Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2

Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2

In Garden Rescue Series 5 episode 2, Charlie Dimmock and the Rich Brothers Harry and David are in Havant, Hampshire.

Lisa, Paul and Zia want a garden inspired by their love of holidays in Greece and have a budget of £3,000.

Following their extension being built, the garden was a building site.

With no work being able to be done over the Winter, it is now in dire need of a makeover.


Lisa, Paul and Zia fro Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2

For the past 20 years Lisa has been holidaying in Kos in Greece and she loves the look of white buildings with blue accents.

The relaxed, laid back lifestyle as well as the climate and the sunsets on the white and blue churches has meant she keeps going back for more.


Greek Church

Zia is even named after the mountain village in Kos.

Now, for the one problem is this Greek dream garden that makes it more of a Greek tragedy, Paul's miniature railway has to fit in to the design.

Train set

Harry looked a bit daunted by this but David says its 'cool'!

Paul has been a train collector for years and finally wants somewhere permanent for his train to run.

The couple have both worked for the Railway for over 30 years but the only problem is Kos doesn't have one!

It is going to be tricky to incorporate that into the design.


Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 Before picture

The Garden
Charlie, Harry and David arrive to look at the garden for the first time and spot that on the patio at least there are signs of some gardening going on.

It is pouring when they arrive but Charlie soon spots the gnarled trunk of a Tamarisk Tree to put them in the Mediterranean mood.


Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 Before picture

The path they thought was quite nice and concrete is actually sheets of cardboard.

Looking for inspiration the brothers find some pebbles collected from the beaches of Greece and some terracotta pots.

Charlie discusses with Lisa and Paul what they want in the garden. 

Lisa is a keen gardener and has lots of plants safe in pots from the building work.


Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 Before picture

They would like some sort of water feature in the garden as it will make the garden more tranquil.

Paul talks about how he really wants the train to be outside in the garden.

What Lisa doesn't want in the garden is ...… the train!


The Plans and Pitch
The Garden Designers now get to work designing the garden to fit the ideas they have got from the family, that will fit their budget and the train.

All the £3,000 budget will go on materials with the losing designers along with the landscape team help build the families dream Greek inspired garden.

The Rich Brothers Garden Design

Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 The Rich Brothers Design

Their design is a simple structured design with a pergola and climbers with a seating area surrounded by large planting pockets.

The dividing walls are rendered white which also can be used for additional seating.

The walls divide it into 3 different garden rooms.

Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 The Rich Brothers Design

For the Rich Brothers planting scheme, they will include Salvia, Nepeta and a palate of Dusky blue.

For the Pergola it will have divine smelling Jasmine and blue Clematis planted to grow up the sides.

The water feature will sit under the tree in the brothers design.


Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 The Rich Brothers Design

They have left an open area for Zia to play in or for the family to have picnics.

The train will also go at the bottom of the garden and will maybe feature a tunnel under the wall.

Charlie's Garden Design

Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 Charlie's Design

Her design features a romantic, winding path through the garden with soft planting.

Coming down the steps you will step down into a heavily planted area to a tumbled down farm house with rendered walls that are blue at the bottom.


Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 Charlie's Design

In the middle of this part of the garden will be the seating area.

Charlie's planting scheme includes a Lavender walkway and a tree or plant to match the Tamarisk to form an archway effect.

Blues and purple flowers including Agapanthus and Salvias will be used to soften and scent the area.


Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 Charlie's Design

Charlie's water feature is a frog pool with a tiny spout of water ideal for pond dipping.

Charlie has the train track at one side of the garden making it a feature that Zia can also play in.

The couple then discuss the merits of each design and what they like, before finally revealing the winning design to the nervously waiting garden designers.

The winner is....... Charlie

Charlie's Design wins


A work in progress
The landscape team has arrived and today it is Project Manager Paul Brady, Leigh Pugh, Andy Land and Steve Griffiths.

They soon get to it and studying Charlies design of 'rural Greece meets the Railway'.

Garden Rescue Landscape Team

Today they are 'Greek Gods' apparently!



They start on the ground works for the tumbled down farmhouse with a digger and they put in the concrete for the footings.

The building costs including 100 blocks and cement has a total cost of £800

Tumbled down farmhouse folly

The bricks are laid and an old gate is cut up for the window and the walls are rendered with a lightweight cement mix.


Charlie and David and Harry Rich arrive on site doing the 'locomotion'.

She gives them a couple of jobs to keep them out of mischief, a new swing and the difficult train set up.

Charlie gives herself the frog pond to complete.


The Rich Brothers on a swing

Well that didn't last long and the brothers are already playing on the swing.

For the floor in the seating area Charlie is using offcut sandstone pavers to keep the costs down as the random 'crazy paving' style works well with the theme.

Now the brothers have finished swinging they want to create a new rustic swing for Zia, they use heavy oak sleepers that cost £45 each.

After cementing it in it will now fit in with the farmhouse scheme.


Distressed oak sleeper beam

Next job is to help Leigh put in place the distressed heavy duty oak sleeper which will form the entrance to the farmhouse.

Once in place it will have climbers all over it to soften and scent the seating area.

Pull up challenge had to happen next!


Charlie starts work on her frog pond with a solar powered water feature. 

PVC liner for frog pond

She is making a dish shaped pond surrounded by meadow turf so it easy for wildlife to get out.

She lays her £42 PVC liner which she has softened in the sun and lays it dull side up.

She leaves the folds in the liner for frogs and insects to hide in. 

Andy puts cement in one side of the liner for the Sandstone rock that will form the water feature.


Charlie paints the rustic farmhouse blue

Charlie has chosen a stunning Azure sky blue for the farmhouse.

On the steps on the building she is going to place geraniums in terracotta pots.


The Rich Brothers are starting work on the train track behind the ruins.

Plastic gravel trays and gravel path

They use 15 metres of plastic gravel trays which together with the gravel costs £90.

Matt is one of Paul's friend who is going to be the train expert for today. 

They lay out the train track and click it in to place.

Testing the Kos Express

The excitement is building for the maiden journey of the Kos express.

David has even made Charlie a cuppa to be delivered by the train.

Now that the train is done and tested the turf can be laid around the track. The turf cost £150

Laying turf


The frog pond is now ready to have the rocks added.

 A small copper pipe has been put through a hole in a rock for the water to trickle out of onto a metal trough.

A solar powered pump is added and this also comes with a light which Charlie is placing below the trickle of water.

Charlie Dimmock water feature

Meadow turf, costing £50, is then laid around the edges of the pond. 

She adds some oxygenators to the pond, some mint and Lobelia as well as some ferns to the edges.


The budget for the Mediterranean plants was £900 and she is using lots of greenery interspersed with colour.

Aromatic plants like Cistus, Lavender, Rock and Sun roses. Grape vines and pines all makes you think of Greece.

Pinus Mugo 'Mops'

Charlie is planting a Pinus Mugo 'Mops'.

It has a gnarled shape to it and is low growing and more importantly it will screen the railway track.


Harry is planting  within the farmhouse ruins and some of the plants will self seed and spread amongst the paving.

David Rich  Mediterranean planting scheme

He has London Pride, Thyme and toad flax which will all look very natural amongst the paving.

The pink, purple and green colour palette of the planting will look stunning against the blue walls.


David is creating some ambient lighting for the seating area using spoons and tealights!

Tealight and spoon light

He uses a rustic bit of wood and attaches bent spoons to it to hold the tealights!

Cries of 'Uri Gellar' comes from the watching team.


To make the seating area feel secluded and private Charlie is making use of the existing Tamarix tree and adding a Cercidiphyllum to form an archway entrance to the garden.

Cercidiphyllum tree

The fruit and flowers are quite insignificant but the leaves that are heart shaped and change colours with the season and smell like candyfloss in the autumn.


David is working on the train to intergrade it into the garden. Good luck with that!

David Rich planting up the train track

He has added rocks and an olive tree. He is planting Powis Castle.

Lavender is planted to form the scented walkway.


Charlie is adding a beautiful Trailing Abutilon that needs a really warm sheltered position.

The walls of the farmhouse ruin is a great spot and the house being positioned on the South Coast is perfect.

Trailing Abutilon

This is one of Charlies favourite plants it has little lantern shaped flowers that hang down and flowers from Summer to Autumn.


David is planting Eremurus Foxtail Lily but he prefers to call it Desert Candle.

They like to be in a sunny spot in well drained soil.

David Rich planting Eremurus Foxtail Lily

There are loads of different varieties some of which grow to 10 feet tall but this one is shorter and looks like a candle.

It sways in the wind and casts the most amazing shadows on the farmhouse wall.

The plants that Lisa put in pots for the building work are now put back into the garden including a lovely shrub Willow.


The Rich Brothers and Charlie Dimmock from Garden Rescue

The final touches are added including a bench in the sunniest spot in the garden and the weary garden designers take a rest before the grand reveal.


The Reveal

Lisa Paul and Zia open your eyes and see your new Garden

Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 Grand Reveal

'Oh' 'My god Amazing' 'Unbelievable' 'Wow' Laughter as Lisa realised that Pauls eyes went straight to the railways and hers to the farmhouse ruins.

'Oh my god its amazing' 'Look at the little train go' Lisa mentions it will be used as a beer train.

Zia spots her swing.


The Rich Brothers laugh at Charlies frog pond

They go for a wander round their new garden and reminiscing of their holidays in Greece as the Rich Brothers look on. 

Harry and David Rich erupt in laughter at the mention of Charlie Dimmock's Frog Pond.


Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 Finished garden

The £3000 makeover has seen their garden transformed into rural Greece.

The ruins of the old farmhouse with the soft planting to the gravel and stone seating area will soon self seed all over.

Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 Finished garden

Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 Finished garden

The white and blue wall enclose the secluded seating area.

The rustic pathways takes them past scented Mediterranean planting.

Frog pond

Garden Railway

The frog pond with its sandstone water feature and meadow.

Not forgetting the Kos Express with its own area that has become part of the garden theme and does not look out of place.

Lisa is happy that the train is in the corner.


Garden Rescue Series 5 Episode 2 Finished garden

Zia tries out her new swing as Lisa invites the team along with friends and family into her Greek garden to see it for the first time.

As happy sounds and laughter fill the garden.

Lisa and Paul talk about the amazing experience of having the Garden Rescue Team design their garden and how it will bring them such happy memories of their favourite holiday designation, Greece, for years to come.


All Photographs are copyright of BBC.com


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