Landscape Gardener Daniel Bradbury was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's Disease 2 years ago at the age of just 30.
For the first episode of Love Your Garden series 9, Daniel was surprised at his home in Hucknall near Nottingham by Alan Titchmarsh in what turned out to be the most emotional Love your Garden episode ever shown.
Daniel lives with his wife Jordan 31, whom he married last year and his 2 year old twins Lola and Jasper.
Tragically they have discovered that Lola and Jasper have a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the gene that has given Daniel his rare mutated gene Alzheimer's Disease.
Daniels dad died aged just 36 from which is now known to be the same condition.
Alan arrived at the house early morning and was greeted by a shocked Jordan and was quickly invited in for a brew!
Daniel looked equally surprised, Lola and Jasper were excited and Jordan mum Sarah Watson and Daniels Nurse Lisa Chadwick were all there for the revealing of the reason for Alan's visit.
Daniel and Jordan met at work and have been together for 13 years. Things have really changed for them since Daniels diagnosis as he has found things getting harder.
Whilst working as a Landscape Gardener 2 years ago, it became obvious things were not right with Daniel. Stuart Robinson, Daniels ex boss and best friend noticed he was unsteady on his feet, he was not himself and he could not retain information like instructions.
Sarah his mother in law recalls him being unable to walk or drink without misjudging it.
Following a visit to his GP and tests, he was diagnosed with Dementia, a devastating shock both for Daniel, his family and friends. Something they are all still struggling to come to terms with.
Alzheimer's Disease is the most common form of Dementia amongst young people and is also especially aggressive for this age group. Daniel has a life expectancy of just 4 years. He is now just 32 years old.
In an emotional and honest chat with Alan, Daniel explains that he can never come to terms with his diagnosis. Dementia has changed him and keeps progressively changing him, he is not the man he was. It has effected his speech, his mobility, his thought processes and the ability to complete tasks.
Jordan has to cope on a day basic with not only the twins and their needs but Daniel and the fact she is losing her husband a little bit more every day.
Alan is in disbelief at their ability to talk about it so openly and the strength they have to cope.
The Garden
The have recently moved into this new house and Daniel has a bedroom in what was once the dining room.
Daniel is now unable to do the job he once loved and the garden has remained untouched since they moved in.
Daniel has always kept their gardens immaculate and the garden is a reminder of what he can no longer do.
Daniel due to his poor mobility needs an accessible garden and the twins Lola and Jasper need somewhere safe to play.
The garden is not only a space where the family can spend time together but also time apart.
Alan Titchmarsh has his trusty team of David Domoney, Frances Tophill, Katie Rushworth and landscape company Berry Landscapes
Daniels colleagues and friends from his former landscape Gardening days have also come along to help make this garden happen.
Katie job is to provide a sanctuary for Daniel in one corner of the garden for his hobby of drumming. A cedar clad studio with glazed windows overlooking the garden, with a light coloured easy access figure of 8 pathway.
David job is to construct an eating area within the garden as the indoor dining room is now Daniels bedroom. There needs to be enough room for the whole family to eat together near to the house.
Frances job is to make a rustic play area for energetic 2 year old Lola and Jasper.
Alan has the corner opposite Daniels drumming cabin to make a sanctuary for Jordan
The whole team, together want to create a garden for Daniel to be proud of as he is 'one of ours' a fellow landscape gardener.
The garden is to be surrounded by light coloured fences and divided into a series of rooms.
The dining area will have a large table and outdoor kitchen.
The children's play zone will have a den, trampoline and rolling mounds of lawn.
Jordan area will feature an arbour with trailing climbers and wildflowers.
Daniels area will be not only for therapy in the cabin but also include sensory planting.
Alan visits Westbrooke House, Market Harborough for ideas and to admire the pathways, tree avenues, mown paths and planting which is open to the public via The National Garden Scheme
A work in progress
David uses porcelain wood effect tiles for the flooring surrounded by a pergola to make the dining area intimate.
He encloses the back of the pergola with cedar trellis to make the garden safe from the road outside.
An outside kitchen is added for the family to be together at mealtimes.
Katie is working on the cabin sanctuary that is for Daniel. In the beds in the figure of 8 pathway she is making a sensory wonderland using Senecio, salvias, mint bush and grasses.
David uses porcelain wood effect tiles for the flooring surrounded by a pergola to make the dining area intimate.
He encloses the back of the pergola with cedar trellis to make the garden safe from the road outside.
An outside kitchen is added for the family to be together at mealtimes.
Katie is working on the cabin sanctuary that is for Daniel. In the beds in the figure of 8 pathway she is making a sensory wonderland using Senecio, salvias, mint bush and grasses.
Outside the cabin Katie plants a raised bed with Annuals to encourage Daniel to look after the plants and to add new ones.
Katie adds a drum kit and painting equipment to the cabin.
Frances is using rustic wood to construct a playhouse for the children.
Frances using the spare soil from the tree holes, carefully mounds it and flattens it with her feet to make turf mounds in the children's play area.
In the play house she cuts shapes, a circle doorway and a triangular window.
Stepping stones made from old tiles that she shaped and using a trug treated with WD40 sets into cement. The mosaic animals are then revealed when tipped out and set in the grass mounds.
Alan is creating a dramatic entrance to Jordan's area using 6 swing trees, weighing over a ton each, the trees are grown in Holland and shaped using a cane framework. These trees will flank the mown grass pathway leading to Jordan's Arbour.
There is just the small problem of how to get the 1 tonne trees into the garden!
With the trees in place Alan uses box finials in the corners, rosemary, euonymus and lavender form the hedge. Alan recommends planting the lavender in a trench about a foot apart for room to grow, trim it back lightly into new growth wood and is great for the bees.
He plants in drifts and blocks in the main beds using herbs, lambs ears, nemesia, foxgloves and grasses making a plant tapestry. See the link below for a video of the planting scheme.
The Arbour includes copies of their wedding vows and roses and surrounded by wild flowers like the ones in Jordan's wedding bouquet.
David visits B&B owner and amateur gardener Frances Meares-Young to look at her herbaceous borders and help with her new sensory borders. Stoberry House
What this Garden means to the family
Alan wants to hear how Jordan is coping and takes her away for a chat. Jordan tells Alan of Daniels love for gardening and being outdoors and talks about how his illness started. 3 years ago Daniel got very depressed, which led to him stop caring and enjoying what he was doing, at that time they had no idea what was to come.
A second heart breaking revelation on the day Daniel was diagnosed was that the twins have a 50-50 chance of developing the same disease, leaves you with the inability to know how the family can cope and continue to cope.
Jordan wears a mask most days and her love for Daniel and the promises she made to him keeps her strong.
The garden is going to make a huge difference to the family, a lifeline to try a restore some balance when the Alzheimer's is winning. A place to create memories of Daniel in the little time they have left together.
The Grand reveal
The final touch to the garden is an apple tree for Daniel to finish planting the garden is ready for the family to see for the first time.
Daniel and Jordan open your eyes.
Tears, shock, amazement, happiness, sadness, laughter, its incredible, so peaceful and most of all love.
Lola and Jasper explore their new play area and teach a dinosaur to swim.
Finally Daniel finished planting 'Dads apple tree' as a lasting legacy for Lola and Jasper to pick apples from.
As corks pop and friends and family flood in to see the garden Alan talks about the emotional experience of making the garden and that it will make such a big difference to the family.
Frances is using rustic wood to construct a playhouse for the children.
Frances using the spare soil from the tree holes, carefully mounds it and flattens it with her feet to make turf mounds in the children's play area.
In the play house she cuts shapes, a circle doorway and a triangular window.
Stepping stones made from old tiles that she shaped and using a trug treated with WD40 sets into cement. The mosaic animals are then revealed when tipped out and set in the grass mounds.
Alan is creating a dramatic entrance to Jordan's area using 6 swing trees, weighing over a ton each, the trees are grown in Holland and shaped using a cane framework. These trees will flank the mown grass pathway leading to Jordan's Arbour.
There is just the small problem of how to get the 1 tonne trees into the garden!
He plants in drifts and blocks in the main beds using herbs, lambs ears, nemesia, foxgloves and grasses making a plant tapestry. See the link below for a video of the planting scheme.
The Arbour includes copies of their wedding vows and roses and surrounded by wild flowers like the ones in Jordan's wedding bouquet.
David visits B&B owner and amateur gardener Frances Meares-Young to look at her herbaceous borders and help with her new sensory borders. Stoberry House
What this Garden means to the family
Alan wants to hear how Jordan is coping and takes her away for a chat. Jordan tells Alan of Daniels love for gardening and being outdoors and talks about how his illness started. 3 years ago Daniel got very depressed, which led to him stop caring and enjoying what he was doing, at that time they had no idea what was to come.
A second heart breaking revelation on the day Daniel was diagnosed was that the twins have a 50-50 chance of developing the same disease, leaves you with the inability to know how the family can cope and continue to cope.
Jordan wears a mask most days and her love for Daniel and the promises she made to him keeps her strong.
The garden is going to make a huge difference to the family, a lifeline to try a restore some balance when the Alzheimer's is winning. A place to create memories of Daniel in the little time they have left together.
The Grand reveal
The final touch to the garden is an apple tree for Daniel to finish planting the garden is ready for the family to see for the first time.
Daniel and Jordan open your eyes.
Tears, shock, amazement, happiness, sadness, laughter, its incredible, so peaceful and most of all love.
Lola and Jasper explore their new play area and teach a dinosaur to swim.
Finally Daniel finished planting 'Dads apple tree' as a lasting legacy for Lola and Jasper to pick apples from.
As corks pop and friends and family flood in to see the garden Alan talks about the emotional experience of making the garden and that it will make such a big difference to the family.
All photographs are copyright of ITV.com
Love Your Garden - Get the look - Episode 1
Love Your Garden Planting Scheme Episode 1
Alzheimer's Society - Daniel Bradbury
Alzheimer's Society - Alan Titchmarsh backs Memory Walk Campaign
Links
Love Your Garden - Get the look - Episode 1
Love Your Garden Planting Scheme Episode 1
Alzheimer's Society - Daniel Bradbury
Alzheimer's Society - Alan Titchmarsh backs Memory Walk Campaign
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