WHAT CAN VIEWERS EXPECT FROM THE SECOND SERIES?
WE'VE got six episodes and a real variation. We've got two new designers joining the line-up, so six designers all in, and an extra guy who does all of the smaller spaces – the more urban spaces, community spaces – which is something we've focused on this series.
That kind of sense of what a garden can do for a wider community, not just for a family.
And we've now got people who have a real sense of what they want and what they can get. It's exciting.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE AS PRESENTER
Well we've got the designers who know everything that anyone needs to know about gardening, so I am the woman of the people. I've certainly learned (along the way) but I wouldn't say I'm into gardening. I love being outdoors and I have managed to keep a cheese plant alive for seven years, so there's definitely an interest there.
HAVE RECENT TIMES CHANGED YOUR OUTLOOK ON OUTDOOR SPACE?
Yeah, over the past couple of years I have a newfound appreciation of garden spaces, whatever they are. I think that's why Your Garden Made Perfect worked so well the first time around; we're not just with a traditional gardening audience, but with people who have suddenly gone, "Oh my God, my little balcony was my refuge during lockdown. It offered so much to me that I never considered before".
So yeah, gardening to my mind has opened up massively. It's not just about sweeping country lawns, it's about urban spaces and shared gardens in flats and courtyards and minuscule balconies that still feel like joy.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF THE SHOW?
I love the competition between the gardeners – there is fierce rivalry. And then it's the reveals; the realisation that when it comes to these places and these gardens, it's not just about planting some nice flowers and trimming their borders, it can have a massive impact on families and the way they live and the way they interact together.
And, again, it's probably been brought to light by the past couple of years, where there's home-schooling, working from home, somebody upstairs, someone downstairs, the kitchen overrun with people.
No matter what kind of a house you have, I think we've all felt like we're on top of each other. So to then suddenly have this gorgeous place that they can have family dinners together and see the kids playing, it can be quite emotional.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO YOUR HOME MADE PERFECT, DO YOU THINK?
So often we have real confidence in our interior style, in what we want in our home, even down to the lingo, and that's helped by shows like Your Home Made Perfect and Grand Designs. People are more confident. And then it comes to gardens and you're like, "What do I do? Do I buy a few plants and literally hope for the best?".
There's more vulnerability because they don't feel like they're in control at all and it is really hard to wrap your head around it when you're handing over a pot of hard-earned cash and entrusting it in the designers.
That's where the virtual reality comes into its own because they can go, "Ah, OK, it's going to look like that in two years' time". It's hard to envisage a mature garden, and so here they are looking into the future, but also kind of slightly, aimlessly handing it over and going, "Please help us!".
:: Your Garden Made Perfect returns to BBC Two on Friday February 4
