A couple had their outdoor space completely transformed in a £33,000 makeover on last night’s episode of Your Garden Made Perfect – but viewers were left unimpressed by the results.
Chartered accountant Laura and Demi, a high street fashion supplier, live in a large four-bedroom house in Bushey, Hertfordshire with their three school-age daughters but were dissatisfied with their ‘L-shaped’ outdoor space.
There was a large conifer hedge that was almost 1m thick and 2m high, a terrace that was 1m above the actual lawn and the majority of the garden, and an uninviting corner where the girls enjoyed playing together.
The focal point of the garden was a Monkey Puzzle tree, which the couple loved. Demi said at the beginning of the programme that he thought he would ‘cry’ if they had to lose it.
Before: Chartered accountant Laura and Demi, a high street fashion supplier, live in a large four-bedroom house in Bushey, Hertfordshire with their three school-age daughters but were dissatisfied with their ‘L-shaped’ outdoor space
After: After considering two computer generated designs for the garden, the couple decided to move forward with the one created by award-winning garden designer Helen Elks-Smith. The finished result incorporated different ‘zones’
Blended seamlessly: Helen ensured the decking complemented the flooring inside the couple’s extension, pictured
View from the top: The garden has a mixture of entertaining space, flower beds and lawns where their children can play
Clients: Married couple Laura, left, and Demi sought help from the experts on last night’s Your Garden Made Perfect
After considering two computer generated designs for the garden, the couple decided to move forward with the one created by award-winning garden designer Helen Elks-Smith.
They were thrilled with the results but viewers said it was ‘boring’ and said it just looked like ‘another room’ with not enough ‘focus on nature’.
‘It’s all very pretty in a boring sort of way, but I’m failing to see where the £25k is going. Well- on the designer’s enormous fee I suppose #yourgardenmadeperfect,’ one tweeted.
Another posted: ‘A garden is not another room. It is a garden, an outside space. There. I’ve said it. #yourgardenmadeperfect.’
They were also distraught that the Monkey Puzzle tree was removed, particularly as it was cut down, rather than dug out from the root, which would have allowed it to be replanted elsewhere.
One tweeted: ‘#yourgardenmadeperfect I can not believe they have just chopped down the monkey puzzle tree!!!!!! Surely with that budget they could have afforded to dig out the root ball and relocate to another garden for charity maybe?’
Before: The couple said that they previously didn’t enjoy spending time in the garden which had a large conifer hedge that was almost 1m thick and 2m high, a terrace that was 1m above the actual lawn and the majority of the garden
After: Helen helped bring the space together by adding steps, pictured in her computer generated image, as well as a ‘mid-level’ section of dwelling that connected the two spaces
Before: The lawn area around the corner of the ‘L-shape’ where the girls enjoyed playing on the trampoline
After: New beds brought fresh life to the space and the positioning of the new seating area allows parents Laura and Demi to keep an eye on their children playing
Another posted: ‘Could they not have moved or donated the monkey puzzle tree – they’re bloody expensive and it seems such a waste just to cut it down. #yourgardenmadeperfect.’
A third added: ‘If you can’t design a garden without cutting down a perfectly healthy tree, you shouldn’t call yourself a garden designer #yourgardenmadeperfect.’
Helen’s design focused on uniting the ‘upper’ level of the garden, where the decking was situated, with the lawn on the ‘lower’ level. This was achieved by adding a mid-level with decking and space for a barbecue.
The large, imposing hedge, which Helen compared to a ‘building’, was also removed, allowing more light and providing views of the beautiful mature trees in neighbouring gardens.
Family home: The couple’s spacious four-bedroom property in Bushey, Hertfordshire, had recently had an extension added
1m drop: The couple didn’t like the way the garden was so disconnected from the rest of the house because it was lower
Seamless transition: Some of the lawn was lost in favour of staggered decking, steps and more flower beds
A shaded seating area was added in the corner of the garden, satisfying the couple’s desire for more options for outdoor socialising.
Even the uninviting corner was given a new lease of life with new flower beds and soft, romantic planting filled beds throughout the garden, creating a breezy, airy feel.
Demi and Laura were delighted with the transformation, even though fixing structural issues with the decking meant they went £8,000 over their original £25,000 budget.
They even made peace with losing the Monkey Puzzle tree. Demi said: ‘You look at what my eyeline is now, it’s wonderful,’ he said.
Controversial: The Monkey Puzzle tree (pictured) was a favourite of Demi and Laura but was removed in the redesign
Furious: The decision prompted much discussion from viewers, who were overall left underwhelmed by the finished result
Asked by presenter Angela Scanlon about the decision, Helen said: ‘It had to go, sadly. It was a good decision, it was definitely the right decision for you because it gave you a garden. But it was difficult, it is something you really have to think about, taking a tree out.’
Demi said he had made peace with losing the tree. ‘You look at what my eyeline is now, it’s wonderful,’ he said.
The tree was replaced with a Japanese Maple, one of Demi’s favourites because it reminds him of his late father.
The Japanese Maple was more suited to the garden because it was smaller and slow growing.
‘Laura and I, we used to sit on the steps, get bored and go back in. This garden has given us a way that we can all go out and be together,’ Demi added.