A former Garden Rescue participant who had their garden transformed on the BBC show has revealed a secret condition that fans may not know about. Since 2016, ex-Ground Force icon Charlie Dimmock and brothers Harry and David Rich have revamped tired-looking gardens up and down the country.
Each episode sees the lucky owner of the garden select one of the designs drafted up by the team, who then get to work on making their dreams reality. With Garden Rescue entertaining both green-fingered and escapist viewers, fans may not give too much thought to the logistics of the show.
An former participant has now shared some juicy behind-the-scenes gossip after having their garden completely transformed by Charlie and the Rich brothers. Sharing her experience of the show on TikTok, they said there were "certain requirements" you had to meet before being given the green light to take part.
Read more: BBC Garden Rescue fans left unimpressed by 'tacky' garden
It may surprise some fans of Garden Rescue, but the former participant explained that there were financial restrictions. "You have to show proof of at least £3,000 to spare on the garden transformation because it comes out of your pocket," they said.
They then added that, although there is a cost associated with the makeover, the assistance and specialist knowledge you receive from the experts is invaluable. Last week's episode saw Charlie work her magic on couple John and Helen's Port Talbot garden as Helen, who was born in Cornwall but moved to Wales as a young girl, hoped to have a touch of the South West coastline throughout their outdoor space.
Explaining her vision for the garden, Helen reminisced on her childhood. She said: "I love the coast and I miss Cornwall desperately."
In addition to making their garden an alluring space to spend their free time in, John and Helen wanted their outdoor area to appeal to the local wildlife. The couple wanted to grow their own fruit and vegetables in the garden, and encourage more birds to visit.
After Charlie got to work on the garden, it was totally transformed into a haven awash with colour and coastal vibes. The garden expert and her team gave the space a new lease of life by erecting a central sandstone patio with a dry stone wall and relaxing water feature, planting inspired by Cornwall, a range of produce-filled pots, and several of the couple's beloved garden ornaments.
But things were not plain sailing as, during the £5,000 transformation, £1,000 of Cornish fauna got trapped in a van. Thankfully, the team were able to overcome this problem, and John and Helen were overjoyed with the finished result.
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