Charlie transforms a neglected, overgrown backyard into a stunning low-maintenance oasis – using recycled materials and hardy, shade-loving plants. Perfect for anyone looking to create a sustainable garden that can withstand anything!
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with house and block sizes getting smaller and smaller when you live in the city every bit of space counts So when your garden looks like this well really it’s just wasted real estate So I’ve got a few tips and tricks to whip this into shape and turn it into a garden you want to come home to [Music] It hasn’t taken long to work out what the problems are in this garden Having a look at the soil it’s incredibly wet really compacted and there’s not enough sun to dry it out And what that does is bring in weed growth And when you get weeded growth the garden gets forgotten about and all the plants suffer because the nutrients are going into the weeds rather than the plants On the plus side though we do have this pretty spectacular rock face behind me And once that’s all cleared off that’s going to be a real feature [Music] Now there’s a couple of ways to prune a variegated ginger like this If it gets really congested you can get some headge trimmers and just take it all off at ground level That will shoot lots of new growth out But if you want it to look a little bit nicer you can find all the ones that look ratty chase them right the way down to ground level in here and then just snip away [Music] Up in this back section of the garden I’m going to be putting in a paved area And I really love the idea of it drawing you out into the garden so you come and use the whole space To connect the two well the homeowners told me they’ve got something hiding under the house I need to look at H Well they certainly weren’t kidding There are some pavers under here How they got here I’ve got no idea And how I’ll get them out is another question But I can see these forming lovely stepping stones throughout the garden How many is there [Music] to make my paving area nice and sturdy I’m mixing cement and grow base and compacting it with just got some wash sand which we’ll screed up make it nice and flat The first thing to lay with recycled brick paving is a head of course It’s basically a band that runs around the outside We’ll then be doing a herring bone pattern on the inside Now I love using recycled bricks because they’ve got a lovely texture to them a lovely color to them and it complements the stone wall behind us [Music] Oh with the painting well underway I think it’s about time I got on to the stepping stones Leave this for the lads [Music] My plan for the pavers that I found under the house is to create a stepping stone path Now we’ve got enough for six to work to the back area and that’s really nice cuz it’s going to slow you down as you walk through the space enjoy all the planting and take you to the back entertaining area [Music] Now laying these tiles on a wet mix because they’re much thinner than the bricks at the back They need that extra stability But you can really see how the design is coming together And I can’t wait to get some plants in [Music] In my opinion the majority of problems in the garden come from having poor soil And that’s exactly what’s happening here So whenever you get the chance to improve it it’s a good thing to do And the best way to do that is with compost and organic matter Now when you’re buying a compost you really want a good quality one Buy one with the red ticks on it I like the roots grow black marble because it’s got an added fertilizer as well so it gives a boost Now what you want to do is apply a layer over the surface of the soil and then dig that through with a shovel With clay you need a little less than you would with sand but you can’t really go wrong with a good quality compost Now the homeowners have told me that this garden gets hardly any sun a maximum of 3 hours in the middle of summer We’ve got this huge bank of viburnum and chameleia on this side So I want to plant some height here But we’ve got to go with shade tolerant plants which is why I’m using a coin spotted tree fern Now these are a fast growing fern They’ll give us a lovely slender trunk and a canopy There’s no point trying to hide from the shade We might as well go for it and make a lovely green oasis Love will come again I don’t know where or when I do know until then I’ll just look up improbable rainbow To underplant the viburnum I’m using a strobalanththees Now this one is called gold fusia It’s got a really deep purple leaf which is excellent because in winter it gets covered in flowers which you can see some through here They hang on all the way till spring but they contrast perfectly against that dark foliage [Music] This garden was once a forgotten bogggy mess but with a few improvements like the paving the stepping stones and of course the planting which will thrive cuz we’ve improved the soil no matter what the weather throws at it all it needs now is a little bit of furniture and some styling and the homeowners will have themselves a very valuable piece of real estate [Music] [Applause] [Music] People often say they don’t feel confident using power tools or they just don’t own many tools themselves That is the exact case with the two young ladies that live at this house And because they’re renters they don’t want to spend much but they still want a garden makeover So we’re going to show them how they can transform their whole backyard without a big budget or using many tools And it all starts with these heavy pallets Yeah you gave me the heavy one mate Bey I’ve got a delivery of a couple of pallets and an Englishman Hi Hello So tell us about the garden How do you use it how do you want to use it so it’s a very practical garden right now in terms of it is the dogs area but we are hoping to make it more of like an entertainment space We can have some friends over have some drinks in the summer um and just kind of liven up a bit So Tabby what’s your thoughts i actually work from home so I’d love to be able to use the garden a little bit more while I’m at home Um yeah take my lunch breaks out here maybe do a little bit of work in the garden Perfect We’re going to keep it nice and simple You don’t need many tools but I need someone to give me a hand So who’s that going to be that’s going to be back How’s dad all right let’s do it Let’s get our hands dirty For this garden bed next to me the clavas are doing quite well but I thought it’d be really nice to get a bit of height in here So I’m going to lift all these up and divide them Now late spring is the perfect time to do it with clivers and they’re really hardy So we’re going to get loads of plants that we can replant in here and move around the garden The first thing we need to do is to get all of them out of the bed And the best thing for that is a good old garden fork [Music] What do you think good job Thank you Have a look at all these roots They’re so matted That’s actually It’s fine now but in time you’re not going to get many flowers out of it So we need to get two forks put them in back to back and prize them apart [Music] All right Becky how’d you go good This is all I’ve got Well that is perfect because that is basically all we need for this build Unfortunately Charlie has brought the rain with him Yes that’s the English weather Sorry But but you’ve got your rain jacket so we’re covered I’m all set Now basically what we’re going to do is create a hanging garden Okay We’re going to utilize these pallets and we’re just going to cut it down to whatever size we want Mhm and simply then add some shelves for the plants to sit on So what do you reckon we’ll get it up on the workbench and we’ll start cutting it down Let’s do it [Music] There we go Beautiful We have the side of our planner So this will be the back Mhm And we’re going to utilize these two slats here to attach it to our batterns And then at the front what we’ll do now is we’ll remove some of these slats And then that way we can add shelves in so Charlie can sit his pot plants on Great [Applause] [Music] Once you’ve separated your fibers out into individual plants it’s time to give them a bit of a prune And you start on the roots Now once you’ve done that it’s time to get onto the leaves Now I like to take the outside ones off just to tidy the plant up so it looks a little bit smarter [Music] Some black to finish it off And what do you want paintbrush or roller give me the roller All right Beautiful And the plants will really pop against that black It’s going to look great [Music] To finish off our clers we’re just going to plant them back into this bed They’re going to work really well under this new golden cane because they can take congested roots Now when it comes to watering your new clers in it’s a good idea to water them a little bit every day cuz you want a lot of humidity around the leaves [Music] So Ads and Beck have finished the frame and it’s looking awesome We’re about to put some plants into it Now I was thinking you could just put plant pots on there and it would look fine but why not try and fill the whole space so I’ve taken a simple plastic trough like this cut the ends off it and it just slots together meaning it will fit almost any size Now the type of plants we’re going to be using are this lobular which is a rockery plant so it’s going to spill over Really nice smell of honey to the flowers but you could also use sedums as well So succulents and rockery plants are going to work really well You could use herbs you could use strawberries you could use some of the daisies as well but you need to consider that it’s quite a short-lived sort of display but that’s fine if you want to change it um during the season Oh yeah That looks good Oh you staggered it that way did you oh is that not correct Charlie i thought it looked good It’s great mate I love it Go on go grab some plants Finish it off David don’t do that to me Charlie [Music] Now there’s no real designer tips I can give you here We’re just chucking the plants in But you got to remember these are small parts and you can move them around So you can make it look however you want Adam seems to think we’ve got some designer thing going on with the sedums here Well there definitely is I haven’t just been chucking these in I’ve been placing them in theoretical order Theoretical order Is is that a word hey it is now I think one thing though you do need to remember with a wall like this is you’re working with small pots So you need to keep the water up to it Daily watering and it will keep getting better with time [Music] A couple of bits of furniture It makes it a place where you want to come sit and relax [Music] Oh it looks incredible It looks like a whole different space I can’t believe this is our backyard [Music] I could definitely see myself working out here or bringing friends out for drinks or that kind of thing Yeah you’re more likely to have drinks and work out here You wouldn’t think it’s a couple of pallets would you no not at all Incredible It just goes to show though you don’t need many tools you don’t need many brains and you don’t need much money to make a garden look fantastic That’s how me and Charlie got our job [Music]
28 Comments
Good job ❤
man!! your gardens are supercool but so is the playlist!! why dont you share the tracklist!!?? BTW here's m garden chill playlist : https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoiZebswrR5rwcWWm_9nHOrDoj3VP9ZMJ
Love the pallet hanging garden idea. I have a very ugly fence to cover. I must source some pallets.
PS please come to the UK to do my house and garden! I'm in Northumberland. Come home, Charlie! All is forgiven! 😂
Put the bloody shoes on, girl
Beautiful transformation
🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Absolutely love the creativity — but let’s be real: recycled pallet projects always look great on video, but maintaining them long-term (rot, pests, durability) is a completely different challenge. Anyone had success keeping these lasting 5+ years?
Brick cutting at 3:47 looked scary
I thought you were uncovering the stone wall behind?
Omg ! He looks like Hugh Grant ! Just an impression … 😍
I think if you run some twinkle lights on top of that rock wall to the right and on top of fence and sprinkle some in on the left top of fence just so their peeking through, subtle look, it would be really smashing. Gorgeous work, so beautiful and creative hideaway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Love you guys and your talent and work, hubbah, hubbah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On the second job the girls could grab some dark olive green paint and drag or dry brush over that wood fence, leaving the fence color showing through here and there.Also I would orient the sofas in a vertical manner, one with the back towards the wall and the other with the siding glass door open , so they are placed between the glass windows. And leave he barbecue more towards the edge of the grass. More open layout, the way it is now it looks a little cramped. But beautiful job you men are so talented, all the best!!!!!!!
Adam 😜😅😉❤️
This could have been an hour-long video.
Is that rock wall natural? Or planted?
LOL telling the girls they don't need many brains……….. roflol
Beautiful transformation, good job 👍
Is the guy prettier or the landscape?
What a huge improvement!
Wow, great!
Your guys need to loosen the roots of the plants before they put them in the ground – you know this I'm sure. Give them a real chance to thrive.
If that was my garden at the beginning…. I would have made a waterfall coming down over that rock face and try to hang ferns and orchids very similar to a fern lush grotto… I may have even built the patio up higher over a stream…. Giving me two places to enjoy..
Wow
This video you put together is going to be helpful! There is a strong connection between gardening here near Portland Oregon on the west coast and England. If you stand in a particular spot for five minutes or so, you will feel moss growing on your north side. I came from Southern California, so for a couple of years up here, all of my gardening was literally the killing fields.
I'm getting my bearings straight and loving what I can grow easily here, and having four seasons.
What was my muse? The older, established plants had particular notions of what should be done–and boy, did they give me a tongue lashing!☺
Then I remembered how I would set up a garden in LA. If the space was large enough–a standard tract home backyard would suffice, I set up little areas that I called garden rooms. Dim lighting, though not to the point where someone might get hurt. What can be done with lighting , smaller lighting fixtures with plantings used as defusion for the lighting set up. It all comes together because the space begs for exploration, to be delighted at all the nooks and crannies. Mingling at such an event is not hampered at all by these light defusions and the nooks and crannies, they are delighted. Coming into my backyard, er, in my garden😁 was the garden's idea of an amuse bouche.
I'm just carrying that same concept here. But, now I realize that I better do a little more research to do it right. I'm too old to do it wrong~🌺
awsome❤❤❤❤
I was waiting for them to expose the rock face in the back. Disappointing that this never happened!
Why would anyone put a golden cane palm near a fence. Terrible idea. They grow very large and will push the fence over 😢
Aint no way you put it outside with no roof