Garden makeovers look so easy when the experts do them, especially on crisply-edited half-hour shows with behind-the-scenes help and TV money.

Weed filled, rubbish strewn plots are transformed into luxuriously-manicured, urban gardens in the time it takes to cook dinner.

But the reality for Chris Coles was a little more like hard work.

When he was contacted by producers of a new Channel 4 gardening show looking for suitable projects, furniture designer Chris could have been forgiven for thinking he had an easy ride ahead.

Little did he know he was taking part in a new generation of show, the type where the viewing audience wants to see hard graft, sweat and cash changing hands.

City Gardener, which starts on Tuesday, took Chris' overgrown Brighton weed pit and transformed it into an urban garden paradise.

A rusty washing line and old, smashed-up furniture made way for three raised, circular lawns, trees, bushes and shrubs.

The programme's gardening brain, horticulturist Matt James, 27, was partly inspired by the layout of the Royal Pavilion's grounds, which he visited on his trip to the city.

Producer Jill Lourie said the idea of City Gardener was to show people how a patch of garden can be turned into an extra room to enjoy.

"Rather than sending in a whole workforce and them doing it for you, which is very passive, the people whose gardens we were transforming would be hands on and learn something useful."

Chris spent more than £2,000 on the makeover but the total cost was subsidised. He said: "About £3,000 was spent on plants alone. I don't know how much it would have cost normally.

"The machinery and building materials were free and the plants were half price.

"I didn't want anything built or structural. I'm a designer so all day I'm working with shape and form. I just wanted trees and plants and nature.

"I wanted a bit of lawn to lie on in the summer, a shed to make furniture and trees. What Matt has designed is amazing. There are three raised 10ft discs of lawn in a triangular pattern, with a stainless steel ring around them and big birch trees.

"Everyone is quite taken back when they see it. It's nothing spectacular because I wanted something natural but in summer it's such a tranquil spot.

"You can actually get hidden in the trees. All the cats in the neighbourhood play in them.

"I bought the house about three years ago because of the garden but didn't know what to do with it. I had never done any gardening before at all.

"Matt turned up with a team and worked with us, helping us along. There were about six or seven of us each day for a week. I had both my brothers and people from work helping.

"If I had told all my mates we were going to spend a week working really hard to do my garden up for free, they'd have told me where to go.

"But you tell people they're going to be on TV and suddenly everyone's up for it. The hardest thing was putting in all the time. It's not difficult but you have to work.

"After three weeks, there were weeds growing, so you have to get out and do some work when you'd rather be down the pub."

The makeover of Chris' garden is scheduled to be screened on Tuesday, June 3 at 8.30pm.