Bonnie’s Blog with Will Mellor from Two Pints of Lager & A Packet of Crisps
When I think of Will Mellor I think of the Hollyoaks hunk who later went on to be the funnyman in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. I am pleased to say that when I met him he did not disappoint either of my expectations! He strolled out in a tight blue t-shirt (looking ready for all the heavy lifting I was about to ask of him) with a cheeky smile and a constant stream of banter. I knew it was going to be a great day.
My big brother Russ and GardenER’s handyman AJ leant us a hand to rip out the old fashioned water feature that Will was so keen to be rid of (we joked that a fan may be interested if we put it on ebay, and he seemed more reluctant to let it go 
) It’s a good job there were a few of us because if it was worth its weight in gold it would cost a fortune; sadly it was only worth its weight in concrete! The existing planting was sparse, including a woody Hebe, a pathetic Laurel, an out of place Eleagnus,overgrown Lavender and a palm (the only one worth keeping).
Will wanted a contemporary theme and loved the idea of a stainless steel water ball or water wall. I liked both suggestions, as stainless steel gives a mirroring effect to create the illusion of a bigger space. I was concerned that the ball would be lost amongst the tall planting I had planned so I went in search of a ‘ball on a pedestal’. Kerry (our director and series producer for this shoot) looked slightly worried as we revealed what she described as a dustbin with a ball on top. As you can imagine her reaction put my confidence at an all-time high just before I was about to unveil it to Will! Luckily he shared my enthusiasm and thought that it was the best of both as it had the height of a water wall combined with the contemporary ball.
Once we had decided on the positioning, Russ and AJ connected it to the electrics and it trickled away a treat! In its new home it looked even bigger and more dust bin like against the blank canvass…but that was nothing a load of plants couldn’t solve! Will has a fine eye for detail and confessed that he is a total perfectionist, which was brilliant for me, because he got so involved and we bounced off each other. No plant was safe as we constantly removed and relocated them until finally we found the winning combination. Will started off by saying that he liked to see gaps in the planting but by the end he was fitting them in all over the place (including the other borders in his garden)…he was in grave danger of becoming a plant-a-holic!
We went for a minimal planting pallet to tie in with Wills contemporary ideal, featuring predominantly grasses including Miscanthussinensis ‘Morning Light’, Miscanthussinensis ‘Zebrinus’, and Imperatacylindrica ‘Red Baron’ which strappy foliage contrasts with the big purple leaves of Canna ‘Pacific Beauty’. Grasses will do well in this sunny spot and will even survive next to Will’s monster Conifer that will suck the soil dry of moisture and nutrients.
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