One couple who have fostered over 150 children have reacted to online criticism of their ITV Love Your Garden transformationSamantha Masters Content Editor and Karen Price Assistant Editor of Screen Time
21:34, 28 Mar 2026
Alan Titchmarsh has been defended after receiving viewer backlash(Image: ITV1)
Alan Titchmarsh has helped revamp countless gardens throughout his distinguished career on programmes such as Ground Force and ITV’s Love Your Garden, yet one recent episode courted some controversy.
Several years ago, Rob and Margaret Isdale, who have fostered more than 150 children, received the shock of their lives when their daughter Fiona arranged for Alan and his crew to make a dramatic overhaul to their outdoor space.
Having undergone a quadruple heart bypass, Rob was spending increasing amounts of time in the garden during his recuperation and was keen to spruce it up.
He revealed: “I had been in hospital and had quadruple heart bypass and when I came out of hospital my daughter drove me home and we were standing in the back garden, and I said as a joke to my daughter, ‘It would be good if Alan Titchmarsh could come and do my garden’.”
Alan Titchmarsh and his team transformed Rob and Margaret Isdale’s garden(Image: PH)
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He continued: “And then unbeknownst to me, she put the application in and so that’s how it started.”As part of the 2019 transformation, Alan and his team worked tirelessly to redesign the outdoor space, drawing inspiration from the classic novel, The Secret Garden.
While Rob concedes the makeover was “nothing that [he] expected,” both he and Margaret adored the “traditional” result.
“They did a sort of mock monastery wall and things and made it look a bit Elizabethan, even up to the shed,” he shared of the design, reports the Express.
“Even when it’s a bit untidy like it is at the moment, it looks the part because of the design of it.” However, as the episode broadcast recently, certain viewers alleged it had been spoiled.
On the platform X, one individual stated Alan and the crew had ruined the “lovely garden” with “bricks and concrete”. Another remarked: “It’s too crowded and busy for me but as long as they like it.”
Rob Isdale said the couple were ‘more than happy’ with their garden(Image: PH)
Responding to the criticism, Rob stated he and Margaret are “more than happy” with the outcome. “I think I saw some things [online], there’s a bit of fake news, we were supposed to be disappointed, and it quite saddens me that because it couldn’t be further from the truth,” he continued.
“They did a brilliant job, Alan Titchmarsh was great. He came and interviewed us part way through while we were out in the caravan site [as the transformation took place]. Yeah, no complaints at all.”
Rob continued to explain that while they still appreciate their garden, he’s implemented a few minor modifications in recent years.
Rob has made changes to his shed since the show(Image: PH)
“The shed, that’s now my art studio, I took up painting so I sit in there and do my painting,” he disclosed. “It is the same, the only thing we took down was a tree that was in front of our kitchen window that was blocking out the view a bit and the light.”
Discussing the makeover during the episode, Alan disclosed he had transformed their shed into a mock Tudor-inspired structure while incorporating several crumbling “columns” of brick, which he characterised as “ancient looking follies”.
Reflecting on Rob and Margaret’s dedication and inspirational commitment as foster parents, he told the camera: “I want this new garden to make them feel as cared for as the children who come to their home.”
During the grand unveiling, Alan revealed to an emotional Rob and Margaret that he had unearthed “ruins of an old abbey” within the garden, which Margaret described as “brilliant.” Rob enthused: “I knew it would be special but that’s extra special. Thank you so much.”
Love Your Garden is available on ITVX and Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh is on ITV1 on Sunday at 9.30am
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