‘SMALL gardens are VITAL'

Gardening gurus Katie Rushworth and Frances Tophill on how to transform tiny spaces into pocket-sized havens…

- REBECCA FLETCHER

LOVE YOUR SMALL GARDEN NEW TUESDAY / ITV / 8 PM / EP 1 of 1 / LIFESTYLE

Frances Tophill was first in line when Alan Titchmarsh asked the Love Your Garden team how to make the most of tiny outdoor spaces.

‘I had plenty of ideas, as I could totally relate to it,’ says Frances, as she joins us for a chat about this week’s special episode of the popular ITV makeover series that’s dedicated to transforming small patches into beautiful wonderlands.

‘During filming last year, I rented a house with a really tiny, uninspiring, concrete garden, which I didn’t plan to do anything with – then the pandemic hit and it was the only outdoor space I had.

‘I pulled everything up, found a bit of bed, and filled it with edible plants, greenery, and a small tree, and by summer it was a little haven. I loved it. My concrete, postage-stamp garden was now my safe place and full of life. It bowled me over how special small spaces can be.’

Fellow Love Your Garden star Katie Rushworth couldn’t agree more. ‘Small gardens are vital and just as important as big gardens because it’s often the only outside space people have,’ she tells us. ‘With the right design and some clever tricks, small plots can be made to look and feel bigger.’

Here, in an exclusive interview, Frances, 32, and Katie, 38, share with TV Times the tricks they used to transform two tiny backyards in this week’s show…

It’s hard to do much with a small garden, isn’t it?