It was a rainy day in April when the Ground Force trucks trundled through the streets of Chesham and then went along Chartridge Lane. The trucks weren't going to a private house, instead they parked down the slip road which backed onto The Willow Retirement Home.

The Willow Retirement Home has ten comfortable rooms for its sprightly occupants, aged between 80 and 97. Lynne Woodstock, the owner of the home, had decided that the 250ft garden was looking a little overgrown and was in need of attention. She decided to write to Ground Force in the hope of giving the garden a face-lift and lo and behold they agreed.

"I was so shocked they agreed. They have thousands of letters every week," says Lynne Woodstock.

However, there was one big snag where were they going to send the occupants so that it would be a surprise for them?

They couldn't leave the home.

Lynne came up with an idea.

"It was during the Foot and Mouth crisis so I said to them that the farm which backed on to us wanted to put their horses in our garden, and the horses would get frightened if we stared out of the windows, so we put brown paper over all the windows facing the garden."

The little white lie worked. For the two days the Ground Force team worked like Trojans, the occupants were none the wiser.

Alan Titchmarsh decided that in the time span they had, it was too much work to do the whole of the 250ft garden, so they concentrated on a third of the garden near the house.

"It was appalling weather. It poured with rain."

Charlie, Alan and Tommy all agreed that it was the muddiest Ground Force yet.

"They really did the garden in two days and they did it all themselves."

The garden was originally just grassed over with one feature a swing hanging from a willow tree.

"I bought the swing for my daughter when she was a little girl when I first opened the home and now the residents like to have a little swing on it from time to time."

Alan and his team worked to make it a more formal garden where the residents could sit or go for a stroll.

Tommy laid a formal cross of paving in red brick and Charlie put in one of her famous water features.

"It isn't very big. It's a concrete urn with a statue."

The other features were a bird bath to attract some of our feathered friends and some discreet pots among ribbon borders.

Alan came up with the idea of making the area into a scented garden with lavender and herbs, which not only gives colour but scent to the garden.

Lynne was overjoyed with the outcome, and the residents couldn't believe it when they stepped out into a beautiful scented garden that had been just grass two days before.

During the year the residents have really enjoyed the garden.

"Some of the residents enjoy doing a bit of gardening now.

"It was hard work in the summer with the weeding but after everything it was well worth it."

Ground Force is on BBC 1 on January 21 at 8.30pm