The Great Garden Revolution (2021–…): Season 2, Episode 3 - Episode #2.3 - full transcript
Spring is finally here...
and there's a garden revolution
sweeping the nation.
Once you start gardening,
it stays with you for the rest of
your life.
Does anyone like radish?
Spring is here, winter's over.
Get involved, get immersed in the
experience of the garden.
So we want to invite you to join
in...
Just go for it, enjoy it,
and put your stamp on it.
..inspiring you with
possibilities...
Nature is the most beautiful
thing of all.
..and totally transforming
our ordinary gardens.
How cool is this?
We'll be sharing tips and tricks...
You should all grow this
tomato, seriously.
..and the jobs to do right now.
Over the next few weeks,
we're going to be meeting
fellow revolutionaries...
..People who think along the same
lines as us.
You can still make gardening
fashionable.
Yes, in fact there is,
yes, look, there's a lemon.
So wherever you are
with whatever you have,
it's time to join
The Garden Revolution.
Pull again.
Across the country, so many of us
are realising the importance
of connecting with nature...
There's a bee in that flower.
..and this weekend
we're exploring wildlife gardens
that are doing their bit for
the planet.
Oh, wow, there's a bunch
of wood lice there!
Oh, they look happy. Yeah.
In Stockport, we're transforming
a shady lawn garden
into a wildlife haven...
Ooh, hello.
I've already got
a little fella moving in.
We'll show you how to create some
five-star wildlife luxury.
This is a great project to get
the kids involved
and make the birds happy.
..and give you planting tips for
those tricky, shady spaces.
This is a really lovely one
and it will have a really lovely
white flower that will almost
float above these grasses.
And legendary performer
Toyah Willcox...
I want to show you something.
..invites us into her garden
for a walk on the wild side.
A tree is fantastic
for climbing.
The Garden Revolution is all about
connecting people with the natural
world around them.
I love to work outdoors.
It gives me a sense of meaning,
I suppose, because
it's rooted in the natural world,
which is the thing I care
most about.
And I feel passionately
that human beings
need to be connected to nature.
More and more people who are
concerned about the environment
want to garden in a different way.
So if I can show them a little bit
how to do that,
it's really fulfilling.
More and more, we're tuning
into nature
and being guided and led
by what happens in the wild.
It's really, really exciting.
I hope to inspire people to garden.
To be connected to wildlife
makes us feel better.
I think people do need to think
about their gardens differently.
It's not just your space, it's a
communal space with the wildlife.
All gardens should have an area
to sit
because it allows you to take
everything in
and have this
connection with nature.
This week we're in Stockport
with first-time buyers
Matt and Rowan
and their dog Colin.
We met on Tinder, very millennial.
We bought our house together
just before the pandemic.
The house needed gutting
and has been a major undertaking
for these new home owners.
We spent the last two years
renovating the whole thing
and it's been fairly stressful.
It took a lot longer than expected,
so the garden's been a bit
of an afterthought.
We did some work to it last year,
but it quickly became very
overwhelming.
Yeah.
Like so many gardens up and down
the country,
this shady plot is dominated by
a large lawn,
which is Matt's biggest bugbear.
The grass is a nightmare.
This was built on a lake whenever
the house was originally built,
which means that we get
boggy grass, it always feels damp.
When we bought it, we didn't realise
how much of an issue the grass
would be.
We were actually pretty keen
to have grass, weren't we?
We don't have any side access,
so whenever I mow the lawn
I have to drag the grass through the
house and end up making it a mess
in there.
I'm 100% for getting rid of it.
Yeah. I can't stand it.
It's not just the grass
that's proving frustrating
for these rookie gardeners.
We never come out here
because it's so depressing.
We spend most of our time looking
out the window thinking, "I don't
know what to do or where to start."
I did go through a bit of a pattern
of trying to do stuff in the garden.
But weeds have been the bane of
Rowan's gardening efforts
to date.
This is the weed that I thought
was a plant,
and I thought it would nicely grow
up this trellising,
and this would be a lovely
little area for us to sit at.
And, as you can see, it just kind
of died
and presented more weeds
for us to deal with.
So I kind of left that and decided
it wasn't really my forte.
Attempts to create a seating
area have also backfired.
So this is where the pergola
used to be.
When we first moved in we realised
it was all rotten and everything
so we just decided to pull
it right down
and we've not really got that much
use out of it, to be honest.
And Colin decided this was the place
for him to go to the toilet. Yep.
With summer fast approaching,
now is the perfect time to transform
this shady, uninspiring space
into a haven for Matt and Rowan.
It has become, like, a lot
more obvious since we've been both
working at home how critical it is
to have, like, a little outdoor
space that we can actually enjoy.
We never got
around to having a house warming,
so if we could actually have family
and friends around and stuff
to celebrate, that'd be really
lovely. Yeah, really cool. Yeah.
It's not just friends
that Matt and Rowan want to share
their outdoor space with.
I really care about the planet
and making sure
that we're contributing positively.
I feel like a sense
of responsibility to make sure
that what we're planting
encourages wildlife.
I think it's really important
to kind of make sure
that we're adding rather than taking
away from nature.
Yeah. We are complete novices.
We don't really know what to do,
to be quite honest.
We need all the help we can get
to get this sorted.
Matt and Rowan aren't the only ones
keen to encourage more wildlife
into their urban space.
Welcome to my small, tiny garden.
In towns and cities across
the country,
we're all doing our bit.
What are you doing?
Making a bug hotel.
Who's it for? Wood lice and ants
and worms and centipedes.
We're straight to work designing
the perfect garden
for Matt and Rowan.
This week is all about encouraging
more wildlife into our gardens.
I'm really passionate about this.
We have to start thinking
of our gardens
as natural environments,
as shared spaces,
not just a place that we own.
Traditionally, we've sort of managed
gardens too much,
so we've got to revert them
back to the natural state.
So I'm really excited
about this one.
We've created a plan that has nature
at its heart.
We're replacing the grass
with a planting design
of shade-loving shrubs and
perennials
that will be a magnet to both
birds and pollinators.
A pond and stumpery will offer
a welcome home to an array
of wildlife,
and a raised boardwalk
will lead to a seating area
in the garden's only sunny spot,
where we've included a bar for
Matt and Rowan
to kick back and relax with friends.
It should be the perfect
low-maintenance garden
that will give these new gardeners
and nature
exactly what they need to enjoy
this outdoor space.
And it will be packed full
of easy ideas
you can try at home this weekend.
It's all hands on deck for the next
two days,
transforming this space
into a wildlife haven.
How's life been then, Errol? Good.
Excited about this one?
I could be possibly the most
excited of all.
Do you know what? Me too, actually.
Are you serious? Yeah, seriously.
You know, wildlife is my thing.
Since I've been a kid, I've always
been really excited by wildlife.
It's probably what got me into
horticulture in the first place.
We can all play our part encouraging
wildlife
and with British species having
declined
by 40% in the last 50 years,
it's such a great thing
for us to do.
We want to give our new
revolutionaries the knowledge
to take this garden forward.
So I'm getting Matt stuck
into our first job.
There's a spade, mate.
Thank you very much.
Something anyone with space
should consider
if they want a thriving ecosystem
out back.
The number one rule
if you're trying to get wildlife
in your garden is to put a pond in
as it's bringing in all of these
smaller species
that other species are going to
feed on.
The more variety you can get,
the more biodiverse your garden's
going to be.
So why is the water so important?
All life needs sunlight and water.
Straight away you're just going to
get lots and lots of species
moving in -
water boatmen and dragonflies.
They're going to provide food
immediately
for hungry mouths further and
further up the food chain.
Yeah. It's incredible.
If you're lucky, you'll get
things like amphibians.
And then if you're very lucky,
you get bats coming in...
Awesome. ..to feed off the insects.
This pond isn't going to dig itself.
No.
So shall we get to work?
Sure, absolutely.
We're digging this two-meter pond
down to about 60 centimetres.
Whatever size you make your wildlife
pond,
there's a few tricks
to keep in mind.
We're just going to create
some different levels.
We can have different species
of plants,
some that like to be at the bottom,
some that prefer the boggy parts
at the edge. Sure.
So when you're digging, you try
and preserve these shelves.
You can create a pond packed
with species
in even the smallest of spaces.
A simple bucket of water dug
in at ground level
will attract an amazing amount of
wildlife.
Are you excited about creating a
wildlife garden? Absolutely.
I think I've always wanted a pond.
We'll see, like, little things kind
of darting around and just enjoying
themselves.
It'll be great. Yeah.
It makes me a lot happier
than seeing a nice, tidy garden.
Just the tranquillity about sitting
there and just kind of taking
it all in.
It's a natural de-stressor, isn't
it?
Yeah. It's just perfect for it.
It's the best de-stressor
of all, I think.
While Joel and Matt begin
to line the pond,
I'm making a start with the plants
for this north-facing plot.
The challenge is essentially
the conditions,
but with some careful selection of
plant species,
and the right approach,
we're really going to be
demonstrating how you'd be able
to handle conditions like this
and create a beautiful space that's
going to be wonderful for drawing
in wildlife.
I'm setting Rowan to work laying
out the plants for the two
large areas that will sit
in the centre of this garden.
You might notice that we've got rid
of all of your grass from
the garden.
Strangely enough, we're sort
of thinking about putting in
some more grass,
but not the kind of garden lawn
that you might consider.
We're going to sort of create
a grid, essentially,
of various types of grasses
that is then going to be
inter-planted
with some of these other plants.
Planting evergreen grasses
in a loose formation
helps add some year-round structure
to the garden.
We've got this really lovely
Carex... OK.
..that is really, really beautiful.
Yeah.
These Carex grasses are a great
option for a north facing garden
as they tolerate shade and are
low-maintenance.
They're also a perfect backdrop
for the mix of perennials I've
selected
to attract
an array of insects and birds.
This is a really lovely one.
This is libertia chilensis... OK.
..and it will have a really lovely
white flower
that will almost
float above these grasses.
We've also got some foxgloves.
Oh, I love foxglove. Do you? Yeah.
They're beautiful. That's brilliant.
Yeah, they're so gorgeous.
When choosing plants for any
wildlife garden
variety is key,
but even more important
is understanding
your planting conditions.
There's a common mistake that people
make, and that is
we go to the garden centre,
we get seduced by what's in the
aisles... Yeah. ..in bloom at the
time.
And often those plants, they're not
necessarily ideal
for the conditions that you have.
And if you try and put a plant
that wants
bright, sunny, arid conditions
in a damp, shady garden... Yeah.
..it's not going to work.
Eventually, it's going to die
and leave you feeling
like you're a bad gardener. Yeah.
As well as making this garden
work for nature,
we want it to be a practical
and beautiful setting
for Matt and Rowan, too.
Here he is.
So we've called in master
craftsman Bruce Kenneth...
Hey, guys. All right? Good, yeah.
Beautiful day.
..to create some
bespoke builds for the space.
A garden is more than just the space
that you go outside to.
A garden is an extension
of your personality.
So I approach every garden
and every design
and every bit of furniture
differently.
What have you got for us today then?
The first one.
Compost bin.
Joel, do you want to help me get
it out of the van?
Absolutely, mate.
Along with the compost bin...
Wow,
the garden looks great, guys.
..I've designed several other pieces
that I hope really complement
the nature theme.
In the wildlife garden everything is
very kind of rustic and raw.
I wanted to create one thing that
was a bit more clean and refined
so I've designed
a series of forest-themed
wooden screens that will add a
sculptural element to the garden.
They're going to stand up
in the back yard, so they create
these beautiful shadows that are
going to move around the garden as
the sun moves around.
And I think it's just such
a beautiful thing.
They're always going to be changing.
It's modern, clean design,
but it's still organic looking.
Before they can be installed
I need to give them a lick of paint.
They're going to add that little bit
of pop of colour
that stands off the black fence,
so it's really going to be something
that catches your eye when you
walk out back.
While the screens will light
up the sunniest spot in this garden,
I've come up with a great use
for the gloomiest part.
So, break. Oh, the beast.
There's so many of us
shade can be a real headache,
but it doesn't need to be.
That is the perfect position.
It's not getting moved again.
Exactly.
Got lucky there, didn't we? Yeah.
This feature is something anyone can
include in their own outdoor space
however large or small.
We're making a stumpery today.
We've got plenty of stumps,
which is a great start,
and we're going to be arranging them
in the ground
because if you've got rotten wood
in your garden,
these creatures
will just instantly move in.
And this is a really tricky corner.
It's dark, it's shady.
So it's a really good way to get
some interest
into an unusual spot like this
that you just think,
"That's a write off."
It's never a write off.
And better still, stumperies
attract all manner of wildlife.
These will start to rot.
But that's what we want to happen,
because
a log that's rotten,
it's usually fungus that's
breaking it down.
You can get things like beetles
moving in,
all going to be feeding on this
and the story of this garden,
there's biodiversity at every level.
To create your own stumpery
you can source stumps
from local tree surgeons.
Look at this bad boy.
You know, imagine finding that
thing.
And bigger ones can be bought
online.
It looks like a stag.
It looks like an antelope
or something, doesn't it?
You can pay a lot of money
for a piece of art like that.
Nature's the most beautiful
thing of all.
To set the stumps in,
you simply dig them into the ground
and hammer them in
for extra sturdiness.
Once we've got some logs in place,
I'm going to get some rocks
in here as well, which again
is just going to give the eyes
some different textures.
And then in go the ferns.
It looks like just the scenes that
you'll see
on your local forest walk.
When you think about those days
of being a kid,
when you lift that log up and you
see them teeming with life
and you spot the wood lice
and the centipedes all running
round...
Still, now, to this day, I walk past
logs
and think, "Oh, I'd love
to turn that over."
It's such a simple technique
and one that reaps
the wildlife rewards
instantaneously.
Ooh, hello.
I've already got
a little fellow moving in.
Let's get him right in the middle
of the new stumpery.
Still to come...
The pond
gets an unexpected visitor.
Having a little paddle.
And I embrace nature with fellow
revolutionaries.
I love having a tree hugging.
Spring has sprung and across
the nation,
a revolution has taken place.
Got some wild flowers coming up
down there.
And we're reconnecting
with our gardens like never before.
You love grass, don't you?
Don't need a lawnmower
when I've got you, do I?
This week we're in Stockport
transforming a tricky,
north-facing space
into a wildlife haven
for first-time buyers
Matt and Rowan.
Sun's out, it's a beautiful day,
nothing better than being outside.
The pond is lined and filled.
That's lovely.
It's nice shape as well.
And now we're preparing to
include plants
that will draw in wildlife.
Shall we get some soil
in, mess it up a bit?
Far too clean.
People are nervous often
about getting soil and stones
in the water because it
muddies it up, but...
It settles, doesn't it?
It'll settle.
The plant species that are
in the bottom can root down
quite naturally and spread around
rather than
remaining in their containers.
We're trying to recreate what things
would be like in nature.
It's also really important
to have a gentle slope into the pond
so the visitors can get in and out.
What I'm doing here, Errol,
is creating a lovely beach.
It looks a bit like Brighton,
don't you think?
Just like Brighton.
And I'm sure that's exactly
what the frogs will be thinking.
Next up, you need to secure
the liner with rocks.
Lovely stones, aren't they?
Yeah, really nice.
I'd go so far as to say they were
the best-looking thing in the
garden.
I don't know about that.
Before you turned up, Errol.
You're obviously the best-looking
thing in the garden!
Lastly, add some soil around
the edges
and you're ready to plant the
marginals.
These are plants that thrive
by the water's edge or even in it.
Shall we lower this in?
Might be easier if I just get in.
Do you like me dragonfly socks?
You've thought this through,
haven't you? It's a good omen.
In my book, there's nothing like
getting your hands or feet dirty
when gardening.
Having a little paddle.
I'll tell you what, that was a
mistake.
Why? Was it cold?
Absolutely freezing, my feet have
gone numb.
I might just stay
at the periphery for a while.
As ever, the more diverse the range
of plants,
the greater variety
of wildlife you will attract.
I've got this lovely Lycnis here.
Look at the flower on that.
It's absolutely beautiful.
Plants that are inside the water
as well as sort of rising up,
they're great for dragonfly larvae.
Give that a bit of a crush
and smell that water mint.
It's got a beautiful flower
that the pollinators
can't stay away from.
That is gorgeous, isn't it?
This is great.
It's so exciting.
It's starting to look
like a wildlife pond already.
With the base layer of the wildlife
ecosystem sorted,
it will not be long before this
garden begins to draw in the birds.
My next job is to give them
somewhere to bed down.
They, like us, need a place to live.
I'm building a bird box
for this garden,
which should provide the perfect
home for tits and nuthatches.
There's a few different
styles of bird boxes as well.
You can vary the whole size,
so robins and a few others
need an open-fronted bird box
so they can get their wings in.
If you want to build this at home,
go on the internet,
find out the specs
it's pretty straightforward
to build.
Just be sure you follow
the instructions on the size
and the position of the hole.
So the bird box is almost finished.
The last and final step, my personal
favourite step, is painting.
I'm going with this blue,
which I think nice pop of colour
in the trees
and really brings longevity
into the wood.
It's something to do
with the children as well.
So this is a great project to get
the kids involved
and make the birds happy.
They'll thank you.
Once you're done, make sure
you drill holes in the base
of the box to allow for drainage.
Joel, do you mind giving me a hand
with the hanging of this bird box?
You've got to get this ladder
up the tree.
It's important to hang your box at
the right height for the right bird
to ensure they have a clear
flight path in.
This is for a great tit.
A great tit is going in that box.
Great tits, blue tits,
they're really versatile.
Coal tits like it low,
nuthatches like around three metres.
OK. Grey tits will go from something
like one metre to five metres,
so I think if you go three metres
you're hitting a lot of species.
It's kind of the height
you want to go to. It's perfect.
The birds have got a route through,
nice and easy. There we go.
And one final tip is make sure
the box is not in direct sunlight
and the risk of being too warm
for the visitors and their eggs.
Do you want me to try and get that
top screw? Joel, that would be
great.
I'm a bit vertically
challenged here.
I've got a few more inches than you.
Let me come on down and
let you do it.
Where were you? About there?
Yeah, I think that looks good.
Lovely.
They're perfect,
Right, shall we crack on?
Let's do it.
For me, the most beautiful gardens
are those that hand themselves
over to nature,
and I'm keen
to meet other revolutionaries
who are welcoming in the wild.
Come on, Joel,
I want to show you something.
In the Surrey hills village
of Holmbury St Mary,
Meenie and Johan and their son
Lawrence
have put wildlife at the forefront
of every element of their garden.
Yeah, hug it. Come on.
It's a lovely tree.
I love a bit of tree hugging.
Nestled in an Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty,
most of their four-acre plot
is woodland,
which has been a true labour of
love.
Meenie, tell me about this place.
You've got to take it back
five years.
It was all brambles,
dead wood, dead trees.
There was a huge amount to do.
We had this vision -
we had to restore it back
to ancient woodland. Yeah.
But it was a matter of clearing.
Yeah.
Really hard graft, hard labour.
So over a series of a couple
of years,
we've just brought it back
to what it probably was
80 years ago.
Back then, this classified
ancient woodland
would have been teeming
with wildlife.
And since moving here, the family
have been determined
to draw it back in.
We needed to cut down the old trees
that were here.
But this is to get the light in.
It's all about letting the light in.
And with the light you suddenly get
the bluebells coming back.
It's a great saying,
and it's so true,
that if you make it, they'll come.
Yeah. And they will.
Wild flowers will encourage
the insects back in.
If you encourage the insects
in you get beautiful butterflies.
and if you've got beautiful
butterflies,
you'll get beautiful birdsong.
When they were opening
up the forest
they didn't throw everything away
as our garden waste can
sometimes be
a great habitat for wildlife.
And today they've asked me
to join in.
We've been meaning to build
an insect habitat.
Start off, make it so it's a bit
damp underneath,
and then all you need to do
is just pop them in a line.
Look how efficiently the family
just get down to business.
I know! It's very true.
It is. All working as a team.
Well, that's the thing, we all share
the same philosophy here.
Something like this is going
to instantly bring in
wood lice and centipedes and
beetles.
You might even get a mouse nesting
underneath, all sorts of stuff.
And it's so simple.
As well as building the eco-system
from the ground up,
Johan and Lawrence worked hard
to encourage water
into the woodland, too.
So few years ago, this was one
massive bog.
There was no river running
through
and you couldn't walk around here.
I mean, it was completely
derelict, nothing was growing.
So what we did is stick down some
hay bales, planted a few reeds
here and there, some irises.
And now this is just an absolute
haven for insects.
The kingfishers are regular
visitors and they just
fly up and down the valley.
It's so exciting to see
the kingfisher,
that splash of iridescent blue.
It takes your breath away,
doesn't it, sometimes?
The family's efforts have enticed
all manner of birds
into this wildlife-filled woodland.
My crazy husband, one winter,
decided to make over 50 nest boxes,
but lots of different ones,
specialised for each bird.
Brilliant.
We thought he was completely barking
mad,
but it has actually proved really
successful.
So there's a mandarin nesting
up here.
Oh, yeah.
And this is one of the signs
that they're nesting.
Yeah.
Just beautiful down. OK.
So soft.
So the numbers of actually
mandarin ducks here
have increased dramatically.
We didn't have any ducks
a few years ago
and now the ducks come over to the
flowerbeds
and they actually eat all the slugs.
It's literally just the circle
of life. It's amazing.
If you get nature working
on your side,
it becomes so much easier.
The simple tricks that this family
have used to encourage wildlife
into their woods can be used
in gardens around the country.
We can have a big impact, can't we?
Absolutely.
It's magical, but it's logical.
It's a revolution that's happening.
It's not expensive, it's not time
consuming
and the rewards are magnificent.
Back in our Stockport garden
we're also trying to create
as many habitats as we can
and are incorporating a raised
walkway that leads from the house
to the newly paved sun trap.
Rowan, what do you think
of your new boardwalk?
It's great.
I'm glad that I won't be trudging
through loads of mud
onto the nice new patio and trudging
it through the house.
It was so muddy, wasn't it?
I think it was putting you off
going into your garden.
Yeah, it was, I'm not going to lie.
It stopped us ever coming into this
corner, which is a shame because it
has all the sun over there.
I'm glad to see the grass
has kind of gone as well.
The idea is, it's encouraging
you to connect... Yeah.
..a little bit more with the space.
The boardwalk isn't just a solution
to the boggy lawn,
it also provides some
five-star luxury
for all sorts of creatures.
These are quite useful
because any form of wildlife
will appreciate shelter.
Yeah. Lots of species need
protection.
Hedgehogs can use it.
You might get amphibians
using it. Oh, OK.
Invertebrates and insects.
It just provides many different
types of habitats as you can,
as much variety as you can
possibly get.
And nature will fill all
of those little niches. Yeah.
And that's how you build
up the biodiversity.
It's nice, it's good to feel like
I'm not just taking away from the
garden.
What's your relationship
with the outdoors and with nature?
I'm obsessed.
I spend most of my time
down at the local country park
just in terms of my mental health.
It's just something that's always
really worked for me to kind of get
out into nature
whenever you feel
disconnected with the world
or even just a bit lonely.
I think it's just lovely to be able
to observe animals in their natural
habitat,
and it makes me kind
of like reflect on things
not being that important sometimes
to worry about.
Rowan, I just absolutely love that.
It just makes you feel connected
to the world if you sometimes feel
a little bit distant.
I couldn't agree more.
If you're thinking about connecting
with your garden this weekend,
I have a job that's perfect
for this time of year that will help
you to multiply your perennials
without breaking the bank.
So we've got these libertia.
If you had this growing in your
garden and it created a big clump,
you can lift that
in the spring or autumn
and divide it up,
so you're getting plants
for nothing, which is brilliant.
Dividing plants is an easy
task and works well
for lots of perennials and grasses.
It's a job that should ideally
be done before they come into
flower.
This division technique
can be used for
lots of different herbaceous
perennials.
I've been doing it with geraniums.
Works really, really well i early
spring,
also clumps
of snowdrops in your garden.
You often want to spread
those around.
If you want to give it a try,
simply dig up a clump,
brush off any excess soil
and feel for a natural divide
in the foliage.
If you've got a big clump,
you don't need to be too precious
about it.
You could just get a spade in.
You want a nice, sharp motion.
We've got two decent-sized
pieces, glad that worked.
Just be sure to divide them
when they're not in flower
so they can focus their energy
on developing roots.
That could go in a pot and save it
till when you need it or
give it away.
Friends, neighbours, family.
It's a nice thing to do.
Still to come...
I create an insect
home fit for the smallest of spaces.
It's going to create a habitat
for wildlife to be beneficial
for the garden to.
And I work my carpentry magic.
Wow, that is a log bench.
It is a log bench.
Across the country, the garden
revolution is growing...
Wow, it's very full.
..and this week, we're all about
welcoming nature back in.
In Stockport, I'm making
good headway
with my wildlife planting plan.
The grasses are in, along
with a great selection of
nectar-rich perennials that
pollinators will love.
We've planted lots of species
in the garden
that are great for wildlife.
And now what we're doing
is we're essentially creating
what we're calling a bird
pick 'n mix.
This one stop shop will provide
for a wider range of bird life
than the more traditional
bird table.
We're sort of encouraging the birds
to feed naturally.
The bird table, it's quite an
unnatural thing.
A lot of birds concentrating in one
space,
which you wouldn't really see in
nature.
You can get a build-up of disease
in these areas.
It depends if you clean them,
but, you know what it's like,
we just don't get around to cleaning
them, do we?
Our bird pick 'n mix offers
a natural, safe alternative.
Plus it has another great
advantage over bird tables.
If we're feeding the birds,
they'll be less likely
to forage for pests.
Blue tits, for example,
will happily feed on caterpillars,
greenfly and aphids.
And we want to encourage them to do
that so that we can avoid
the problems that those pests
will cause us.
Try to make the garden as natural
as possible.
It's going to be healthier
for the wildlife in it.
We have selected a mix of plants
that will encourage and feed
a wide range of bird species
that often struggle
with bird table food.
Behind you you've got mahonia.
The berries
on that which the birds love.
Yes, so thrushes absolutely
adore those berries.
The rowan and the crab-apple,
planting species like that
that are going to be great for
wildlife
is just a great thing to do, isn't
it? Yeah.
Errol's planting really stands out
against the black fence...
..a colour we're incorporating
elsewhere to tie the garden
together.
Matt, what do you think
of the garden so far then?
It's starting to look good, isn't
it? It's looking incredible, yeah.
It's a huge change from how it was.
It doesn't really feel like a garden
any more.
It feels almost like a snippet
of a nature reserve
or something like that.
Like it's completely different
from how it was.
Oh, that's incredible.
"A snippet of a nature reserve".
Yeah, yeah.
But this miniature nature reserve
has got real style,
thanks to a few simple design
principles
that you can use in your garden.
That real dark black colour
against light wood,
don't you think it sort of
elevates it, makes it look...?
Absolutely, it brings out a nice
contrast between everything,
doesn't it?
Like the light wood, dark wood
and then the greens all around.
Yeah, it's cool. Do you know what?
Well, that is the word, "contrast",
because in design,
in any form of contrast, it's
accentuating each other, isn't it?
Even with things like texture.
I'm going to plant this here
because you're getting the contrast
of this lovely, feathery grass
against that hard edge.
They look nice, don't they? What do
you think. They look amazing.
Yeah, I love them.
Imagine them all kind of swaying
in the wind as you're going
across the boardwalk, they look
very cool. Yeah, yeah.
And hopefully you'll get
the wildlife to go with it,
so you could genuinely go
on a nature walk.
Yeah, hopefully.
That'll be great.
With the boardwalk complete,
this transformation
is really starting to take shape.
And in a bid to create as many
varied habitats as possible,
I'm making the most of every
last nook and cranny
with these simple insect posts.
If you've got some old logs,
you set them in the ground
and you can drill them up.
It's going to create a habitat
for wildlife.
We've got a tendency to be really
tidy,
tidying everything away,
and then there's no habitat
for insects and bees over winter.
This is a great project for anyone
with limited outdoor space
and something you can easily
do this weekend.
So we're varying the size
of the hole,
so you can have between two and ten
millimetres
and you want to go about
between 8 and 15 centimetres deep.
That's where they feel
comfortable nesting.
I'm sort of drilling up slightly
and the reason for that is so that
it'll drain well.
You wouldn't want to drill it down,
otherwise it's going to fill
up with water
and the insects will drown.
It's going to create a habitat
for wildlife,
a wide range of sort of insects.
It's not just solitary bees.
There's a number of other
insects like lacewings
as well, and ladybirds.
And many of those species would be
beneficial for the garden, too.
It's so easy, you can just get a
drill bit,
a couple of different sizes.
Drill to the right depth.
Couldn't be simpler.
It's a nice, easy thing to do
to give wildlife a helping hand
in the garden.
As well as making
this garden wildlife friendly,
we need it to be a haven
for Matt and Rowan too.
They wanted somewhere
they could relax with friends,
so I'm getting to work
on building a bar in the
newly-paved sunny spot.
A bar like this is actually
really simple.
It's a basic framework.
I'm going to take the legs
down the black
because the fence is a black.
That's going to make the bottom half
disappear a bit more,
so it just feels a little bit
more like a floating surface.
The principle behind anything
around a tree
is importantly, you don't screw into
the tree
because the tree is alive.
You wouldn't like it, would you?
This new and improved social
hang-out isn't complete without
seating,
so I've been getting busy
in my workshop.
I'm making a few things for this
garden.
One is a bench made out of birch
and it's really rustic.
I'm going to put this lay
component together,
and then I'm going to make the back.
I think it'll tie in lovely
with the theme of this wildlife
garden.
OK, I'm really happy with that.
I love working with this birch.
It's still really fresh, it's kind
of wet, so it's fun to work with.
It's pretty easy to cut.
I think anything more refined
would look out of place.
So if I bought timber, I machine
timber up, I think it would
have looked kind of out of place
and forced into the design.
I wanted the furniture to kind
of like, look like something
you'd stumble across in the field
or a wood somewhere.
In the spirit of all things natural,
I'm using only wooden dowels to hold
the bench together,
and I'm avoiding any protective
coating on the wood.
I want this piece of furniture
to only last a few years
because I want it to go
back into the garden.
I want the insects to rip this thing
apart, I want them to break it down.
I want them to turn it back
into soil.
For the first time ever,
I've made a piece of furniture
that will not last forever.
And that's kind of the beauty of it.
Back in the garden
the bar is complete.
Lovely cup of tea on a nice
summer's day. Thank you.
It's a casual lean, yeah you see?
I like it, it's good.
But there's just one more thing
needed to complete this social spot.
Wow, that is a log bench.
It is a log bench.
So the idea was to tie it all
in with the wildlife garden.
It was fun to make and I really hope
you enjoy it.
It's all natural, so it will
decompose and stuff.
So it may just last a few years,
but when it does,
you just take it apart and let it
break down.
Put it in the compost bin.
That's a nice idea, isn't it?
Shall we try it out?
Absolutely. Have a seat.
Watch me break it up.
No, no, it's not going to break.
Trust me, it's not going to break.
Have you tested it first, Bruce?
It's a bit laid back.
Oh, it's very relaxed.
Surprisingly comfy.
Not bad for a bunch of sticks,
really.
More and more of us are
experimenting in our gardens
and discovering the joys
of letting nature in.
I'm Toyah Willcox and I have joined
the Great Garden Revolution.
I don't buy designer handbags
or designer cars.
I buy plants.
We came into ownership of
this garden three years ago,
and when I was a child, I used
to be brought to this garden
by a boat.
I would play in this
deserted garden.
No-one lived here and this plant
was there then.
And that is over 60 years ago,
because I remember running
over to this plant and saying,
"Daddy, daddy, what's this plant?"
I believe it's called Solomon's
Tears or Solomon's Gold.
And this plant just comes
back time and time again
and look at how full it is.
It's taught me so much about life,
that you need to be tenacious
and just come back fighting
for what you love.
I want to show you something.
Come and look at this tree.
I love this tree.
This tree is at least 150 years old.
Now, a tree is fantastic
for climbing
and looking over your
neighbour's fence.
In this garden, we've got
woodpecker, we've got crows,
we've got magpies.
Sparrows, starlings, skylarks.
It's a wonderful place for wildlife.
The garden is so active.
We're overrun with foxes,
but also the slugs, the snails,
the wood lice.
Well, those insects
are miracle workers.
They keep the world turning.
I love gardening because
it's a little bit of sanity
after being on stage for
two hours each night
in front of thousands of people.
I can come out here, pull up
weeds, see how beautifully
everything is growing.
And the thing is, when you see
something grow,
you feel a part of it.
You feel part of nature.
You're taking part in something
that is utterly brilliant.
The garden revolution is sweeping
the country.
Use the hashtag
if you're joining in.
As the garden revolution
sweeps the nation...
Good job.
..so many of us have been outside
reconnecting with nature.
The Bramble family are here.
Look at little Eric
with his dad and his mum.
In Stockport, all the elements of
our wildlife haven
are coming together,
and now there's just time for the
finishing touches.
So you've been busy?
I've been very busy.
They look really great.
What are they made out of?
Acetylated wood fibre. A treated
wood fibre that can go outside.
I just love how it plays
with the shadow and the light.
So what do you guys think?
What position do you want
to put them in?
Try the two screens at the front
and see what it looks like.
Once you set them into the ground,
it drops the height pretty nicely.
What are we doing, butting them up
against each other?
Maybe separate a bit. How's that
looking? Oh, do you know what?
I actually think that
that's the one.
I think we're in there.
I think we are as well.
With the screens in place, Rowan
and I are finishing off the last
of the planting, and there are some
simple tips that she can use
to ensure her plants thrive
in their new home.
When you're digging a hole,
it's quite good to get a hole
that's twice as big
as the plant pot.
So aim for that and then
you can always backfill.
But by digging a bigger hole,
you start breaking up the soil
and getting some air space
in there so that the roots can sort
of like penetrate the soil
much more easily.
This moist soil will also benefit
from mulch,
which recreates the conditions of a
forest floor,
locking in water and improving
the soil structure.
What will happen is by putting
this bark mulch over the surface,
the various micro and macro
creatures like earthworms
will come up, they'll feed on some
of that material
and pull it down into the soil.
What that's going to do is it's
going to improve the soil structure,
which is exactly what a lot of these
plants require.
It's not a massive intervention.
It looks nice, too.
Yeah, it looks lovely.
And it also acts to suppress
weeds as well.
So it's a win-win.
These low-maintenance plants
will need regular water
in their first year, but beyond
that, they shouldn't need
too much attention.
So now that we've got you gardening,
do you think that it's something
that you're going to continue doing?
Yeah. I mean... if you're well
equipped.
Definitely a lot
better equipped, yeah.
I mean, I've gone from having never
planted anything outside
and now I've got a lovely garden
full of plants that I can look after
and share with neighbours.
It's a nice thing to do. Yeah.
Two days ago, Matt and Rowan's
garden was an overwhelming
and uninspiring patch
of shady grass.
They wanted a space
that encouraged nature
and now their garden is
transformed...
..into a wildlife haven.
The pond and stumpery
offer a luxury habitat for insects
and amphibians to enjoy.
The raised boardwalk provides a snug
hideout for all manner of bugs,
voles and mice.
Nectar-rich perennials will draw in
the pollinators,
while the bird pick 'n' mix will
feed an array of hungry new visitors
who can later bed down
in the new bird box.
The woodland-themed screens will
cast striking shadows
throughout the day,
and the bar area,
complete with bench and screens,
will allow a space to socialise.
Cheers.
The new garden's amazing.
It incorporates so many elements
of things that we wanted,
but we just didn't know
how to get there.
I just saw a little flying thing.
Quite often when you see gardens get
renovated,
it's very much, I'm a human,
I'm here to put my stamp on it
and take over the space, whereas I
think it's really important
that we actually contribute to the
garden.
I absolutely adore this garden.
It's been a real privilege to try
and get nature into this space.
Wildlife gardens are really
beautiful, not just in the way
that they look, but in the way
that they make you feel.
It feels a little bit more like a
snippet of a nature reserve now
than a garden, which is exactly what
we wanted.
My favourite thing is the pond.
I'm definitely going to be out
here just kind of seeing
what's come into it.
I feel like an eight-year-old boy.
I just want to go in with my wellies
and like
just have a play around in the mud.
For me, it's a really,
really exciting garden.
Shady Gardens present a wonderful
opportunity.
It's packed with plants
that are going to attract wildlife.
It's also really, really beautiful
because it's got a natural feel.
I think in an urban setting,
it's really, really important
that we create space for wildlife.
Which one do you want?
Maybe the nice yellow one.
I love this garden. I think
everybody should have
a little bit of wildlife area in
their back yard.
I love the screens.
The bird box is great.
The bench blended in really well.
I really hope they take the time
to relax back there and watch
the birds and everything
flying about the garden.
Give Mother Nature a little corner
of the garden
and she'll thank you later.
What do you think, Colin?
What do you reckon?
When we garden for nature,
we can have a real impact.
That's how we're going to change
the world.
That's how we're going to change
the planet for the better.
This weekend, just go out
into your gardens,
try and understand this concept.
A space for you and a space
for wildlife.
Colin, come on.
Good boy.
Hello.
Good boy.
Next time...
Check this out.
We go back to school
in Blackpool
to help inspire the next generation.
Right, then, kids, we're going to
get planting.
We'll show you how to get
children into veggies.
Can you taste the herbs? Yes.
What do you think? Really good!
How to make your very own willow
den.
You can make these incredible
structures
but that structure is alive.
It's quite magical as well.
And plant your own rain garden.
It will absorb 30% more water
than a lawn.
Which is amazing, isn't it?
and there's a garden revolution
sweeping the nation.
Once you start gardening,
it stays with you for the rest of
your life.
Does anyone like radish?
Spring is here, winter's over.
Get involved, get immersed in the
experience of the garden.
So we want to invite you to join
in...
Just go for it, enjoy it,
and put your stamp on it.
..inspiring you with
possibilities...
Nature is the most beautiful
thing of all.
..and totally transforming
our ordinary gardens.
How cool is this?
We'll be sharing tips and tricks...
You should all grow this
tomato, seriously.
..and the jobs to do right now.
Over the next few weeks,
we're going to be meeting
fellow revolutionaries...
..People who think along the same
lines as us.
You can still make gardening
fashionable.
Yes, in fact there is,
yes, look, there's a lemon.
So wherever you are
with whatever you have,
it's time to join
The Garden Revolution.
Pull again.
Across the country, so many of us
are realising the importance
of connecting with nature...
There's a bee in that flower.
..and this weekend
we're exploring wildlife gardens
that are doing their bit for
the planet.
Oh, wow, there's a bunch
of wood lice there!
Oh, they look happy. Yeah.
In Stockport, we're transforming
a shady lawn garden
into a wildlife haven...
Ooh, hello.
I've already got
a little fella moving in.
We'll show you how to create some
five-star wildlife luxury.
This is a great project to get
the kids involved
and make the birds happy.
..and give you planting tips for
those tricky, shady spaces.
This is a really lovely one
and it will have a really lovely
white flower that will almost
float above these grasses.
And legendary performer
Toyah Willcox...
I want to show you something.
..invites us into her garden
for a walk on the wild side.
A tree is fantastic
for climbing.
The Garden Revolution is all about
connecting people with the natural
world around them.
I love to work outdoors.
It gives me a sense of meaning,
I suppose, because
it's rooted in the natural world,
which is the thing I care
most about.
And I feel passionately
that human beings
need to be connected to nature.
More and more people who are
concerned about the environment
want to garden in a different way.
So if I can show them a little bit
how to do that,
it's really fulfilling.
More and more, we're tuning
into nature
and being guided and led
by what happens in the wild.
It's really, really exciting.
I hope to inspire people to garden.
To be connected to wildlife
makes us feel better.
I think people do need to think
about their gardens differently.
It's not just your space, it's a
communal space with the wildlife.
All gardens should have an area
to sit
because it allows you to take
everything in
and have this
connection with nature.
This week we're in Stockport
with first-time buyers
Matt and Rowan
and their dog Colin.
We met on Tinder, very millennial.
We bought our house together
just before the pandemic.
The house needed gutting
and has been a major undertaking
for these new home owners.
We spent the last two years
renovating the whole thing
and it's been fairly stressful.
It took a lot longer than expected,
so the garden's been a bit
of an afterthought.
We did some work to it last year,
but it quickly became very
overwhelming.
Yeah.
Like so many gardens up and down
the country,
this shady plot is dominated by
a large lawn,
which is Matt's biggest bugbear.
The grass is a nightmare.
This was built on a lake whenever
the house was originally built,
which means that we get
boggy grass, it always feels damp.
When we bought it, we didn't realise
how much of an issue the grass
would be.
We were actually pretty keen
to have grass, weren't we?
We don't have any side access,
so whenever I mow the lawn
I have to drag the grass through the
house and end up making it a mess
in there.
I'm 100% for getting rid of it.
Yeah. I can't stand it.
It's not just the grass
that's proving frustrating
for these rookie gardeners.
We never come out here
because it's so depressing.
We spend most of our time looking
out the window thinking, "I don't
know what to do or where to start."
I did go through a bit of a pattern
of trying to do stuff in the garden.
But weeds have been the bane of
Rowan's gardening efforts
to date.
This is the weed that I thought
was a plant,
and I thought it would nicely grow
up this trellising,
and this would be a lovely
little area for us to sit at.
And, as you can see, it just kind
of died
and presented more weeds
for us to deal with.
So I kind of left that and decided
it wasn't really my forte.
Attempts to create a seating
area have also backfired.
So this is where the pergola
used to be.
When we first moved in we realised
it was all rotten and everything
so we just decided to pull
it right down
and we've not really got that much
use out of it, to be honest.
And Colin decided this was the place
for him to go to the toilet. Yep.
With summer fast approaching,
now is the perfect time to transform
this shady, uninspiring space
into a haven for Matt and Rowan.
It has become, like, a lot
more obvious since we've been both
working at home how critical it is
to have, like, a little outdoor
space that we can actually enjoy.
We never got
around to having a house warming,
so if we could actually have family
and friends around and stuff
to celebrate, that'd be really
lovely. Yeah, really cool. Yeah.
It's not just friends
that Matt and Rowan want to share
their outdoor space with.
I really care about the planet
and making sure
that we're contributing positively.
I feel like a sense
of responsibility to make sure
that what we're planting
encourages wildlife.
I think it's really important
to kind of make sure
that we're adding rather than taking
away from nature.
Yeah. We are complete novices.
We don't really know what to do,
to be quite honest.
We need all the help we can get
to get this sorted.
Matt and Rowan aren't the only ones
keen to encourage more wildlife
into their urban space.
Welcome to my small, tiny garden.
In towns and cities across
the country,
we're all doing our bit.
What are you doing?
Making a bug hotel.
Who's it for? Wood lice and ants
and worms and centipedes.
We're straight to work designing
the perfect garden
for Matt and Rowan.
This week is all about encouraging
more wildlife into our gardens.
I'm really passionate about this.
We have to start thinking
of our gardens
as natural environments,
as shared spaces,
not just a place that we own.
Traditionally, we've sort of managed
gardens too much,
so we've got to revert them
back to the natural state.
So I'm really excited
about this one.
We've created a plan that has nature
at its heart.
We're replacing the grass
with a planting design
of shade-loving shrubs and
perennials
that will be a magnet to both
birds and pollinators.
A pond and stumpery will offer
a welcome home to an array
of wildlife,
and a raised boardwalk
will lead to a seating area
in the garden's only sunny spot,
where we've included a bar for
Matt and Rowan
to kick back and relax with friends.
It should be the perfect
low-maintenance garden
that will give these new gardeners
and nature
exactly what they need to enjoy
this outdoor space.
And it will be packed full
of easy ideas
you can try at home this weekend.
It's all hands on deck for the next
two days,
transforming this space
into a wildlife haven.
How's life been then, Errol? Good.
Excited about this one?
I could be possibly the most
excited of all.
Do you know what? Me too, actually.
Are you serious? Yeah, seriously.
You know, wildlife is my thing.
Since I've been a kid, I've always
been really excited by wildlife.
It's probably what got me into
horticulture in the first place.
We can all play our part encouraging
wildlife
and with British species having
declined
by 40% in the last 50 years,
it's such a great thing
for us to do.
We want to give our new
revolutionaries the knowledge
to take this garden forward.
So I'm getting Matt stuck
into our first job.
There's a spade, mate.
Thank you very much.
Something anyone with space
should consider
if they want a thriving ecosystem
out back.
The number one rule
if you're trying to get wildlife
in your garden is to put a pond in
as it's bringing in all of these
smaller species
that other species are going to
feed on.
The more variety you can get,
the more biodiverse your garden's
going to be.
So why is the water so important?
All life needs sunlight and water.
Straight away you're just going to
get lots and lots of species
moving in -
water boatmen and dragonflies.
They're going to provide food
immediately
for hungry mouths further and
further up the food chain.
Yeah. It's incredible.
If you're lucky, you'll get
things like amphibians.
And then if you're very lucky,
you get bats coming in...
Awesome. ..to feed off the insects.
This pond isn't going to dig itself.
No.
So shall we get to work?
Sure, absolutely.
We're digging this two-meter pond
down to about 60 centimetres.
Whatever size you make your wildlife
pond,
there's a few tricks
to keep in mind.
We're just going to create
some different levels.
We can have different species
of plants,
some that like to be at the bottom,
some that prefer the boggy parts
at the edge. Sure.
So when you're digging, you try
and preserve these shelves.
You can create a pond packed
with species
in even the smallest of spaces.
A simple bucket of water dug
in at ground level
will attract an amazing amount of
wildlife.
Are you excited about creating a
wildlife garden? Absolutely.
I think I've always wanted a pond.
We'll see, like, little things kind
of darting around and just enjoying
themselves.
It'll be great. Yeah.
It makes me a lot happier
than seeing a nice, tidy garden.
Just the tranquillity about sitting
there and just kind of taking
it all in.
It's a natural de-stressor, isn't
it?
Yeah. It's just perfect for it.
It's the best de-stressor
of all, I think.
While Joel and Matt begin
to line the pond,
I'm making a start with the plants
for this north-facing plot.
The challenge is essentially
the conditions,
but with some careful selection of
plant species,
and the right approach,
we're really going to be
demonstrating how you'd be able
to handle conditions like this
and create a beautiful space that's
going to be wonderful for drawing
in wildlife.
I'm setting Rowan to work laying
out the plants for the two
large areas that will sit
in the centre of this garden.
You might notice that we've got rid
of all of your grass from
the garden.
Strangely enough, we're sort
of thinking about putting in
some more grass,
but not the kind of garden lawn
that you might consider.
We're going to sort of create
a grid, essentially,
of various types of grasses
that is then going to be
inter-planted
with some of these other plants.
Planting evergreen grasses
in a loose formation
helps add some year-round structure
to the garden.
We've got this really lovely
Carex... OK.
..that is really, really beautiful.
Yeah.
These Carex grasses are a great
option for a north facing garden
as they tolerate shade and are
low-maintenance.
They're also a perfect backdrop
for the mix of perennials I've
selected
to attract
an array of insects and birds.
This is a really lovely one.
This is libertia chilensis... OK.
..and it will have a really lovely
white flower
that will almost
float above these grasses.
We've also got some foxgloves.
Oh, I love foxglove. Do you? Yeah.
They're beautiful. That's brilliant.
Yeah, they're so gorgeous.
When choosing plants for any
wildlife garden
variety is key,
but even more important
is understanding
your planting conditions.
There's a common mistake that people
make, and that is
we go to the garden centre,
we get seduced by what's in the
aisles... Yeah. ..in bloom at the
time.
And often those plants, they're not
necessarily ideal
for the conditions that you have.
And if you try and put a plant
that wants
bright, sunny, arid conditions
in a damp, shady garden... Yeah.
..it's not going to work.
Eventually, it's going to die
and leave you feeling
like you're a bad gardener. Yeah.
As well as making this garden
work for nature,
we want it to be a practical
and beautiful setting
for Matt and Rowan, too.
Here he is.
So we've called in master
craftsman Bruce Kenneth...
Hey, guys. All right? Good, yeah.
Beautiful day.
..to create some
bespoke builds for the space.
A garden is more than just the space
that you go outside to.
A garden is an extension
of your personality.
So I approach every garden
and every design
and every bit of furniture
differently.
What have you got for us today then?
The first one.
Compost bin.
Joel, do you want to help me get
it out of the van?
Absolutely, mate.
Along with the compost bin...
Wow,
the garden looks great, guys.
..I've designed several other pieces
that I hope really complement
the nature theme.
In the wildlife garden everything is
very kind of rustic and raw.
I wanted to create one thing that
was a bit more clean and refined
so I've designed
a series of forest-themed
wooden screens that will add a
sculptural element to the garden.
They're going to stand up
in the back yard, so they create
these beautiful shadows that are
going to move around the garden as
the sun moves around.
And I think it's just such
a beautiful thing.
They're always going to be changing.
It's modern, clean design,
but it's still organic looking.
Before they can be installed
I need to give them a lick of paint.
They're going to add that little bit
of pop of colour
that stands off the black fence,
so it's really going to be something
that catches your eye when you
walk out back.
While the screens will light
up the sunniest spot in this garden,
I've come up with a great use
for the gloomiest part.
So, break. Oh, the beast.
There's so many of us
shade can be a real headache,
but it doesn't need to be.
That is the perfect position.
It's not getting moved again.
Exactly.
Got lucky there, didn't we? Yeah.
This feature is something anyone can
include in their own outdoor space
however large or small.
We're making a stumpery today.
We've got plenty of stumps,
which is a great start,
and we're going to be arranging them
in the ground
because if you've got rotten wood
in your garden,
these creatures
will just instantly move in.
And this is a really tricky corner.
It's dark, it's shady.
So it's a really good way to get
some interest
into an unusual spot like this
that you just think,
"That's a write off."
It's never a write off.
And better still, stumperies
attract all manner of wildlife.
These will start to rot.
But that's what we want to happen,
because
a log that's rotten,
it's usually fungus that's
breaking it down.
You can get things like beetles
moving in,
all going to be feeding on this
and the story of this garden,
there's biodiversity at every level.
To create your own stumpery
you can source stumps
from local tree surgeons.
Look at this bad boy.
You know, imagine finding that
thing.
And bigger ones can be bought
online.
It looks like a stag.
It looks like an antelope
or something, doesn't it?
You can pay a lot of money
for a piece of art like that.
Nature's the most beautiful
thing of all.
To set the stumps in,
you simply dig them into the ground
and hammer them in
for extra sturdiness.
Once we've got some logs in place,
I'm going to get some rocks
in here as well, which again
is just going to give the eyes
some different textures.
And then in go the ferns.
It looks like just the scenes that
you'll see
on your local forest walk.
When you think about those days
of being a kid,
when you lift that log up and you
see them teeming with life
and you spot the wood lice
and the centipedes all running
round...
Still, now, to this day, I walk past
logs
and think, "Oh, I'd love
to turn that over."
It's such a simple technique
and one that reaps
the wildlife rewards
instantaneously.
Ooh, hello.
I've already got
a little fellow moving in.
Let's get him right in the middle
of the new stumpery.
Still to come...
The pond
gets an unexpected visitor.
Having a little paddle.
And I embrace nature with fellow
revolutionaries.
I love having a tree hugging.
Spring has sprung and across
the nation,
a revolution has taken place.
Got some wild flowers coming up
down there.
And we're reconnecting
with our gardens like never before.
You love grass, don't you?
Don't need a lawnmower
when I've got you, do I?
This week we're in Stockport
transforming a tricky,
north-facing space
into a wildlife haven
for first-time buyers
Matt and Rowan.
Sun's out, it's a beautiful day,
nothing better than being outside.
The pond is lined and filled.
That's lovely.
It's nice shape as well.
And now we're preparing to
include plants
that will draw in wildlife.
Shall we get some soil
in, mess it up a bit?
Far too clean.
People are nervous often
about getting soil and stones
in the water because it
muddies it up, but...
It settles, doesn't it?
It'll settle.
The plant species that are
in the bottom can root down
quite naturally and spread around
rather than
remaining in their containers.
We're trying to recreate what things
would be like in nature.
It's also really important
to have a gentle slope into the pond
so the visitors can get in and out.
What I'm doing here, Errol,
is creating a lovely beach.
It looks a bit like Brighton,
don't you think?
Just like Brighton.
And I'm sure that's exactly
what the frogs will be thinking.
Next up, you need to secure
the liner with rocks.
Lovely stones, aren't they?
Yeah, really nice.
I'd go so far as to say they were
the best-looking thing in the
garden.
I don't know about that.
Before you turned up, Errol.
You're obviously the best-looking
thing in the garden!
Lastly, add some soil around
the edges
and you're ready to plant the
marginals.
These are plants that thrive
by the water's edge or even in it.
Shall we lower this in?
Might be easier if I just get in.
Do you like me dragonfly socks?
You've thought this through,
haven't you? It's a good omen.
In my book, there's nothing like
getting your hands or feet dirty
when gardening.
Having a little paddle.
I'll tell you what, that was a
mistake.
Why? Was it cold?
Absolutely freezing, my feet have
gone numb.
I might just stay
at the periphery for a while.
As ever, the more diverse the range
of plants,
the greater variety
of wildlife you will attract.
I've got this lovely Lycnis here.
Look at the flower on that.
It's absolutely beautiful.
Plants that are inside the water
as well as sort of rising up,
they're great for dragonfly larvae.
Give that a bit of a crush
and smell that water mint.
It's got a beautiful flower
that the pollinators
can't stay away from.
That is gorgeous, isn't it?
This is great.
It's so exciting.
It's starting to look
like a wildlife pond already.
With the base layer of the wildlife
ecosystem sorted,
it will not be long before this
garden begins to draw in the birds.
My next job is to give them
somewhere to bed down.
They, like us, need a place to live.
I'm building a bird box
for this garden,
which should provide the perfect
home for tits and nuthatches.
There's a few different
styles of bird boxes as well.
You can vary the whole size,
so robins and a few others
need an open-fronted bird box
so they can get their wings in.
If you want to build this at home,
go on the internet,
find out the specs
it's pretty straightforward
to build.
Just be sure you follow
the instructions on the size
and the position of the hole.
So the bird box is almost finished.
The last and final step, my personal
favourite step, is painting.
I'm going with this blue,
which I think nice pop of colour
in the trees
and really brings longevity
into the wood.
It's something to do
with the children as well.
So this is a great project to get
the kids involved
and make the birds happy.
They'll thank you.
Once you're done, make sure
you drill holes in the base
of the box to allow for drainage.
Joel, do you mind giving me a hand
with the hanging of this bird box?
You've got to get this ladder
up the tree.
It's important to hang your box at
the right height for the right bird
to ensure they have a clear
flight path in.
This is for a great tit.
A great tit is going in that box.
Great tits, blue tits,
they're really versatile.
Coal tits like it low,
nuthatches like around three metres.
OK. Grey tits will go from something
like one metre to five metres,
so I think if you go three metres
you're hitting a lot of species.
It's kind of the height
you want to go to. It's perfect.
The birds have got a route through,
nice and easy. There we go.
And one final tip is make sure
the box is not in direct sunlight
and the risk of being too warm
for the visitors and their eggs.
Do you want me to try and get that
top screw? Joel, that would be
great.
I'm a bit vertically
challenged here.
I've got a few more inches than you.
Let me come on down and
let you do it.
Where were you? About there?
Yeah, I think that looks good.
Lovely.
They're perfect,
Right, shall we crack on?
Let's do it.
For me, the most beautiful gardens
are those that hand themselves
over to nature,
and I'm keen
to meet other revolutionaries
who are welcoming in the wild.
Come on, Joel,
I want to show you something.
In the Surrey hills village
of Holmbury St Mary,
Meenie and Johan and their son
Lawrence
have put wildlife at the forefront
of every element of their garden.
Yeah, hug it. Come on.
It's a lovely tree.
I love a bit of tree hugging.
Nestled in an Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty,
most of their four-acre plot
is woodland,
which has been a true labour of
love.
Meenie, tell me about this place.
You've got to take it back
five years.
It was all brambles,
dead wood, dead trees.
There was a huge amount to do.
We had this vision -
we had to restore it back
to ancient woodland. Yeah.
But it was a matter of clearing.
Yeah.
Really hard graft, hard labour.
So over a series of a couple
of years,
we've just brought it back
to what it probably was
80 years ago.
Back then, this classified
ancient woodland
would have been teeming
with wildlife.
And since moving here, the family
have been determined
to draw it back in.
We needed to cut down the old trees
that were here.
But this is to get the light in.
It's all about letting the light in.
And with the light you suddenly get
the bluebells coming back.
It's a great saying,
and it's so true,
that if you make it, they'll come.
Yeah. And they will.
Wild flowers will encourage
the insects back in.
If you encourage the insects
in you get beautiful butterflies.
and if you've got beautiful
butterflies,
you'll get beautiful birdsong.
When they were opening
up the forest
they didn't throw everything away
as our garden waste can
sometimes be
a great habitat for wildlife.
And today they've asked me
to join in.
We've been meaning to build
an insect habitat.
Start off, make it so it's a bit
damp underneath,
and then all you need to do
is just pop them in a line.
Look how efficiently the family
just get down to business.
I know! It's very true.
It is. All working as a team.
Well, that's the thing, we all share
the same philosophy here.
Something like this is going
to instantly bring in
wood lice and centipedes and
beetles.
You might even get a mouse nesting
underneath, all sorts of stuff.
And it's so simple.
As well as building the eco-system
from the ground up,
Johan and Lawrence worked hard
to encourage water
into the woodland, too.
So few years ago, this was one
massive bog.
There was no river running
through
and you couldn't walk around here.
I mean, it was completely
derelict, nothing was growing.
So what we did is stick down some
hay bales, planted a few reeds
here and there, some irises.
And now this is just an absolute
haven for insects.
The kingfishers are regular
visitors and they just
fly up and down the valley.
It's so exciting to see
the kingfisher,
that splash of iridescent blue.
It takes your breath away,
doesn't it, sometimes?
The family's efforts have enticed
all manner of birds
into this wildlife-filled woodland.
My crazy husband, one winter,
decided to make over 50 nest boxes,
but lots of different ones,
specialised for each bird.
Brilliant.
We thought he was completely barking
mad,
but it has actually proved really
successful.
So there's a mandarin nesting
up here.
Oh, yeah.
And this is one of the signs
that they're nesting.
Yeah.
Just beautiful down. OK.
So soft.
So the numbers of actually
mandarin ducks here
have increased dramatically.
We didn't have any ducks
a few years ago
and now the ducks come over to the
flowerbeds
and they actually eat all the slugs.
It's literally just the circle
of life. It's amazing.
If you get nature working
on your side,
it becomes so much easier.
The simple tricks that this family
have used to encourage wildlife
into their woods can be used
in gardens around the country.
We can have a big impact, can't we?
Absolutely.
It's magical, but it's logical.
It's a revolution that's happening.
It's not expensive, it's not time
consuming
and the rewards are magnificent.
Back in our Stockport garden
we're also trying to create
as many habitats as we can
and are incorporating a raised
walkway that leads from the house
to the newly paved sun trap.
Rowan, what do you think
of your new boardwalk?
It's great.
I'm glad that I won't be trudging
through loads of mud
onto the nice new patio and trudging
it through the house.
It was so muddy, wasn't it?
I think it was putting you off
going into your garden.
Yeah, it was, I'm not going to lie.
It stopped us ever coming into this
corner, which is a shame because it
has all the sun over there.
I'm glad to see the grass
has kind of gone as well.
The idea is, it's encouraging
you to connect... Yeah.
..a little bit more with the space.
The boardwalk isn't just a solution
to the boggy lawn,
it also provides some
five-star luxury
for all sorts of creatures.
These are quite useful
because any form of wildlife
will appreciate shelter.
Yeah. Lots of species need
protection.
Hedgehogs can use it.
You might get amphibians
using it. Oh, OK.
Invertebrates and insects.
It just provides many different
types of habitats as you can,
as much variety as you can
possibly get.
And nature will fill all
of those little niches. Yeah.
And that's how you build
up the biodiversity.
It's nice, it's good to feel like
I'm not just taking away from the
garden.
What's your relationship
with the outdoors and with nature?
I'm obsessed.
I spend most of my time
down at the local country park
just in terms of my mental health.
It's just something that's always
really worked for me to kind of get
out into nature
whenever you feel
disconnected with the world
or even just a bit lonely.
I think it's just lovely to be able
to observe animals in their natural
habitat,
and it makes me kind
of like reflect on things
not being that important sometimes
to worry about.
Rowan, I just absolutely love that.
It just makes you feel connected
to the world if you sometimes feel
a little bit distant.
I couldn't agree more.
If you're thinking about connecting
with your garden this weekend,
I have a job that's perfect
for this time of year that will help
you to multiply your perennials
without breaking the bank.
So we've got these libertia.
If you had this growing in your
garden and it created a big clump,
you can lift that
in the spring or autumn
and divide it up,
so you're getting plants
for nothing, which is brilliant.
Dividing plants is an easy
task and works well
for lots of perennials and grasses.
It's a job that should ideally
be done before they come into
flower.
This division technique
can be used for
lots of different herbaceous
perennials.
I've been doing it with geraniums.
Works really, really well i early
spring,
also clumps
of snowdrops in your garden.
You often want to spread
those around.
If you want to give it a try,
simply dig up a clump,
brush off any excess soil
and feel for a natural divide
in the foliage.
If you've got a big clump,
you don't need to be too precious
about it.
You could just get a spade in.
You want a nice, sharp motion.
We've got two decent-sized
pieces, glad that worked.
Just be sure to divide them
when they're not in flower
so they can focus their energy
on developing roots.
That could go in a pot and save it
till when you need it or
give it away.
Friends, neighbours, family.
It's a nice thing to do.
Still to come...
I create an insect
home fit for the smallest of spaces.
It's going to create a habitat
for wildlife to be beneficial
for the garden to.
And I work my carpentry magic.
Wow, that is a log bench.
It is a log bench.
Across the country, the garden
revolution is growing...
Wow, it's very full.
..and this week, we're all about
welcoming nature back in.
In Stockport, I'm making
good headway
with my wildlife planting plan.
The grasses are in, along
with a great selection of
nectar-rich perennials that
pollinators will love.
We've planted lots of species
in the garden
that are great for wildlife.
And now what we're doing
is we're essentially creating
what we're calling a bird
pick 'n mix.
This one stop shop will provide
for a wider range of bird life
than the more traditional
bird table.
We're sort of encouraging the birds
to feed naturally.
The bird table, it's quite an
unnatural thing.
A lot of birds concentrating in one
space,
which you wouldn't really see in
nature.
You can get a build-up of disease
in these areas.
It depends if you clean them,
but, you know what it's like,
we just don't get around to cleaning
them, do we?
Our bird pick 'n mix offers
a natural, safe alternative.
Plus it has another great
advantage over bird tables.
If we're feeding the birds,
they'll be less likely
to forage for pests.
Blue tits, for example,
will happily feed on caterpillars,
greenfly and aphids.
And we want to encourage them to do
that so that we can avoid
the problems that those pests
will cause us.
Try to make the garden as natural
as possible.
It's going to be healthier
for the wildlife in it.
We have selected a mix of plants
that will encourage and feed
a wide range of bird species
that often struggle
with bird table food.
Behind you you've got mahonia.
The berries
on that which the birds love.
Yes, so thrushes absolutely
adore those berries.
The rowan and the crab-apple,
planting species like that
that are going to be great for
wildlife
is just a great thing to do, isn't
it? Yeah.
Errol's planting really stands out
against the black fence...
..a colour we're incorporating
elsewhere to tie the garden
together.
Matt, what do you think
of the garden so far then?
It's starting to look good, isn't
it? It's looking incredible, yeah.
It's a huge change from how it was.
It doesn't really feel like a garden
any more.
It feels almost like a snippet
of a nature reserve
or something like that.
Like it's completely different
from how it was.
Oh, that's incredible.
"A snippet of a nature reserve".
Yeah, yeah.
But this miniature nature reserve
has got real style,
thanks to a few simple design
principles
that you can use in your garden.
That real dark black colour
against light wood,
don't you think it sort of
elevates it, makes it look...?
Absolutely, it brings out a nice
contrast between everything,
doesn't it?
Like the light wood, dark wood
and then the greens all around.
Yeah, it's cool. Do you know what?
Well, that is the word, "contrast",
because in design,
in any form of contrast, it's
accentuating each other, isn't it?
Even with things like texture.
I'm going to plant this here
because you're getting the contrast
of this lovely, feathery grass
against that hard edge.
They look nice, don't they? What do
you think. They look amazing.
Yeah, I love them.
Imagine them all kind of swaying
in the wind as you're going
across the boardwalk, they look
very cool. Yeah, yeah.
And hopefully you'll get
the wildlife to go with it,
so you could genuinely go
on a nature walk.
Yeah, hopefully.
That'll be great.
With the boardwalk complete,
this transformation
is really starting to take shape.
And in a bid to create as many
varied habitats as possible,
I'm making the most of every
last nook and cranny
with these simple insect posts.
If you've got some old logs,
you set them in the ground
and you can drill them up.
It's going to create a habitat
for wildlife.
We've got a tendency to be really
tidy,
tidying everything away,
and then there's no habitat
for insects and bees over winter.
This is a great project for anyone
with limited outdoor space
and something you can easily
do this weekend.
So we're varying the size
of the hole,
so you can have between two and ten
millimetres
and you want to go about
between 8 and 15 centimetres deep.
That's where they feel
comfortable nesting.
I'm sort of drilling up slightly
and the reason for that is so that
it'll drain well.
You wouldn't want to drill it down,
otherwise it's going to fill
up with water
and the insects will drown.
It's going to create a habitat
for wildlife,
a wide range of sort of insects.
It's not just solitary bees.
There's a number of other
insects like lacewings
as well, and ladybirds.
And many of those species would be
beneficial for the garden, too.
It's so easy, you can just get a
drill bit,
a couple of different sizes.
Drill to the right depth.
Couldn't be simpler.
It's a nice, easy thing to do
to give wildlife a helping hand
in the garden.
As well as making
this garden wildlife friendly,
we need it to be a haven
for Matt and Rowan too.
They wanted somewhere
they could relax with friends,
so I'm getting to work
on building a bar in the
newly-paved sunny spot.
A bar like this is actually
really simple.
It's a basic framework.
I'm going to take the legs
down the black
because the fence is a black.
That's going to make the bottom half
disappear a bit more,
so it just feels a little bit
more like a floating surface.
The principle behind anything
around a tree
is importantly, you don't screw into
the tree
because the tree is alive.
You wouldn't like it, would you?
This new and improved social
hang-out isn't complete without
seating,
so I've been getting busy
in my workshop.
I'm making a few things for this
garden.
One is a bench made out of birch
and it's really rustic.
I'm going to put this lay
component together,
and then I'm going to make the back.
I think it'll tie in lovely
with the theme of this wildlife
garden.
OK, I'm really happy with that.
I love working with this birch.
It's still really fresh, it's kind
of wet, so it's fun to work with.
It's pretty easy to cut.
I think anything more refined
would look out of place.
So if I bought timber, I machine
timber up, I think it would
have looked kind of out of place
and forced into the design.
I wanted the furniture to kind
of like, look like something
you'd stumble across in the field
or a wood somewhere.
In the spirit of all things natural,
I'm using only wooden dowels to hold
the bench together,
and I'm avoiding any protective
coating on the wood.
I want this piece of furniture
to only last a few years
because I want it to go
back into the garden.
I want the insects to rip this thing
apart, I want them to break it down.
I want them to turn it back
into soil.
For the first time ever,
I've made a piece of furniture
that will not last forever.
And that's kind of the beauty of it.
Back in the garden
the bar is complete.
Lovely cup of tea on a nice
summer's day. Thank you.
It's a casual lean, yeah you see?
I like it, it's good.
But there's just one more thing
needed to complete this social spot.
Wow, that is a log bench.
It is a log bench.
So the idea was to tie it all
in with the wildlife garden.
It was fun to make and I really hope
you enjoy it.
It's all natural, so it will
decompose and stuff.
So it may just last a few years,
but when it does,
you just take it apart and let it
break down.
Put it in the compost bin.
That's a nice idea, isn't it?
Shall we try it out?
Absolutely. Have a seat.
Watch me break it up.
No, no, it's not going to break.
Trust me, it's not going to break.
Have you tested it first, Bruce?
It's a bit laid back.
Oh, it's very relaxed.
Surprisingly comfy.
Not bad for a bunch of sticks,
really.
More and more of us are
experimenting in our gardens
and discovering the joys
of letting nature in.
I'm Toyah Willcox and I have joined
the Great Garden Revolution.
I don't buy designer handbags
or designer cars.
I buy plants.
We came into ownership of
this garden three years ago,
and when I was a child, I used
to be brought to this garden
by a boat.
I would play in this
deserted garden.
No-one lived here and this plant
was there then.
And that is over 60 years ago,
because I remember running
over to this plant and saying,
"Daddy, daddy, what's this plant?"
I believe it's called Solomon's
Tears or Solomon's Gold.
And this plant just comes
back time and time again
and look at how full it is.
It's taught me so much about life,
that you need to be tenacious
and just come back fighting
for what you love.
I want to show you something.
Come and look at this tree.
I love this tree.
This tree is at least 150 years old.
Now, a tree is fantastic
for climbing
and looking over your
neighbour's fence.
In this garden, we've got
woodpecker, we've got crows,
we've got magpies.
Sparrows, starlings, skylarks.
It's a wonderful place for wildlife.
The garden is so active.
We're overrun with foxes,
but also the slugs, the snails,
the wood lice.
Well, those insects
are miracle workers.
They keep the world turning.
I love gardening because
it's a little bit of sanity
after being on stage for
two hours each night
in front of thousands of people.
I can come out here, pull up
weeds, see how beautifully
everything is growing.
And the thing is, when you see
something grow,
you feel a part of it.
You feel part of nature.
You're taking part in something
that is utterly brilliant.
The garden revolution is sweeping
the country.
Use the hashtag
if you're joining in.
As the garden revolution
sweeps the nation...
Good job.
..so many of us have been outside
reconnecting with nature.
The Bramble family are here.
Look at little Eric
with his dad and his mum.
In Stockport, all the elements of
our wildlife haven
are coming together,
and now there's just time for the
finishing touches.
So you've been busy?
I've been very busy.
They look really great.
What are they made out of?
Acetylated wood fibre. A treated
wood fibre that can go outside.
I just love how it plays
with the shadow and the light.
So what do you guys think?
What position do you want
to put them in?
Try the two screens at the front
and see what it looks like.
Once you set them into the ground,
it drops the height pretty nicely.
What are we doing, butting them up
against each other?
Maybe separate a bit. How's that
looking? Oh, do you know what?
I actually think that
that's the one.
I think we're in there.
I think we are as well.
With the screens in place, Rowan
and I are finishing off the last
of the planting, and there are some
simple tips that she can use
to ensure her plants thrive
in their new home.
When you're digging a hole,
it's quite good to get a hole
that's twice as big
as the plant pot.
So aim for that and then
you can always backfill.
But by digging a bigger hole,
you start breaking up the soil
and getting some air space
in there so that the roots can sort
of like penetrate the soil
much more easily.
This moist soil will also benefit
from mulch,
which recreates the conditions of a
forest floor,
locking in water and improving
the soil structure.
What will happen is by putting
this bark mulch over the surface,
the various micro and macro
creatures like earthworms
will come up, they'll feed on some
of that material
and pull it down into the soil.
What that's going to do is it's
going to improve the soil structure,
which is exactly what a lot of these
plants require.
It's not a massive intervention.
It looks nice, too.
Yeah, it looks lovely.
And it also acts to suppress
weeds as well.
So it's a win-win.
These low-maintenance plants
will need regular water
in their first year, but beyond
that, they shouldn't need
too much attention.
So now that we've got you gardening,
do you think that it's something
that you're going to continue doing?
Yeah. I mean... if you're well
equipped.
Definitely a lot
better equipped, yeah.
I mean, I've gone from having never
planted anything outside
and now I've got a lovely garden
full of plants that I can look after
and share with neighbours.
It's a nice thing to do. Yeah.
Two days ago, Matt and Rowan's
garden was an overwhelming
and uninspiring patch
of shady grass.
They wanted a space
that encouraged nature
and now their garden is
transformed...
..into a wildlife haven.
The pond and stumpery
offer a luxury habitat for insects
and amphibians to enjoy.
The raised boardwalk provides a snug
hideout for all manner of bugs,
voles and mice.
Nectar-rich perennials will draw in
the pollinators,
while the bird pick 'n' mix will
feed an array of hungry new visitors
who can later bed down
in the new bird box.
The woodland-themed screens will
cast striking shadows
throughout the day,
and the bar area,
complete with bench and screens,
will allow a space to socialise.
Cheers.
The new garden's amazing.
It incorporates so many elements
of things that we wanted,
but we just didn't know
how to get there.
I just saw a little flying thing.
Quite often when you see gardens get
renovated,
it's very much, I'm a human,
I'm here to put my stamp on it
and take over the space, whereas I
think it's really important
that we actually contribute to the
garden.
I absolutely adore this garden.
It's been a real privilege to try
and get nature into this space.
Wildlife gardens are really
beautiful, not just in the way
that they look, but in the way
that they make you feel.
It feels a little bit more like a
snippet of a nature reserve now
than a garden, which is exactly what
we wanted.
My favourite thing is the pond.
I'm definitely going to be out
here just kind of seeing
what's come into it.
I feel like an eight-year-old boy.
I just want to go in with my wellies
and like
just have a play around in the mud.
For me, it's a really,
really exciting garden.
Shady Gardens present a wonderful
opportunity.
It's packed with plants
that are going to attract wildlife.
It's also really, really beautiful
because it's got a natural feel.
I think in an urban setting,
it's really, really important
that we create space for wildlife.
Which one do you want?
Maybe the nice yellow one.
I love this garden. I think
everybody should have
a little bit of wildlife area in
their back yard.
I love the screens.
The bird box is great.
The bench blended in really well.
I really hope they take the time
to relax back there and watch
the birds and everything
flying about the garden.
Give Mother Nature a little corner
of the garden
and she'll thank you later.
What do you think, Colin?
What do you reckon?
When we garden for nature,
we can have a real impact.
That's how we're going to change
the world.
That's how we're going to change
the planet for the better.
This weekend, just go out
into your gardens,
try and understand this concept.
A space for you and a space
for wildlife.
Colin, come on.
Good boy.
Hello.
Good boy.
Next time...
Check this out.
We go back to school
in Blackpool
to help inspire the next generation.
Right, then, kids, we're going to
get planting.
We'll show you how to get
children into veggies.
Can you taste the herbs? Yes.
What do you think? Really good!
How to make your very own willow
den.
You can make these incredible
structures
but that structure is alive.
It's quite magical as well.
And plant your own rain garden.
It will absorb 30% more water
than a lawn.
Which is amazing, isn't it?