feel really snug.
25:12And you'll also notice the design detail of the rule of three and that we've got three flags.
25:17We've not broken any of the lines and it suddenly starts to feel really well proportioned.
25:21Yeah, boy.
25:34Now, the key plant for this oil drum container is Fatsia.
25:40What's not to love about Fatsia?
25:42They're evergreen, look good all year round and just look at the size of those leaves.
25:47If you want some bold drama in your garden, choose a Fatsia.
25:56What I like about Fatsia is that it's tough looking, it's exotic looking and really, you know,
26:03a plant that sort of takes care of itself really.
26:08And when you see it set against a terracotta wall, I mean, what's not to love?
26:12It really is just a really good high contrast.
26:15And for Lottie and Mead who aren't afraid of colour, bang in.
26:31Designer Lee is keen to bring more contrast and material clashes to a kitchen unit that Lee the Landscaper has been busy building.
26:38Look what I found near the skip.
26:41I wonder who left them there.
26:42Yeah, some off cuts.
26:43But it did give me an idea.
26:45I thought these would make a really nice splash bag on the back of this outdoor kitchen, which then ties in with a beautiful little metal roof.
26:52Yeah, fantastic.
26:53And then my creative juices went really wild.
26:56Oh, here we go.
26:57I've also got these.
26:58Have a look at those.
26:59Have you been in your garage again?
27:00They have.
27:01Yeah, man, certainly.
27:02So I thought these could go in the middle and then we could have one paver each side so that you can put the pizza oven, hot things down, maybe some cocktail glasses.
27:10And it suddenly ties everything together then.
27:12I like that, yeah.
27:13Sounds like a good plan.
27:14Right.
27:15I've got a lot to do so I'll get the shell ready for tiling.
27:18Brilliant.
27:21Lee's attaching vertical posts to create a top shelf for the unit.
27:27Tightening it all up, innit there, so I'll just run a few across here and there's not going to be nothing really weak yet.
27:36Once built up, he attaches an initial layer of cement board for the worktop and positions it.
27:46Oh, look at that.
27:47It's like a little picture frame with a bit of ivy in.
27:50And Lee gets his creative juices flowing to create a second tiled layer to the worktop.
27:58Oh, look at that.
28:00Suddenly looking rather high end, I think.
28:02I like it.
28:06Oh, this looks like you're getting close towards completion.
28:10We're getting there, yeah.
28:11One more shelf to do with these to fasten on.
28:15It was Lee's vision for the central dining area that convinced Lottie and Mead to opt for his design.
28:22It would be amazing if we could go out there and feel like we're part of an al fresco dining area,
28:30like these places we like to visit and travel and what make us relax,
28:34whether that is a street in Northern Quarter in Manchester or that's a side street in Palermo or Amsterdam.
28:39It would be amazing to have that feeling and be able to sort of register that feeling at home.
28:45Just step out the back door and then you're transported to another place.
28:49Right, coming through.
28:51With most of the major design points in place, Lee and Flo can start to consider the planting.
28:59It's the last of them, so.
29:02Sweet swim.
29:04Whoo!
29:05All right.
29:06Have we got enough plants?
29:07I think so.
29:08I mean, we've got the hidden extras for the green chandelier as well.
29:10Oh, yes, yes.
29:11But we've also got these little...
29:12This is a real pocket garden for me.
29:14Yeah.
29:15Just lots of little moments.
29:17And what I'd love you to do is use your passion for colour and start to plant up that bed nearer to the little arbour.
29:23And then I'm going to start this end and we'll meet somewhere in the middle.
29:26Sounds fantastic.
29:27Sounds great.
29:43This bed is going to be a bed that transitions from this little pocket garden here into the main space.
29:49And the plants in here will be repeated throughout the other beds in the garden.
29:53So it's really an entry point in the garden for the colours and textures you're going to see elsewhere.
29:58So it's really important that this one kind of opens the book on the planting.
30:04That looks so much better.
30:07I mean, you've got the softness of the Carex.
30:10We've got the pop of purple and orange.
30:13Follow my lead, if you will.
30:17I'm just getting ready to hang Lee's chandelier.
30:22So I'm just going to put four metal hooks in each corner.
30:26Then we've got four chains that come down to the chandelier, which support the chandelier.
30:32This is a bit of a wow piece for the garden.
30:35So Lee's got this really nice chandelier with lots of plants that hang over the edge.
30:39So when you're sat here, it's going to be nice and enclosed.
30:46All done.
30:50The chandelier is held to the pergola by chains and carabiners.
30:54Oh, look at that.
30:56There you go.
30:57That do you?
30:58Yeah, it's pretty snazzy that.
31:00Bit industrial.
31:01Isn't it?
31:02Bit punk rock.
31:06For Lottie and Mead, I wanted to pick both unusual but pretty much bulletproof plants.
31:11And this is a prime example.
31:13It's Arbutus unido, otherwise known as the strawberry tree.
31:16And it's a fantastic evergreen, slow growing shrub stroke tree.
31:20Now the beauty of the strawberry tree is it actually flowers in winter.
31:24So when everything else is pretty much quiet, this is going to have some gorgeous blooms.
31:28But then those blooms stay on through spring until they form these tiny little fruits.
31:33And that's where it gets its name, the strawberry tree.
31:36Because these fruits develop and ripen throughout the year
31:39and turn into almost spherical, strawberry-esque, spiky fruits.
31:43You can't eat them straight up the tree.
31:45They're a bit like bullets.
31:46They're really sour.
31:47Now if Mead wants to cook with the strawberries,
31:49if he harvests them in October time and then uses them in things like jellies and pickles,
31:55you can take the sharpness out of them and make some beautiful jam.
32:03Lee's chandelier is a unique frame that'll hold planting to envelop Lottie and Mead
32:13as they relax at the pergola.
32:15My vision was I wanted it to be relatively low-force,
32:18so if Lottie and Mead want to change the plants at any point, they can do.
32:21And I thought, well, if you build a frame, which you've kindly done for me,
32:24these just slat in and look at that.
32:26Slat in like that.
32:27Ah.
32:28The collars on them.
32:29Nice, easy peasy, super glorious.
32:31Yeah.
32:33So my new mysterious green chandelier uses these simple five-litre pots
32:42that are recycled from the plants in the garden.
32:44What I've done is cut out these small holes in the side
32:47to put in all sorts of creeping plants like this creeping jenny.
32:50We've got all these other little ferns and plants that are going to dangle
32:53and hang there and just give a bit of interest.
32:55Now there's about ten of these and I've got to arrange them carefully
32:59to make sure that they look their best.
33:02So let's get that in there.
33:14And do you know what?
33:15I think that looks rather fantastic.
33:23For me, one of the best purple plants is this salvia.
33:26Salvia caradona.
33:27Garden designers love this plant because of its structure,
33:31its uprightness and the fact that it flowers for so long.
33:35It will keep flowering throughout the summer.
33:37A little bit of deadheading to encourage new growth.
33:40Right through until the autumn.
33:43So, get yourself some salvia caradona and the bees will come,
33:49the colour will come and just a beautiful plant to have in your life.
33:58We've got a rather unusual shade-loving plant, Brunnera,
34:01that has these almost heart-shaped fairy leaves
34:04that's going to love those dappled shady areas near the fence and the wall.
34:09But look at that little delicate blue flower.
34:11It's almost like a forget-me-note, isn't it?
34:12Yeah.
34:13Textured leaves.
34:23Now, since Flo's been having all that fun with the purple and orange plants in her section,
34:27I've got a few beauties that are going to marry up perfectly,
34:30but in a less brash way.
34:31And one of them is this potentilla here.
34:33Now, it's going to marry up with the totally tangerine geums
34:37that I know Flo is a big fan of because they're really bold and a great doer.
34:41This potentilla is a little bit softer.
34:44It's deciduous, like the geum, but it acts as a really great ground cover
34:48and it has leaves that look a bit like the strawberry plant.
34:51So, when you see them, people often confuse them with young strawberries.
34:54But when you take a look at the flower, it's got almost an apricot colouration.
34:59Whereas the totally tangerine is really orange, this is more pastel.
35:03So, it starts to soften things down.
35:05If you've got part of the garden that's really brash and needs toning down,
35:08then things like potentilla in a pastel colour can help you achieve that.
35:11Now, they're really tough.
35:13They will happily spread and colonise these beds.
35:15But I love potentilla because the flowers are on these long stalks.
35:18They can drift over raised beds.
35:20You can poke them up through other plants and it means that you get great coverage from them.
35:24And I think for Lottie and me, they're going to look at this and not really know what it is.
35:28And I want that because I want them to investigate and research potentilla
35:32and then start to look at all sorts of other plant groups.
35:35It's a really nice specimen to use that isn't as common as the geum,
35:39but it's still going to give them that beautiful look.
35:41And I'm sure when I check that with Flo, she's going to love this one too.
35:56I found the spillers for the containers.
35:58These are Biden's or beggar's tick and they're going to look absolutely wonderful,
36:03just cascading over the side, just nestling under the feet of the fatsia.
36:07It's a really cute little plant and also fragrant as well.
36:14This is a really nice welcome little tease as they come out of the house.
36:19Now the leaves are very sort of delicate looking, a little bit coriander-like, I think.
36:25It will trail over and just soften the side of this barrel here,
36:30tying these three plants together and throughout the garden.
36:35With all the main structures in place, Lee and Flo are adding seating to the snug
36:51and finishing touches to the kitchen unit.
36:54The team have worked hard to create a modern space perfect for alfresco dining at this Edwardian terrace house in Salford.
37:06Lottie and Mead's garden was once a weed ridden, overgrown space with dangerously exposed decking and no privacy nor structure.
37:21But with a £5,000 budget, it's been transformed into a striking, sophisticated social space with definition and planting to die for.
37:35Right, I'm going to grab hold of your shoulder and pop you there and then Lottie...
37:38Yeah.
37:39I feel bush.
37:40Here, here, here.
37:41OK, you can feel bush, that's fine.
37:42I can feel bush.
37:43Right, I'm going to leave you both there.
37:44Right, whenever you're ready, open your eyes.
37:47Oh my...
37:48Wow.
37:49Oh...
37:50Oh my gosh.
37:53It looks fantastic.
37:55It's unrecognisable.
37:57I don't know if I'm going to cry.
38:00That's alright.
38:02Wow.
38:03Oh my gosh.
38:04It's literally a different place.
38:06Yeah.
38:07It looks amazing.
38:08I absolutely love it.
38:09This...
38:10It feels like a garden.
38:11I have absolutely no words.
38:12Thank you so much.
38:13Do you think you can finally use this?
38:14Sorry.
38:15Don't apologise.
38:16Yeah, I'm just absolutely blown away.
38:18I can't wait to sit there with the dog and just...
38:21It's like a little wonderland, innit?
38:24Yeah.
38:25Oh, she's crying.
38:27Such an emotional time for them.
38:30We knew you had vision, but this is fantastic.
38:34It really does look amazing.
38:36There's not an aspect to this I don't love.
38:38There really isn't.
38:39That's so nice to hear.
38:41It feels massive.
38:42Once greeted into their garden by a bland entrance, they're now invited into an eclectic gateway,
38:50defined by colour, contrasting planks and gravel, and the planted containers.
38:56The grey and the white, again, just sort of translated into here, then into the kitchen and...
39:00The orange wall just like takes me back to being on holiday.
39:03Yeah.
39:04And it just perfectly marries up with everything that's in the house already.
39:06Are we in Salford?
39:07I'm not sure.
39:08They love it.
39:12Oh, I'm so pleased.
39:14So pleased.
39:15What a great reaction.
39:16I mean, I wanted this part of the garden in particular to call to you from inside.
39:20So when the blinds are open and you're sat there, you might just say,
39:23come on, let's come outside for a bit.
39:24I'm going to have photos here with my friends.
39:27It's kind of like a perfect backdrop.
39:29Yeah.
39:30I'm absolutely blown away.
39:33The centre of the garden, that was strewn with unsafe exposed decking,
39:39is now embellished with checkerboard tiles, a snug seating space
39:44and that bespoke kitchen unit perfect for cooking and hosting outside.
39:50Look at the herbs up there.
39:51And the herbs.
39:52It's stunning.
39:53That pizza oven is going to look beautiful on there.
39:54I love the metal as well.
39:55It's, again, a contrast with everything but sort of in the right way,
39:58in a really toned down way.
40:00And we've used the same pavers that you've got on the floor, on the top
40:03and also a few additional black and white checkerboards.
40:06They're beautiful.
40:07Have a look.
40:08I know you want a touch.
40:09Have a touch.
40:10Have a touch, yeah.
40:11It's just...
40:12It's amazing.
40:13The kitchen area, what's not to love?
40:14Mead is going to be so happy there.
40:17I mean, it's just a stunning piece of the garden.
40:19But I know, Mead, you've just noticed this corrugated metal.
40:22Take a look up there at the roof of your little arbour.
40:27Again, it sort of mirrors the same design feature of the tiles here
40:30to the tiles there and the corrugated iron reflected up into there.
40:34It's sort of like twinned up together.
40:36I love it.
40:37Lottie and Mead were unenthusiastic about the bland,
40:41weed-ridden back end of their garden.
40:44But a pergola, complete with Lee's clever chandelier and long bench flanked by raised beds,
40:53now make it a perfect space for unwinding or socialising with friends.
41:00Right, so let's come and take a seat.
41:03About three weeks ago, we actually sat here on our chairs and we just looked at all the rubbish around us.
41:10It was like, oh, my God, this is hell.
41:13And then now, we're literally in the same position and it just feels completely different.
41:17I mean, one of the big changes, actually, is that step, because the drop was so severe
41:22that it was really difficult to get up and down.
41:24But Lee the Carpenters built that really generous step so that Bella can just waddle up without any effort whatsoever.
41:29We glided up then. You didn't even notice.
41:32I didn't even feel the high difference.
41:34And what do you think of your pergola with your green chandelier?
41:37I'm obsessed.
41:38Like, screaming, crying, throwing up.
41:40Like, I am literally...
41:43That's how I feel.
41:44I just think, wow, what a feature, what a conversational point.
41:48Like, to be able to have friends come round and sit down underneath it
41:51and be able to hear it, feel it, is just unbelievable.
41:55So I'd love to claim that all of this is my own hard work,
41:58but I did have help from my trusty co-designer, Flo.
42:02Flo, are you coming in?
42:04Hello!
42:05Hi!
42:06Nice to meet you.
42:07Nice to meet you.
42:08Come and take a seat on our generous bench.
42:10Yeah, yeah, yeah.
42:11Do you love it?
42:12Absolutely adore it.
42:13Obsessed, like...
42:15It's stunning.
42:16I really didn't think it was going to be possible to turn what was our garden
42:20into what it is now, so thank you both so much.
42:23You've changed our whole living experience and the way our home will feel to us.
42:28You're so welcome.
42:29And this is just going to be a great space for you to take all of that style
42:31you've got inside and bring it outdoors.
42:33Absolutely.
42:34I was so excited.
42:35It feels like a new beginning.
42:37Good.
42:40This is the best thing I've ever seen in my life.
42:43I didn't know whether to laugh, cry.
42:45I was so overwhelmed.
42:47I just thought, I can't believe this is our garden.
42:51We knew Lee had vision when he shared his drawing with us.
42:55But then to see it brought to life away, it has been.
42:58I can't quite believe it was possible.
43:00I think Bella, the dog, is going to absolutely love this place.
43:03So much space for it to sort of roam around.
43:06We are embarrassed of this garden no longer and can't really wait to
43:10sort of show friends this space and enjoy it with them.
43:13What do you think?
43:15I love it.
43:25I love it.
43:26I love it.
43:27I love it.
43:28Look at this.
43:30Look, look, look.
43:31Look at this.
43:32I like to try it.
43:33I like to try it.
43:34Oh, yeah.
43:35Yeah.
43:36Yeah.
43:37I've got it.
43:38I've got it.
43:40Stop.
43:41I love it.
43:42I love it.
43:44I love it.
43:46I love it.
43:48See you too.
43:50With the�06 Par rapport,
43:59yeah!
44:01You see...
44:03You see, you see,
44:05there's only a photograph!!!