An INCREDIBLE Front Garden Makeover! | Garden Rescue | FULL EPISODE

It's time for Charlie and the Rich Brothers to find out about today's garden challenge. This is Laura and Andrew and their son, and they live in Bristol. Andrew, Laura and William are keen on conservation, and the family often enjoy visiting a local nature reserve just a stone's throw away from their home. Well, look at the heron, William. Although a love of nature doesn't automatically give you green fingers. Andrew hates gardening. He'd like the garden just to be concrete or astroturf, and he'd be quite happy. Probably more turf, just turf with maybe just a few pansies, just a few flowers, just around the border. Don't know what a pansy is, do you? And this time we're looking at a front garden. Oh! It's a funny shape, isn't it? It is. The front garden's actually been really difficult to try and do, because it's on a slope and the shape of it, we've just found it really awkward to do anything with. It looks like they've already sort of tried in some ways. It looks quite... Is that like meadow or low planting? The ambition was to attract all the insects and things from the nature reserve, but it's turned into just a bit of a weedy mess. It's just wild. It's just wild. And we need some help now. What's the budget? So it's £2,000. I think that's about right for that space. I do as well, because it's not like we'll be putting in lots of hard landscaping, is it, really? I think this is one that's going to be really fun. But pleasing both Andrew and Laura may prove harder than they anticipate. The only thing we genuinely both like is nature and the outdoors. That's probably about it. Yeah, we're pretty much opposite in every other aspect of life, aren't we? It does make things quite difficult. It may be a small garden, but with a modest budget of £2,000, producing a nature-friendly space that will wow the neighbours is no mean feat. They'll each need to come up with a garden design that fulfils all of Laura and Andrew's needs. The budget will cover the cost of materials and plants, while the labour will be provided by Charlie, the Rich Brothers and their team of landscapers. The couple will select their preferred garden, and the losing designer will help the winner create it. Back in Bristol, it's time for the designers to pitch their ideas. I wonder what it's going to be. Hello. OK, so this is our design. Amazing. Hello. Wow. Both sets of designers start with the entrance to the garden. So this is leading straight out from your house. What we wanted to do is step you guys straight onto this lovely bit of timber decking. So it's going to accommodate some seats and also a little table there, so you guys can just sit out there if you wish. So we thought it would be lovely that you enter from the side and you actually get to journey through the whole garden. Oh, that sounds good. I have moved the path that's leading in to make much more of an entrance, saying, welcome to my house, welcome to my garden. This is with paving that will be set at the same level as the path, so it will sail across the step and then you'll step down onto this path. Yep. At the front of the property, the garden will be on show to neighbours and passers-by, but have the designers provided any areas of seclusion? Around the outside, we wanted to actually introduce these pockets or clusters of shrubs, so you feel a little bit more private, but still not completely cordoning off the whole garden. Brilliant. Just to give you a little bit of screening, not a proper screen, these are just sort of planters with some alpines in it, so you won't need to do much maintenance to them. They'll give you a little bit of interest and screening. It's amazing. It looks absolutely amazing. Yeah, really good. The couple are keen on water conservation. What have the designers done to reflect this in their designs? What we wanted to do, just to give that kind of boardwalk natures of feelings, adding in a few different grades of gravel and stones, really, just to imitate a dried riverbed, something like that, which runs underneath the deck and out the other side, and with some plants, if it's slightly banked, it'll just give that idea that it's part of a wider picture, in a way, and hopefully help to attract a slightly wider audience of wildlife. I think Charlotte's got a work cut out. I absolutely love it. Then we have got a proper wildlife pond with seating built in. Love it. Thinking about all the water that you're wasting off your roof, you've got a downpipe from the roof here, from the gutter, so what I want to do is key into that, but to make it a little bit more interesting, rather than it just going straight into a water butt, I want to use some watering cans that will be on posts, so one will roll into one, into the next, into the next, and into the pond, so when it rains, you'll see the water run down. Lovely. Attracting wildlife into the garden was another important factor for Laura and Andrew. How are both teams planning to bring in the bugs? We thought it would be lovely to have some log stacks, bug hotels, things like that, that you can really accommodate the wildlife that will want to use the space. Yeah, I love that. This will be a really lovely quiet bit where you can look back up the garden. This is a cable drum with a bench built in, seating, but it's great for wildlife because we're going to divide it up into sections, which will be an amazing bug hotel. Love it. I love it. Both designs are so different, but they both would give us something which we don't have at the moment. All you've got to do is decide. It's going to be very, very difficult. I will leave you thinking things over. Thank you very much. Thank you. Cheers. See you in a bit. Thank you. It's a hard decision, but the couple do have to choose just one design. Will Laura and Andrew go for Charlie's quirky water feature, including staggered paving and bug hotel? Or the Rich Brothers' secluded decking area with carefully placed hedging and rustic dry riverbed? It's time to find out who's won. So, the winning design is... the kook. The quirky quirky. Absolutely. I thought it might have just been a step too far. I think the main thing for me was the water. That was one of my real big things. I really wanted some kind of water in there, and I just think that's amazing. It's so clever and exactly what I had in mind, so I really loved that bit. Fantastic. I am very pleased. Sorry, guys. No, not at all. I am looking forward to this one a lot. Delighted to have won the pitch, Charlie is aware that she's going to have to rely heavily on Harry and David to get the job done. Look forward to this one, then, Jo. It's the morning of the build, and the landscapers are straight into action clearing the pathway. With the area for the raised bed marked out, work can begin on the frame. We've chosen to use scaffold boards to build this raised pond, nature pond. Carl's doing all these interesting angle cuts, which are always quite challenging. But he's keeping his air on it, you can't? Just about. Chris gets to work spreading the concrete and making a start on the intricate task of laying the angled sandstone paving. What do you think, Carl? A bit like Tetris. Raised bed now. Yeah, I think before my time, mate. I'm not that much older than you. With the raised bed well underway and the paving taking shape, Charlie and the Rich Brothers have arrived. We're on a mission today, right? Your first task is to find lots and lots of things for the bunk hotel. Get up! You're going to irritate me today. We're working together as well. You're working with me all day. God, those boys. So, look at this garden. I mean, Laura hated the way that you came off the path and stepped down and then stepped up. But now we've got this new paving in, very modern, and now you just sweep your way and glide to the front door. It's going to be so much easier with the shopping. And she likes quirky, and it is quite quirky because it's all on the angle. And then we've got this step down to the raised bed. How's it going? Very well, thank you. Are you looking forward to cutting all this? Yeah, I can't wait. Yeah, I can look at her cheerful, cheerful personified there. And then we've got the raised bed with the pond. I have a feeling this bit might change a bit, but don't tell them yet. And then we step down, meadow, lots of meadow. And then we sweep round here to this seating area that's going to be here. Lots of bug areas, but a nice little seat. And you're sort of almost enclosed a bit here. And then I have, don't tell the boys, stolen an idea off of them because Laura and Andrew did actually fancy having another entrance into the garden. So I'm going to put that there. But don't tell the boys. And I'm now going to go and upset Andy because I want to move the main feature. This lovely raised bed, lovely shape, but there we go. Because I'm thinking that space up there is sort of a dead area. So I'm thinking that we hoik this that way a bit, bring the stumpery this way and maybe put the seat on this side. Do you know what we did, Charlie? What did you do? We built it so that we could move it because we knew that you would. You're going to have to help us. It's quite heavy. Oh, is it? Yeah. Boys! We need your muscles. Oh, no. Ooh! Watch the edge, watch the edge. The edge of what? That is good. That's parallel perfectly with the slabs. Anyone would think someone designed it so it would match. With the raised bed in position, Kyle cracks on with the paving. While Harry secures the base for the water feature and bog garden, Level as anything. Charlie and Rosie have turned their attention to another structure, one that already exists within the garden. It's a little dishevelled, isn't it, the hedge, I have to say. Yeah, a bit like me. So this is Ediagnus and it's an ornamental, makes a lovely evergreen hedge. But the whole thing about hedges is if you've just got one species, it's like a monoculture. So by mixing some other things in, you make a much better environment for insects, birds, to sort of hop into and that side. So we've got a mixture of natives here. So we've got hawthorn, we've got hazel, we've got gelder rose and field maple. So I think we need to be hoiking this one out, mix that one in and then maybe just a little bit of snipping to tidy it up. Laura and Andrew were keen to bring in wildlife. So Charlie has tasked David with constructing a bug hotel designed to sit within the far end of the garden. So I've picked up this old electrical cable drum and you can get them off the internet or you can get them from your local electrical supplier and they're roughly something like £15 you'll be looking at. David's recycling the low willow fencing previously used for edging and using it to divide the inside section of the table. Oh, dream fit. He's also sawing a space in the top that's ideal for planting. The art moment of truth. Perfect. To help define the left-hand side of the garden and the space surrounding the bug hotel, Charlie is using wooden stakes strategically positioned to create a stronger, more structured border. So you've cut that one mate and then I think, so we come down, down, down and then we need to start coming up because I want to go all the way up into the tree. Armed with items salvaged from the garden, the brothers set to work constructing the compartments of the bug hotel. Right, all the stuff. We've got loads of things we can use here. We've got these old bamboo canes that actually came from the garden already. We've got some gorgeous bark and wood. That's the essential, isn't it? Also, some straw. Oh, beautiful. Mini beast heaven. It is, isn't it? And they're all kinds of things you can find really easily. Right, where do you want to start? Let's get putting stuff on that thin one. This one. What insect could that be? Dumb beetle. Not only are we having fun building it, but it's also going to be a great thing for William to get involved with. Now obviously, it's going to be perfect because he's going to see all the wildlife that uses it, all the insects that live in these kind of conditions, but also he can really get creative with it as well. It's just a really fun, simple project to do in the garden. They'll all need to tidy up their act to get this garden finished, so David's straight to work. Ta-da! The old tap-in. Fixing the posts to form the base of his seating area. I think Charlie's going to be proud of this snail. Once the bench seat is in position, David takes charge of the jigsaw and cuts the curved edge. The bug hotel looks like it's worth a five-star rating, but Harry and Charlie have a way to go to achieve the same standard with the water feature. Watch the paving, Charlie. Oh, danger. Right, that's looking good. So if we get sand in the bottom, so basically the middle section is going to be mini pond and bog garden. Yep. The other end's pretty planting. Yeah, okay. The base is filled with sand to get rid of any sharp edges. Are we tipping it? Yes, we're tipping it. I thought you were bringing it, sort of spread that about, and then I'll go and get the liner, which I've got warming up on top of the car. You warm it up, it goes nice and stretchy. And the liner is fitted to create a seal to contain the bog garden. It will be filled with water-loving plants. As such, the ground needs to be kept wet. Oh, yes! Lovely. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Charlie is adding a pond made from a black bin that, when fed by the cascading water feature, will overflow into the surrounding soil, keeping the area moist and bog-like. Shall we fill it up? Right, just need to fill it up. Don't point that at me. You did that on purpose. No, I didn't. When did I do something like that? I don't know, it's a fun day, isn't it? I've got all the remembrance filling up. As the pond fills, Harry tops up the bed with soil. And the construction of two trough planters gets underway. Used as a backdrop for the bog garden and water feature, each will be positioned as shelves and used to house a variety of fruit-bearing and wildlife-friendly plants. But with Charlie's exacting standards, positioning them may not be as simple as Harry thinks. Right, Charlie. Where are you going? Right, let's do the bottom one first. How much have you got hanging over that way? I can't see, Chris, your beautiful body. It's my tummy, just kidding. Can you take it towards Chris a little, putty-puff, and about Chris's, yeah, height, so level would be a wonderful thing. So bossy. That looks pretty good to me. So can I actually... Not being funny, can I actually see it now? That looks lovely. Nice, quickly, let's put it in. Let's throw it in, push, change the mind. Having pleased the boss, Harry fills the planters with soil. And it's time for Charlie to get to grips with her pièce de résistance, the water feature. So the concept is we've got a down pipe there around the corner which comes off the roof, and it's going to fill up one watering can and then run into the next watering can, to run into the next watering can, to run into the next watering can. So they'll sit like that. So if Laura wants to water, she's got a pre-filled watering can, and off she goes, waters, and then pops it back, ready for the next downpour of rain. So much prettier than a water butt. Each watering can will need to be positioned precisely for the water to cascade into the one below. That one's there then. That work all right? We're soon going to find out, aren't we? Where's the hose? Right, for you. That's fine, we can always play with that one. Right, next. The couple want the garden to complement the nearby conservation area. Charlie has decided to add a stumpery to give the garden a natural woodland feel. We've got a very lovely stump, but I'm thinking it might be nice that whole thing of old and craggy against the very sleek paving. It's like this, isn't it? And while David gets to grips with the stumpery, the others are more preoccupied with the water feature. It works, though. It works! How does that look? So you are going to attach that sort of... They've forgotten about the stump, haven't they? They've forgotten about me. Too busy thinking about their water feature. I still think that's too high. I think we're going to have to... It's like wrestling a big old snake. How's that look? Oh! Don't worry, David, we can tell you're working hard. How's that look? Er, too... No, I want it flat, mate. Flat. Flat. Yeah? That's it! That's it! You've got it, boy! Ideal. Shall I move it around a bit like that? No, I quite like it like that. That looks great. Looks all right, doesn't it? I really like it. I like the gold. It's beautiful. With the watering cans in place and the stumpery in position, David wastes no time getting on with his planting. Now, I've just positioned some really simple plants within this area around the stump. I really wanted to capture that nice woodland-laid feeling. So, of course, ferns are an obvious choice. We've gone for a gorgeous grass. This is stipper arundinacea. So, as you can see, really simple, lovely and green now. Actually, later on in the year, this will actually bronze off and grow a lovely kind of warm, sepia tone. One of my favourite plants to really emphasise that woodland character is the foxglove. Really simple, quite an elegant plant, but actually it'll self-seed within this garden. So you'll find that new ones later on next year and the following years will just wander through this space. They'll sprout up and they'll really start to soften this area and make it feel very natural. No, so those can go in, those small ones. That's fine. With the planting underway, the self-bind gravel path is added, designed by Charlie to stretch the length of the garden... ..as is the turf. Nice. Fantastic. So we're just laying down the wildflower meadow turf. It's so good. You can already see it comes and it's already established. Now, inside these rows of turf, we've actually got something like 34 different species of plants. It's incredible to have in such a small area. And, of course, that's going to help the biodiversity of this garden. And some of the species we've got in here, we've got, like, yarrow, clovers, we've got plantain. And actually, this turf really likes poor-quality soil. If the soil was too rich in nutrients, the grass would start to take over and almost dominate the wildflowers. So this, what we're laying it on, is really perfect. To give the garden a natural feel, Charlie's softened any harsh lines in her design, instead allowing materials to flow into one another. Charlie has this detail in the garden and it really conveys this lovely natural fringe. She's got the paving, which is very linear in its appearance, but she's got it running through so that the meadow actually fuses with it. So there's no specific straight line. It's all about softness in this garden. But, as always, it's quite tricky to do. With the turf laid, it's time to get planting the flowers that will bring pollinators and other wildlife to the garden. Looking pretty, looking pretty. It's amazing what a few plants do. I've just planted Hellenium, and I've got to say it's one of my favourite perennials for all late-season interest. And that's because it's got this gorgeous brown cone. And the cone is what actually gives it its winter form. So later on in the season, amongst all the grasses, you'll get this gorgeous dark silhouette of the cone, which really sticks out. But at the moment, you can see that it's got a lot of pollen on it. And that's great for the bees, and you'll see them swarming around this. So it's great to think about adding perennials into your borders that will really encourage wildlife, especially bees, because they need looking after. Look at that bee! He's in, he's found the life for him already. People think when you're trying to attract wildlife into the garden that you've got to have all natives. Natives are great, but the problem is a lot of natives are really vigorous and need a lot of space. And this is a tiny garden. So we've chosen natives that are maybe a little bit more calm. So things like lythrum, foxgloves, they're not going to take over. They will self-seed in this bog garden area. But then we've mixed it in with a few ornamentals like the lobelia, because bees love lobelia. As the edges are neatened and the last plants go in, the garden is finally done and dusted, all ready for its grand unveiling. The other thing Laura said to me, and I hope we've done what she wanted, she wanted the front garden to look a bit different and a bit of a wow factor. So when the neighbours walked by, they all looked at it. I think they will, don't you? Before the team arrived, the front of Laura and Andrew's property had turned into an overgrown wilderness, inaccessible for them or their young son William. Now, thanks to Charlie's design, they've got their very own wildlife garden with a host of areas to enjoy and explore. Unique sandstone paving, costing £400, has put the entrance to the house and garden all on one level. A stumpery adorned with woodland planting, costing £60, gives the right side of the garden an unstructured and natural feel. Descending watering cans, costing just over £45, divert the rain to form a quirky and interactive water feature. A raised bed, complete with a luscious bug garden and mini wildlife pond, totalling £550, creates a stunning focal point. The wild meadow turf, costing £240, provides a diverse range of wildflowers on a more manageable scale. And at the far end of the garden, a bug hotel and seating area, costing £30, is an ideal spot to attract insects and for Andrew, Laura and William to explore nature together as a family. I'm just going to shuffle you a bit that way and you're going to have to keep your eyes closed. But what will Laura and Andrew make of the transformation? Oh, they're looking nervous. Very nervous. Would you like to open your eyes? Oh, my goodness. It's amazing. Wowzer. Oh, it's so pretty. Oh, that's lovely. That is so, so lovely. Oh, it's so pretty. Have a wonder. Absolutely love it. So pretty, isn't it? I'm not sure I should say it, Charlie, but it's so much nicer than I was expecting. Have you been talking to the boys? It's pretty much perfect, isn't it? Yeah, it's so nice. I absolutely love it. So do you think it's been worth it? 100%. Definitely. 100%. Yeah, it's taken me aback a little bit. It's so nice. You just seem to be looking everywhere. I know, there's so much to look at. So many flowers and colours. It's just brilliant. You think it's got the wow factor for the neighbours? Definitely. Completely. Definitely. Completely and utterly. More importantly than that, it just gives us something. When I come home from work to walk past, I just think, this is our garden. Not just quickly scuttle in before anybody says, Oi, when are you going to cut your grass?