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Garden Rescue - Season 11 - Episode 02: Shrewsbury
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00:00The Garden Rescue Team are back.
00:02Hallelujah!
00:04This time Lee...
00:06He and Eve. Heaven.
00:08Charlie...
00:09Busy, busy little bee.
00:10Chris...
00:11Sometimes you need to go old school.
00:13...and Flo...
00:14Hello!
00:15...will be joined by four familiar faces from the gardening world.
00:19OK, let's gallop on then.
00:21Go on then.
00:22Joe...
00:23Team Garden Rescue.
00:25Sue...
00:25We've got a little vignette of pots.
00:28Dermot...
00:28I think I've been accepted into the game.
00:31...and Francis...
00:32You just can't beat a cherry tree.
00:34...in each garden, two of our designers will go head to head.
00:37We've decided to go for...
00:40...Flo's design!
00:42Yes!
00:43Come on!
00:44...and the winning designer...
00:45Does that make me the boss?
00:47...gets a helping hand from the runner-up.
00:50Stop pulling!
00:51It's garden war!
00:52That is fantastic!
00:54...turning garden dreams...
00:57...into reality.
00:58Open your eyes.
00:59Oh, my God!
01:00That is incredible!
01:02Oh, my God!
01:04This is gorgeous!
01:06This is our garden!
01:12This is our garden!
01:20The garden, really, to me, is a bit on the bland side.
01:23I would say the garden would be nicer.
01:25It was more in the style I'd like it.
01:28So, how was your day?
01:29I was out in work, being quite good, thank you.
01:32And what were you doing?
01:33Taking stuff out to load into a lorry.
01:35James has Asperger's.
01:38Asperger's is part of the autistic spectrum, and it's a different way of approaching the world.
01:43How would you describe it?
01:44You know, it's like something that's hidden, but just people's abilities are different, and it can be very difficult to
01:51explain the concepts.
01:52It's just a whole different approach to life.
01:56James used to live with his parents, but after they passed, he bought his own house near Maria.
02:02I'd certainly like to live on my own, to have my own place. I mean, getting more used to it.
02:07I mean, it's just something I couldn't have done when I was much younger. It just wasn't ideal or possible
02:12to leave home.
02:14He's put his own stamp on the house, but the garden is still a blank canvas.
02:19So, this is the garden. What don't you like about it?
02:23It is rather bland, and it's not really much exciting out here.
02:28There's not a lot of reason to come outside, is there?
02:31It doesn't seem to have much character to it. I'd like a garden that would reflect more who I am
02:37and the things I'm into.
02:39And what James is really into is sci-fi, especially classic Doctor Who.
02:45I've liked it ever since at the age of about three, and then started with John Pertwee and just stayed
02:50with it ever since till the end of the classic run.
02:52Your collection's growing, isn't it?
02:54Yes, it certainly is.
02:56You've got plenty of Cybermen. Which one's your favourite?
02:59I like these marked ones.
03:02Was that a William Hartnell?
03:03It was, yes.
03:04We always knew James as a Doctor Who fan, and on the eve of his third birthday, my parents squatted
03:12down in front of him and said,
03:14What are you going to be tomorrow? And he said...
03:17Exterminated.
03:21It's escapism, and it gets away from real life at times.
03:25There's times I wish I had my own tardies.
03:27We'd travel back and forth in time, see how people lived in past times, how they may live in the
03:33future.
03:34But for a man dreaming of time travel, this garden is firmly stuck in the past.
03:39The first thing I think is wrong about the garden is there's too much grass for you to manage.
03:45And I think that patio is quite small as well.
03:48And the rest of the garden isn't much better.
03:51There's a tired old patio at the back, a compost bin which has never been used, and a bare patch
03:57where a shed once stood, where nothing will grow.
04:00The garden's a little bit bland. It's just there.
04:05And given that the house is full of Doctor Who memorabilia, we'd like to do something similar in the garden.
04:12The dream is to turn this blank space into an out-of-this-world sci-fi garden, a place that
04:18reflects James' personality and pays tribute to his passions.
04:22I think the garden really does need doing, but I don't have the knowledge or skills to sort it out
04:28myself and wouldn't know how to starve.
04:33Hoping to come up with a suitably space-age garden design are resident garden rescue designers Charlie Dimmock.
04:39You brought the sunshine.
04:41Oh yeah, but...
04:42Gives that smile at yours.
04:44And Flo Hedlund.
04:46Here we are again.
04:47Here we are again.
04:49What have you got for us?
04:50So we've got James and Maria in Shrewsbury.
04:53OK.
04:53Right.
04:54And this is the garden as it stands.
04:57It looks practical.
04:59There's lots of useful things there.
05:01Yes, but very unloved.
05:02Not much of a finesse, i.e. there's a bit of lawn.
05:05A bit of patio.
05:06Obviously gets used.
05:07Nice little bijou table there.
05:10Yeah.
05:10Compost bin, fences.
05:12Yeah.
05:12That's the view looking back at the house.
05:15It's a decent size.
05:16Mm-hm.
05:17There's patio there that looks like it could be cleaned up.
05:20Mm-hm.
05:20But I think we definitely need to know a bit more about the garden.
05:25Absolutely.
05:25Hi Charlie.
05:26Hi Flo.
05:27Hi.
05:28James has a clear vision for his garden redesign, inspired by his lifelong passion for classic
05:34science fiction.
05:35Ooh, science fiction.
05:36Science fiction.
05:38OK.
05:39I dream of transforming my garden into a low maintenance alien themed space.
05:46Oh, that's got fun written all over it.
05:48Yeah.
05:49Low maintenance alien theme.
05:50The centrepiece of this redesign would be a shed that looks like a TARDIS.
05:55I'm thinking that bin could be made into something.
05:58Yeah, that looks like one of those.
05:59You know what I mean.
05:59One of those.
06:00Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:03It's terminate.
06:05Additionally, I'd like an outdoor seating area to relax and enjoy the unique atmosphere.
06:11That sort of says to me like textures, different maybe gravel and...
06:16Yeah.
06:16Yeah.
06:16I'd like a circular pathway so I can explore the gardens unusual and low maintenance plants.
06:22Oh, right, so you want to journey around the garden.
06:26OK.
06:26That's right up your street, isn't it?
06:28Journey around the garden.
06:30Yeah, but I can do curves as well.
06:33A water feature would further enhance the otherworldly feel.
06:37Mm-hmm.
06:38Yeah.
06:38All right.
06:39OK.
06:39So, pool.
06:41Sci-fi.
06:42Water feature.
06:44Mm-hmm.
06:44Please can you give us...
06:46A Doctor Who inspired sci-fi garden.
06:49Oh, well, this is fun, this one.
06:51Mm-hmm.
06:52Have we got a fun budget?
06:53We've got a £5,000 budget.
06:56Which is a good, decent amount for this side of the garden.
06:59Yeah.
07:00That sounds all right.
07:01I think we can make it very alien with that.
07:05Mm-hmm.
07:05All right.
07:05Well, come on.
07:06Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:07Bring it.
07:08Perhaps you'll be exterminated.
07:15Charlie and Flo will create designs that will meet James and Maria's £5,000 budget.
07:21Once the favourite has been chosen, the losing designer will help with the build.
07:26A trusted team of landscapers will provide their labour for free so the full budget can be spent on materials
07:33and plants.
07:39Back in Shrewsbury...
07:41This is exciting, isn't it?
07:43Yes, it is.
07:44The designs have been delivered.
07:46Hi, James.
07:47I hope you're ready for this.
07:49I've created a design which is timeless.
07:52A design fit for a Time Lord that's going to take you into the Hooniverse.
07:59Did you see what I did there?
08:00Yep.
08:01Very clever.
08:02Stepping out of the house, we've got this generous patio here.
08:06And it's big enough for you to have a little bistro table and chair there.
08:10You can sit down, have your morning coffee.
08:12Oh, you could have your breakfast there.
08:14These stepping stones take you on this curved journey up the garden.
08:19And the border is packed with lots of interesting colour, texture, foliage, different heights.
08:25It's going to be a real feast for the eyes.
08:28And nestled in this border here is this beautiful Bug Hotel.
08:32It's quite a piece of art, actually.
08:35I like that.
08:36I do as well.
08:37Charlie is also going full sci-fi in her design.
08:41James, I know you're passionate about Doctor Who and you wanted a themed garden,
08:46so I've gone full bore on this one.
08:48Oh.
08:49That's superb.
08:51I'm leaving the patio that you've already got there because there's nothing wrong with it.
08:55And then I'm picking up the same colour of the paving that leads up to this bigger patio
09:02right in the centre of the garden with the central feature.
09:06I really like the TARDIS.
09:08I like the TARDIS too and the colour of it.
09:11And it is a bit like the real TARDIS in as much as apart from being a focal point, it's
09:18a shed for storage, but also these two panels open out.
09:24So the TARDIS, it gets bigger.
09:26Yeah.
09:26That's excellent.
09:27So it'll give you this open area that's covered.
09:31So if you're having a barbecue with your sister and friends and it starts to rain, you can all dash
09:37underneath this covered area.
09:40Flo's vision also puts a time machine right at the heart of the garden.
09:44And then we get to the TARDIS.
09:48It's a shed, I know, but actually it's the focal point of the garden.
09:53I like the TARDIS.
09:54I do too.
09:56And I've placed it here so that you can see it from the house.
10:00So it's always going to call to you to come outside.
10:03Now, halfway round the garden, we get to this spot.
10:07We've got a lovely spacious patio here with a pergola.
10:11That will look awesome.
10:13And in the centre of the garden, I've given you some lawn, but not too much.
10:17And there's just enough here to soften the overall design, that lovely oval shape.
10:23But great minds think alike.
10:26Charlie's working with curves too.
10:28And we've got this central lawn.
10:30Now, my design is all based on circles and spheres.
10:34So you end up with these planet-looking circles.
10:39We've got these stepping stones that look like rays of the sun.
10:44I like that.
10:45Me too.
10:46As you walk by the lawn, you've got the water feature.
10:50And it's a sphere and it's sort of a dark black charcoal textured.
10:55So when the water runs around it, you get this rippling effect.
10:59It's like the Death Star from Star Wars.
11:01Now, when it comes to the plants, I want to give you lots of easy, low maintenance plants around the
11:07edge.
11:08But I also want to give you one or two that are a bit wacky and weird.
11:12So round here is this plant called Scleranthus.
11:15And it sort of mounds up.
11:18It's like green moss and it almost looks like it's from another planet.
11:24Charlie's planting scheme may be out of this world.
11:27But Flo has one more surprise up her sleeve.
11:30Now, you can't have missed this fella here.
11:33The Dalek.
11:34And when I saw you had a compost bin, I was like, you know what?
11:38We can upcycle that and make you a Dalek.
11:40Do you like the Dalek?
11:42I do like the Dalek. The covers are awesome.
11:44And the water trough. It's a very simple water trough.
11:49Just a gentle bubbling sound.
11:51And the water trough is lovely.
11:53I'd love to build this garden for you, James.
11:56So pick me and let's travel through time together.
12:00I love that design.
12:02So for me, this design is all about a nice circular route around the garden.
12:08So it's all about a theme but also a practical garden at the same time.
12:15So I hope you love it.
12:16As I said, I can't promise you time travel,
12:20but I can promise you lots of scented time through the pathway.
12:25They're both really good.
12:27It's going to be a really hard decision.
12:31James and Maria must now decide which design is their favourite.
12:35I like Charlie's design.
12:36I like the way you can't see the whole of the garden.
12:39You've got to go and have a look.
12:41I like the TARDIS.
12:42That opens out.
12:43That opens outwards.
12:44Mm-hmm.
12:45And the plant looks like off another planet.
12:48And how do you feel about the TARDIS being in that corner?
12:50It's a superb spot to put it in.
12:53And I like the moonscape.
12:54It's very alien planet-like.
12:57They're both really good, aren't they?
12:58Certainly are.
12:59It's going to take a lot of deciding.
13:03Ooh!
13:04Can we find out?
13:05Find out.
13:05The moment of truth.
13:09Let's see who has won.
13:12Oh, dear.
13:13I'm going to get tired of all these funny jokes you're doing.
13:16I've got loads.
13:17Just you wait.
13:18Could be a long build.
13:20Come on, get on with it.
13:22Right.
13:22Hello, Charlie and Flo.
13:25Hi.
13:26Thank you for sending the designs.
13:28They've been really exciting and interesting to look at.
13:31That's a good start.
13:33Starting with Flo's design.
13:34I like the overall look of the design.
13:37The TARDIS is awesome.
13:38And I like the water trough too.
13:40And I like the Dalek.
13:42It's awesome.
13:43I've won this already.
13:45Come on.
13:46Moving on to Charlie's design.
13:49The way the TARDIS folded out is really clever.
13:52We love the idea of circles and planets
13:55that's reflected in the planting
13:57and in the shapes on the ground.
13:59Yeah, I can see this has gone backwards and forwards,
14:02backwards and forwards.
14:03But we can only choose one.
14:05We found it incredibly tough to make this decision.
14:09In fact, we couldn't agree.
14:10Oh.
14:11But it's James' home and garden
14:13and he gets to decide.
14:15Absolutely.
14:16Come on, James.
14:17So you've chosen...
14:21Flo.
14:22Yes!
14:23Come on!
14:25Thanks, guys.
14:27I want it.
14:28I want it.
14:29Who's in charge?
14:30Yeah, I might be just doing a bit of space travel
14:33and not turn up.
14:35We are going to have so much fun.
14:38It's going to be good fun, isn't it?
14:39Yeah.
14:45Flo and Charlie will be supported by an expert group of landscapers.
14:50Where's this garden?
14:51Led by project manager, Ben.
14:55Right then, team.
14:55We are here in Shrewsbury.
14:58It is inspired by Doctor Who garden.
15:01Flo wants to use some of the paving that is there by the house.
15:06So it gives James a little bistro set area that can sit there.
15:11Where the paved area is there, we've got a shed going in
15:14and it's going to be our interpretation of a TARDIS.
15:17Now, in front of that, we have a little pergola going in
15:20and underneath it, we have some black limestone to create the patio in.
15:25We have a few little hidden things in there.
15:27We've got a bug hotel.
15:28We've got the trough going in.
15:30There's gazing balls.
15:31I think we get all this grass up, get the paving up, blank canvas
15:35and we start building this garden.
15:36Yeah.
15:37Let's do it.
15:39The team are straight to work, lifting the old, unwanted patio slabs
15:43from the back of the garden.
15:47Then it's in with the digger to level the ground
15:50and clear away the excess soil.
15:53Fill me up, Andy.
15:54Right, homie.
15:55Top.
15:55Good job, boys.
15:57Yay!
15:58Good job.
15:59While the brand new patio is going in at the rear,
16:03Flo has a plan to rework the paving by the house
16:06to give James a bigger, more usable space.
16:09Flo wants his bit of patio removed so it can be extended over there.
16:12So I'm just going to do a nice cut here and a nice cut there
16:16just so we can pick up the slabs
16:17and then just saw them over there for later when we'd relay the patio.
16:26Oh, perfect.
16:28With the ground levelled at the back,
16:30the base for the TARDIS-inspired shed is going in.
16:34And Andy's cracking on with Flo's new otherworldly black patio.
16:43Yeah, I'm happy with that.
16:44God, these slabs look beautiful, Andy.
16:47It's a bit of a contrast to the normal,
16:48the Indian sandstone that we like.
16:50Yeah.
16:51With it being limestone, so much harder compound.
16:54And when you try and cut them...
16:55Oh.
16:55..really hard to cut.
16:57Glad we're not cutting, then.
16:59And next to the patio,
17:00it's time to start building Garden Rescue's first time-travelling shed,
17:04inspired by the Doctor's famous TARDIS.
17:08So, Raph, on the instructions, the door faces the house,
17:12but we want the doors on the side.
17:14Well, you know what you do with the instructions, don't you?
17:16You throw them away.
17:17Pass them here, then.
17:19No, no, no, no!
17:20Just in case.
17:22As the final slabs go down on one patio...
17:26That'll do. I'm happy with that.
17:28You're good, eh, mate?
17:29..there's no rest for Andy.
17:31He's straight onto the extension near the house.
17:35You good?
17:38Flo wanted to utilise the budget as best she could,
17:41so she removed the slabs that were here,
17:44and she's made this area bigger.
17:46So we're reusing James's slabs.
17:49Ben?
17:50Yeah?
17:51Would you really shout at me if I said I'd broken one?
17:54No.
17:55That's good, then, cos I broke it.
17:57From broken slabs to time travel.
18:00At the back of the garden, the sci-fi-inspired shed is taking shape.
18:05When making a time machine, you have to ensure that it's well fixed,
18:10because it is going to travel from here to there.
18:14Plenty of nails.
18:18The final job of the day is to lay Flo's stepping stone path.
18:22A lovely curved line to match what will become the new oval lawn.
18:28I'm just putting down these lovely limestone slabs to match the patio I've done at the bottom.
18:33Flo's designed this on a lovely curve, so James has got a journey down the garden to the lower patio.
18:40And hopefully, with the two curves either side, it'll sort of accentuate the oval of the lawn.
18:46So I think it's going to work great.
18:49It's been a long day, but Flo's design is beginning to take shape.
18:53The patio's finished up here.
18:55Stepping stones are all in.
18:57Raphael and Todd have done a magnificent job, but it's more of a shed than a tardis at the moment.
19:02We've still got the pergola to do.
19:03There's the garlic, there's the bug hotel, there's the lawn, gravel to come in, and all the plants.
19:09So loads to do, but great day at the moment.
19:12You done?
19:13I'm done.
19:14Take me.
19:14Take me back to the van.
19:16Yeah?
19:16Oh, I don't like it.
19:17Yeah?
19:18I've run a bath for you, alright?
19:20Don't go through any potholes.
19:22Now it's time for a well-earned rest before Flo and Charlie arrive in the morning.
19:34Well, here we are in Shrewsbury today.
19:36Yes!
19:37For a fun garden.
19:38This is going to be a bit different, isn't it?
19:41Yeah.
19:41Yeah, yeah, yeah.
19:41The Doctor Who theme.
19:42Now, were you interested in Doctor Who as a kid?
19:45I used to insist on staying up to watch it, and then the music would start and I'd just
19:50hide straight behind the settee, and that was it.
19:53I never saw a program.
19:54Never saw a program?
19:54Never saw the creatures?
19:55Never.
19:56We're going to make it an interesting creature today.
19:59That's going to be fun.
19:59Good morning, Raf!
20:02Hello!
20:03Well, it's all go here, isn't it?
20:05Oh, wow!
20:07Now, this is progress, isn't it?
20:09I'm loving the circular stepping side and the pathway round.
20:12Yeah, James can literally walk all the way around the garden, take it all in.
20:16Fantastic.
20:17Oh, yeah.
20:18And that's going to be...
20:19So, the shed is inspired by the TARDIS.
20:22We've got lots to do today.
20:24First thing I want you to put your creativity to is a bug hotel.
20:29I can do bug hotels.
20:29Yeah, there's a specific shaped bug hotel that they want.
20:34Oh, here we go.
20:34I'll go and do some homework, then.
20:39And I'm ready to just, like, get cracking on this design.
20:44Now, the first change I made in the garden was to give James a really good, generous space
20:51just outside the house.
20:52So, we've changed the paving that was here originally.
20:55And I've given him big space here that he can put a table, chair on.
20:59Just come out in the morning, look at that light that's there, and just sit and take it all in.
21:03From the patio, a curved stepping stone path winds past a space-age water feature
21:09and leads to what will become the star of the show.
21:13And then the shed's in place.
21:15Now, the shed, at the moment, is looking pretty big.
21:17But by the end of the day, it's going to be one of the centre pieces of the design.
21:22It's going to be transformed into a TARDIS.
21:25Now, the patio is in place, but we're going to build a pergola,
21:29a really nice little space here that James can come around the garden.
21:33and sit here and be surrounded by planting.
21:36But there's a lot to do and the first thing I want to do is get this pergola done
21:40so then we can start on all the really, really fun bits.
21:44Out front, Charlie's kicking off her own intergalactic project.
21:48So, Flo has set me the challenge of making a Bug Hotel,
21:53which is normally very straightforward and easy.
21:55But, James is really into not only Doctor Who, but Blake 7 and also Star Wars.
22:03So, he wants a Blake 7 Bug Hotel.
22:07So, if I remember rightly, the sign is like a hexagon.
22:12So, that is going to be the shape.
22:14So, this is the back bit.
22:15Then I'm going to cut these bits of timber and screw them on.
22:20And then I'm going to divide it up into segments
22:23and then fill it with lots of different materials,
22:26but also these cool little bits that will make it more sci-fi.
22:31Well, that's the theory.
22:32At the rear of the garden, Ben and his team are getting to grips with the pergola,
22:36which will sit above the new patio, offering James a quiet spot to sit and relax.
22:42Oh, Ben! Hello!
22:44Yeah!
22:44So, what, are we building a treehouse now?
22:48Just getting the post in.
22:50Yeah.
22:50And then we'll get your cross-members in.
22:52Nice.
22:53And then we can get the struts in.
22:54Great.
22:55This is going to be the perfect spot.
22:57This is going to be the perfect spot for James to come and sit and enjoy the whole garden.
23:03Let the saw do the work.
23:07Here you go.
23:09Sweet as.
23:10As the pergola goes up, attention turns to one of the day's key jobs,
23:15giving the shed a bold new look with a fresh coat of blue paint.
23:20Ben, this is the latest Doctor Who weapon.
23:23Oh!
23:24Look at that.
23:26I'm going to have a go.
23:27You've got it from where you've rained.
23:29Is it? Right way round.
23:31It's that way.
23:33Yeah, I've done this loads of times.
23:35Yeah, thanks.
23:37As the shed begins its transformation, out front, Charlie's Bug Hotel is also taking shape.
23:44Now, basically, a bug hotel is just lots of different materials that insects can hibernate in.
23:50Because come the wintertime, it gets cold, so they have to be able to make themselves cosy and warm to
23:56get through the winter.
23:57So, by putting different materials in, whether it's moss or straw, or if you chop up bamboo canes that are
24:07hollow, you'll find that solitary bees will go into them and over winter.
24:11So, that's what we're going to do.
24:13And then we're going to hang it somewhere that is ideal for them.
24:18So, it's normally sort of a south-facing fence.
24:21I might paint that black and then put these things on because it looks a bit sci-fi-y.
24:27It's like communication to the bugs from the outer space.
24:33In the garden, the basic shed is looking more TARDIS-inspired.
24:39Oh, yes!
24:40Raph!
24:41The shed, it's amazing!
24:43It's coming on, isn't it?
24:43Yeah, yeah. Did you paint it?
24:45No, but it is my favourite colour.
24:47Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
24:48Yeah, it's TARDIS blue.
24:49I love it.
24:51So, the colour is popping and then with all the little dressing we're going to put on it, the signs
24:56and everything, the lights, I hope James is going to be blown away.
25:00I love it already.
25:02Woo!
25:03Still got a lot of work to do though, haven't we?
25:04In a fair amount and I think I'd better get on with it.
25:07The shed is shaping up to be time travel worthy and Flo's next task will take things to the next
25:14level.
25:14I'm pretty sure that James picked my design because I put a Dalek in the garden and so the pressure
25:22is on to make it as, quote unquote, authentic looking as possible.
25:27It doesn't look much like a Dalek now but this compost bin, plunger, decorative balls hose and a whole host
25:34of other bits and pieces is going to allow me to transform it into the ultimate Dalek for the garden.
25:44After a lot of cutting.
25:48This is number one of 14.
25:50And spraying.
25:51The body of the Dalek is going to be silver.
25:54Flo's ready to start turning James' old compost bin into a fearsome cyborg.
25:59I'm on my way, I can see the vision, I believe in it.
26:03Now, doesn't that say Dalek to you?
26:06It does me.
26:0816mm I reckon.
26:09There's a spacer.
26:10You want that to go in there like that, right?
26:12Mm-hmm.
26:13The sci-fi inspired elements of Flo's design were a big reason James picked it.
26:17A garden that truly reflects his personality.
26:21The thing I'm most looking forward to is having this science fiction theme-like garden because it'll be different to
26:27other gardens we've had where we lived previously.
26:30Is there anything you're worried about with the space theme?
26:33I can't say that I'm worried about anything space theme-wise.
26:36I'd just like to see what the end result looks like when it's done.
26:39I'm going to use the lid of the compost bin, but obviously I want to get some height on it.
26:45So by adding this mesh and using the hose to give a bit of a collar to it, we'll be
26:51able to add some detail here.
26:52Pop this on top of there and then add an eye or some detail at the top.
26:59Yeah, yeah, yeah.
26:59I see it.
27:00You see where we're going?
27:01Yeah.
27:01I see it.
27:02Okay.
27:03All right.
27:03While Raph cracks on with the Dalek, it's time to check out what plants Flo is bringing to the sci
27:09-fi party.
27:10Oh, look at that.
27:12Shocker.
27:14Spiky.
27:15We've got stripy.
27:16We've got, yeah, bright colours.
27:18Acid colours.
27:19Yeah, and the dark, dark, reddy purple.
27:22Yeah, yeah, yeah.
27:23Serratus stigma.
27:25Oh, very nice.
27:25And I think these two in particular, these cannas, yeah, they do look like they're from another world, don't they?
27:32Otherworldly.
27:33Yeah.
27:34Oh, there's so much.
27:35Caringias.
27:35Oh, red hot pokers as well.
27:37Yeah.
27:38Are you sure the garden's big enough?
27:41We'll make it work.
27:43This is like alien plant heaven for me.
27:52First few plants coming into the garden.
27:54Put them in the sunniest pot.
27:56This garden gave Flo a unique planting brief, creating something that looks just a little out of this world.
28:04So James had said he wants plants that look alien, you know, really interesting textures and forms.
28:14And there is some of that here.
28:16But equally, I need to put plants into the garden that are regular plants that we know do well all
28:23the time.
28:23So it's a mixture of the dramatic and the reliable.
28:27Just need to figure out where to put them off.
28:30As the final plants are placed, it's time to bring the beds to life and Flo's kicking off with a
28:36real showstopper.
28:38I'm putting some bold colors into this garden.
28:41And this canna is an example of this bright yellow chartreuse.
28:47The leaves are lush.
28:49They look, I mean, alien, actually, with that two-color stripe.
28:53But they can look good in lots of other settings as well.
28:56But here, I'm wanting to give this border really something to sing about.
29:01Cannas are actually really easy to grow, but they are tender.
29:04So depending on where you are in the country, you could take the chance and leave them out over the
29:10winter and mulch them.
29:12Or lift them, take them inside and keep them as house plants during the winter.
29:17And enjoy, in this world or any other.
29:21Across the garden, Charlie is adding something just as bold, but a little more classic.
29:27Now, I'm just popping in a holly.
29:29That's a variegated holly, Golden King.
29:32And it's a compact one.
29:34And hollies are sort of quite not used very often in gardens.
29:38But they're really good doers.
29:40They're evergreen.
29:41You can clip them into hedges.
29:43They get berries on them.
29:45So great for the birds.
29:47And this one's really attractive and picks up the color scheme that Flo's going for.
29:51Because it's got this green center with a bright yellow creamy edge to it.
29:56And they're spiky, but they're not really spiky.
29:59And it'll be nice and easy for James to look after.
30:02Of course, come Christmas time, cut a few bits off, bring into the house to cheer the house up.
30:08You know, think of the holly and the ivy and all that.
30:15Plants are going in fast, but the TARDIS inspired shed hasn't been forgotten.
30:20Ben's on finishing touches duty.
30:23So, Andy's painted the shed in there ready.
30:25Now, the TARDIS needs some windows in there.
30:28So, we're using some tongue and groove, locking them together, and we're going to create the windows.
30:32So, we need the black bit going in there, paint and white first, and then we can do the windows
30:37so it looks just like the police box.
30:40Back in the beds, Flo's adding more texture.
30:44This little beauty here is a Santolina, a lavender cotton, which is a great shrub for a Mediterranean garden for
30:53a full sun, hot garden.
30:55They work really well in rockberries as well.
30:57The wonderful thing about Santolina is the aromatic leaves.
31:02You just have to rub them, and it releases this beautiful, sort of spicy, but aromatic at the same time.
31:10But it's a wonderful plant that you can put in at the front of the border, and it kind of
31:15creates this mound and sort of fills out and gently tumbles over.
31:19They actually don't need much in terms of maintenance, maybe a little trimming after all the flowers have spent.
31:26And they do really well in poor soil, because being a Mediterranean plant, they are used to just being baked
31:32in the sun.
31:33So, soil that's sandy, poor, not very rich is the perfect conditions for them.
31:41To really dial up the alien vibe, Flo's design includes a sleek water feature, a simple trough, which will be
31:49set next to the Dalek-inspired compost bin.
31:52Oh, that's nice, isn't it?
31:55Oh, she's chosen some nice stuff, that girl.
31:58That would just normally be a planter, but it's going to turn into a reflective water feature, so that when
32:04James is sat outside of an evening, he might even see the stars reflected in the water.
32:10Oh, look at that! Look at the fireworks!
32:13Yeah.
32:15You silly billies, aren't you? Tweedledum and Tweedledee!
32:19Yes, Richard!
32:22But there's no time for fun and games. Charlie's straight back to the beds, adding more colour.
32:27Right, just popping in this lovely sea lavender, Limonium Salt Lake. Gorgeous!
32:37It's got these very sort of entire leaves that have got a wavy edge, and they sort of go a
32:41blue-green colour.
32:43It's called sea lavender because you see the wild one along the coastline, and the great thing is, is the
32:49flowers you can use as dried flowers.
32:51And the reason it's called Salt Lake is that when it's in a really sunny position, and that's where it
32:58likes to be, you get crystals of salt forming on the leaves.
33:01So that's where the name comes, Salt Lake. So it is gorgeous. The bees and butterflies absolutely love it.
33:09It's going to love this spot because I'm telling you, it is boiling hot!
33:15At the back of the garden, the TARDIS-inspired shed is almost ready to take flight.
33:21Look at you! Go back there and have a look if I'm sent there.
33:25Yeah, that's good. Yeah, love it.
33:30What do you think? Do you think we ought to try it?
33:32Let's get in there. Shall we? Let's get in there.
33:34How did we get in? There you go. Come on.
33:38Whoa!
33:50With time ticking, Charlie's Bug Hotel is ready to find its forever home.
33:56Oh, look at that! Look at that! See?
33:59Are you happy with that? Yeah.
34:03Right, so there we go.
34:04So when you're positioning your Bug Hotel, if you can get the morning sunshine, and then you get some shade
34:11at midday during the summertime, and then come wintertime, this will be nice and sunny because it's facing south.
34:17So you don't want to be positioning them somewhere really wet and damp, because come the wintertime, it will be
34:24even worse for them.
34:25But I was quite pleased with that. It looks quite, quite sort of sci-fi, doesn't it?
34:33No, and there was silence in the garden.
34:37And Flo's adding a space-age flourish to the water feature.
34:41Now, a little finishing touch for the water trough is I'm putting some pond dye in there.
34:47So just a little bit at a time, just so you can get the required colour.
34:53It's completely safe for plants and for pond life.
34:58And in this instance, it makes it look like a deep space pool.
35:04It's the final push to get the garden finished, and extra sci-fi details are being added.
35:10There's a pair of sculpted metal rings inspired by planetary orbits.
35:15Right, what else to do?
35:18Reflected orbs are being positioned amongst the beds.
35:22And to top it all off, a sonic screwdriver wind chime.
35:27I want one of them!
35:29But the garden isn't complete without Flo's pièce de résistance.
35:34It looks amazing!
35:37Oh my Lord, Flo, that is fantastic!
35:43James is gonna love that!
35:45I hope it blows his socks off, I really do.
35:47Yeah, I'm sure it's going to.
35:49Just well done you! Are you pleased with it?
35:52I am, I am.
35:53I think, you know, the TARDIS already is just, like, sensational.
35:57It is great.
35:58All the little details, that colour as well.
36:01Yeah, and I think that's gonna really appeal to James.
36:04It's the detail that he is gonna love.
36:07Yeah, I hope he feels it's otherworldly enough for him.
36:10Well, I think you're gonna have to go and get in.
36:13Yeah, it's time for James to come and see all this, right?
36:15Yeah, let's go.
36:16Woohoo!
36:20James's garden was once a blank, uninspiring space.
36:24A small patio by the back door, a tired old one at the rear, and a dead zone where a
36:30shed used to be.
36:31It lacked personality and didn't reflect James's interests.
36:35But with his £5,000 budget, it's been transformed into a science fiction fan's dream.
36:43The old rear patio was drab and uninviting.
36:47Now, a TARDIS-inspired shed is the show-stopping centrepiece.
36:52Paired with a sleek black patio under a pergola, and surrounded by striking planting, giving James a stylish place to
37:00relax.
37:01By the house, the cramped patio is no more.
37:04Now, it's been extended, with space for a table and chairs.
37:08Around it, otherworldly planting, shimmering gazing balls, and a bug hotel bring the garden to life.
37:16And in the centre, where there was once just plain grass.
37:20Now there's a sculpted lawn framed by curved stepping stones, with a space-age water feature, rusted sphere sculptures, and
37:29James's very own Dalek watching over it all.
37:33Over and down. There you go. Okay.
37:36Not more.
37:37But, will the design meet James and Maria's expectations?
37:41James and Maria, just remind me what your garden was like before.
37:46It was very bland, and it didn't have much character to it, so I felt it wasn't really me.
37:51Hmm. Okay, so, on the count of three, I'm going to ask you to open your eyes.
37:56One, two, three, open your eyes.
38:01Absolutely awesome, and it's so smart.
38:04James, look at your garden!
38:06Yep, it's so much better. I love it.
38:09Your flowers are fantastic.
38:11What sort of things jump out at you?
38:13Well, that guy.
38:15Don't mess with him.
38:16Don't mess with anyone.
38:20And he'll keep nosy parkers out of me that might try poking around.
38:26Oh, that's brilliant.
38:27Yeah.
38:29I think the Dalek will keep everybody in check.
38:31Maria, you brought the tears.
38:33I'm crying, yeah.
38:35Oh, my goodness.
38:36You've got your TARDIS, James.
38:38I must go inside at some point.
38:41Yeah.
38:42That'll be an adventure.
38:44So, where you're standing is an extended patio.
38:48So, there's enough space now for you to come out and table and chairs, sit here.
38:53There's the Bug Hotel at Heights.
38:56You can see, and Charlie.
38:57Charlie's responsible for that.
38:59Charlie had a lot of fun making that.
39:02Oh, great job.
39:02For me, that's quite sci-fi.
39:05Shall we take a little walk around the garden?
39:07Okay.
39:08Yeah, we're going to go this way.
39:09Right.
39:11What was once a large area of uninspiring patchy grass is now a sci-fi spectacle.
39:18With a circular lawn, curved stepping stones, and otherworldly features like a bubbling water trough,
39:26a metal sphere sculpture, and a Dalek-inspired compost bin.
39:32Okay, so from here, we can see the two gazing balls in the border.
39:36They're very sci-fi.
39:38The silver.
39:38Yeah.
39:39Yeah.
39:39And I've nestled them between the plants.
39:41Because you wanted unusual plants, you wanted plants that really stand out, that you said looked a little bit alien.
39:47Okay.
39:47And I think, you know, we've got a really good combination there of things that are striking, but easy to
39:53look after.
39:54How do they feel to you?
39:55They feel like some, you know, very, like some sci-fi plants that could come alive and could grab you.
40:00I don't think any of these are going to do that.
40:02Yeah, I know.
40:03I think it's a fantastic garden.
40:06It is still a garden, but it's got that fun theme, and I mean, it makes me smile.
40:11And I think James is going to absolutely love it.
40:16I've given you a little bit of lawn.
40:17I know you said you had too much lawn, but I've given a bit of lawn.
40:20A bit of plenty.
40:21Yeah, it just softens the middle of the garden, and we'll put this lovely rusted twin ring sculpture.
40:27And it won't need to be cleaned or painted, will it?
40:29No.
40:30That colour there, it's rusted already, and it will just continue to rust and look old and ancient.
40:35Shall we continue?
40:37Let's come along here.
40:38The rear of the garden was bleak, with an old cracked patio and a dead corner where nothing would grow.
40:45Now it's the heart of the space, with a TARDIS-inspired shed forming the focal point of the garden.
40:52And there's room for James to sit and enjoy it from the new patio, topped with a pergola,
40:58all surrounded by planting for a bit of privacy.
41:01It's a TARDIS, isn't it?
41:03Yes, yes.
41:04I travel anywhere in space and time, in a period.
41:07That was one of the things you said you wanted.
41:09You wanted a shed that looked like a TARDIS.
41:11Have I delivered on that?
41:13You have, yes, thank you.
41:15I've got on the colour and everything.
41:17Where do you think you'll fly to first?
41:19Probably try maybe somewhere like Cygnus Alpha.
41:23OK.
41:24OK.
41:25Well done, Flo.
41:26Where we are now is another spot that you can come to in the garden.
41:31You can come down either path and sit here and look at this evening sun.
41:36And you never know, you might even come out and enjoy it on a bright sunny day in the winter.
41:42PHONE RINGS
41:43It's a sonic screwdriver and a wind chime.
41:47Two in one.
41:48Fantastic.
41:50So, James, Maria, are you pleased with the garden overall?
41:53I am, yes, thank you.
41:55It's just wonderful.
41:57Absolutely what we wanted.
41:59Well, you know, it wasn't just me.
42:00It was the landscape team and Charlie.
42:03She was my, you know, right-hand woman today.
42:06So, I want to bring her in.
42:07Charlie!
42:09Hello!
42:10Hello, Charlie.
42:12What do you think?
42:13Here's Charlie.
42:14Fantastic.
42:15Didn't she do well?
42:17Didn't she?
42:18She?
42:20Pulled a blinder.
42:22Absolutely.
42:23Which is your favourite bit, James?
42:25Or is it too much to choose?
42:26Well, I mean, I think it's all really good in its own way.
42:29So, do you think you can come out into the garden a bit more now?
42:32I think I intend to.
42:34When it's good weather like this, I will do.
42:36Like this?
42:37Yeah.
42:37That's a tick.
42:38That's a win.
42:39We've had great fun doing it.
42:41We really have.
42:42We really have.
42:42It's amazing.
42:43We've brought out our inner sci-fi.
42:48It's just epic.
42:49Well, we're going to leave you to enjoy the garden now.
42:52Yeah.
42:52Thank you so much.
42:53Thank you so much.
42:54OK.
42:55Off we go.
43:00It's amazing.
43:01It is absolutely everything we wanted.
43:04And more.
43:05So, we asked for a garden that was out of this world.
43:07And would you say it is?
43:09I definitely agree with that, yes.
43:11Definitely.
43:12So, what's your favourite thing in the garden?
43:14The Tardis is one of the most favourites.
43:16And the Dalek.
43:16The Tardis and the Dalek.
43:19Perfect.
43:19Bye.
43:21Bye now.
43:29Bye now.
43:30Bye now.
43:37Bye now.
43:40Bye now.
43:41Bye now.
43:43Bye now.
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