The City Gardener

Épisode 1 - Tackling a Weedy Garden

1 avril 2003

Expert city-gardener Matt James travels to Southampton to help his friend convert an empty garden into a lush city hideaway. Weeds soon give way to new plantings. Among the new plants are a fall-blooming Higan cherry, lavender yarrow and plenty of ornamental grasses.

Épisode 2 - A Low-Maintenance Redo

8 avril 2003

Host Matt James heads to London to meet Tom, a gardening novice who is in desperate need of some horticultural help. His garden has been totally neglected and its only striking feature is a large old shed. James transforms this deserted London suburban garden into a lush art-deco retreat that will be easy to maintain.

Épisode 3 - A Water Feature and More

15 avril 2003

With their Birmingham address, Rob and Kay live as far from the sea as you can possibly be in the U.K. The challenge to host Matt James is to create a modern oasis in their cluttered garden--and include a water feature. But there's a slight catch: first he has to recycle some of the rubbish in their garden to make his masterpiece.

Épisode 4 - A Pet-Friendly Entertaining Space

22 avril 2003

Danny wants his small, square space to serve a dual purpose--an area for entertaining and a place for his dog to play. Host Matt James creates a gorgeous Romantic secret garden that doubles as a space for Danny's beloved pooch.

Épisode 5 - A Wheelchair-Friendly Victorian Garden

29 avril 2003

Artist Juliet needs help with a rather awkward town garden--it's a peculiar L-shaped space that is home only to lots of weeds and a stagnant, smelly pond. Host Matt James comes to the rescue, transforming the area into a classic Victorian retreat.

Épisode 6 - Transformation of a High-Rise Balcony

6 mai 2003

The owner of a high-rise apartment, Julia craves an outdoor retreat in which to escape city life. Using plants that are able to cope with the pollution and smog of London, host Matt James creates a cottage-style garden for Julia to enjoy.

Épisode 7 - Secret Hideaway

12 mai 2003

Frasier and Nicky's garden is just like all of the other drab gardens in the neighborhood. Host Matt James wants to transform their deserted garden into the perfect hideaway. He also wants to come up with design ideas that will mask traffic noise so that Fraiser and Nicky can enjoy their garden in peace.

Épisode 8 - A Garden Designed for Dining

20 mai 2003

Tori and Ogden are fed up with their small town garden in London. With the help of host Matt James and some helpful lodgers, they transform their drab garden into a luxury eating area. The finished garden features an incredible design inspired by another funky London garden.

Épisode 9 - Decluttering a Backyard

27 mai 2003

Host Matt James meets Londoners Lisa and Paul, who have recently bought a new house in Northwest London. After forcing hoarder Pete to get rid of the junk in their cluttered backyard, James makes the most of their small space, creating a large seating area for the couple to relax in.

Épisode 10 - Masking an Unpleasant View

3 juin 2003

Host Matt James creates an entirely natural garden out of a weedy area. One of the challenges of the project is to camouflage a neighboring building site using only natural materials. Matt fulfills the goal, and Chris can now enjoy a green and very gorgeous garden.

Épisode 11 - Unknown

Épisode 12 - Unknown

Épisode 1 - An Entertaining Garden

Ian wants a space outside his townhouse for entertaining. Host Matt James transforms this long and narrow, empty backyard into the ultimate outdoor bachelor garden. Included in the design are plants that will be low-maintenance enough for inexperienced-gardener Ian to cope with.

Épisode 2 - A New Garden With Storage

Tannith and Kay desperately want a garden for their flat. Host Matt James endeavors to create a space that will not only look beautiful but that will also give Tannith and Kay some much-needed storage space.

Épisode 3 - Mediterranean-Style Courtyard Garden

Sarah is a gardening novice who wants Matt to help her create a secluded courtyard garden in the middle of bustling London. Together they develop a picturesque Mediterranean-style garden, complete with a large tree and red and white plants. James selects plants that are both pollution-tolerant.

Épisode 4 - A Garden For Yoga And Entertaining

Bhavana has a gorgeous home but doesn't have a garden to match. Host Matt James transforms her empty, rectangular garden space into a place where she can both entertain and do yoga. Fence posts, concrete mix and a cheap bamboo screen help draw the line between the two areas.

Épisode 5 - A Unique 1960s Garden

Kath and Lee are obsessed with the 1960s and want a garden with a retro feel. Host Matt James comes up with a design to make the garden truly unique, and they turn one part of the garden into a private and rather intimate love nest.

Épisode 6 - Fairy Garden

Gordon and Sharon have a large family and want to give their children a place to play outside their home in Glasgow. The challenge is to find plants that will suit a shady garden with an east-facing slope. The result is a magical fairy-style family garden. The new sunken seating area has a woodland grotto feel.

Épisode 1 - The Party Garden

5 novembre 2005

Accountants Paul and Trix want to be able to use their outdoor space for anything--from an intimate meal for two all the way up to a full-on house party. They bought their terraced home just over a year ago after being seduced by the decor, but while they're more than happy with the interior, the back garden is in urgent need of attention.

Épisode 2 - Low-Maintenance Country-Cottage Garden

Homeowner Emma works as a cabin crew member on long-distance flights. She bought her terraced house five years ago and has spent a lot of time and money renovating the inside, but up until now she's ignored the space out back. She wants to convert the dull, square, concrete patio into a beautiful, country-cottage-style idyll, but the design will have to be low maintenance because Emma's job prevents her from taking on anything that needs constant attention. And that's not going to be easy.

Épisode 3 - The Exotic Garden

A long, lawned, oblong garden is what draws Matt James to the Northwest of England this week but his challenge is to create the impression of a much more distant destination. Owners Jane and Jamie are keen travellers and want to bring an exotic feel to their garden to remind them of their foreign holidays. But can Matt really create a garden of paradise in this cold and rainy climate?

Épisode 4 - Multifaceted Front Garden

Épisode 5 - L-Shaped Garden

Host Matt James faces a number of challenges as he tackles a tricky L-shaped garden in the city. Friends Zoe and Lucy have completely refurbished their traditional Victorian Terrace. Now they want to tackle the outside. However, they've got firm views on color and style, and James must work to keep them happy.

Épisode 6 - Little Courtyard Garden

Homeowners Sarah and Simon have a garden that they never use. It can be described as a dull concrete slab--and that's being charitable. What's more, the most useful bit of this cramped backyard is tucked out of sight around the corner. So how do you make this limited space seem bigger than it really is and make proper use of that hidden corner? That's the challenge facing host Matt James in this garden makeover.

Épisode 9 - Wasteland To Paradise

Homeowners James and Debbie are living in a house that's been in do-it-yourself limbo for three years and has an outdoor space that resembles the grim industrial estate next door. It's a dismal alleyway with no redeeming features. They are desperate for help but are clueless about where to start. This is the nightmare vision that awaits host Matt James, and he's going to have to pull out all the stops to turn this wasteland into a lush green paradise.

Épisode 10 - Secret Hideaway

2 avril 2005

Sharon and Gordon wanted a family garden in Glasgow with a touch of mystery and Matt James worked his magic to pull it off. A year on, how is it looking?

Épisode 11 - Overgrown Garden With A Split Personality

Host Matt James ventures to an unusual split-level garden with a split personality in the heart of London's East End. But it's not just the garden that's a challenge. Homeowner Lisa doesn't have a clue about gardening. She's spent a fortune on landscaping, but it's still a disaster zone. With dead and ragged plants littering the garden, Matt literally can't see the wood for the trees. Can he manage to tame this garden gone haywire and its homeowner's shopaholic tendencies?

Épisode 12 - Sunken Garden

Desperate to make the most of her square footage, homeowner Laura wants a garden that makes her want to throw open the doors of her chic house and enjoy her outdoor space. A rural girl at heart, Laura wants her garden to have a rustic feel with a contemporary twist. Host Matt James wants to create an ambitious sunken garden, but will it make Laura's heart sink or swim?

Épisode 13 - Family Garden

Host Matt James really has his work cut for him when he is challenged to design a family-friendly garden that caters to everyone's needs. This proves to be difficult when everyone has different ideas about what they want. Rakhshinda loves order and formality. Her husband Arif is more relaxed and informal, and their kids just want a garden where they can play. Will James be able to please everyone, or will someone have to give in?

Épisode 15 - Outdoor Workspace

It's host Matt James' worst nightmare--a garden that is short, wide and built into a hillside. This garden is also a real suntrap--in fact, it's more like the Arizona desert than green and lush Sussex. And to add to his woes, the homeowners, who both work from home, are demanding a lot from their diabolical space--somewhere to work, eat and relax. Will he be able to rise to the challenge?

Épisode 16 - Overlooked Garden

Host Matt James has the huge task of creating impact in a tiny garden that has been completely overlooked. It's a real weed farm, and on a street of keen gardeners, this garden isn't just letting the owner down but the entire neighborhood as well. Homeowner Dan wants to create a sense of privacy without feeling cramped in this pint-sized plot.