WALKING out onto her garden decking, Tina Tombs, 42, passed her guests flutes of Champagne. As music plays the mum-of-two ensured her visitors enjoyed the evening sunset and the tray of delicate canapes she has prepared. It looked like they were in Corfu or Marbella - not Maldon, Essex.
Some were seated on the three-piece outdoor lounge and others were admiring the purple wisteria hanging from the gazebo. It was the kind of garden you’d see in a fancy magazine. “Your garden is amazing! How have you got the hanging plants to bloom so well?” asked one guest.
“I bet you use a special fertiliser on these plants. The flowers are gorgeous,” said another. What they didn’t know was that everything was fake and bought from shops including The Range and Home Gardens.
In fact mum-of-two Tina hated gardening. She said: “My garden is always blooming. My plants don’t need watering.
I steam iron the flower. I use Fairy Liquid on the leaves. I even use nail polish to make my garden sparkle.
“The views are amazing. No one knows it's fake. My backyard is blooming marvellous.
“I turned our garden from a tip full of rubble, overgrown bushes, dumped garbage and broken glass into an oasis of beautiful blooms but nothing is actually growing.” “My flowers are fake. Their leaves are fabric.
The garlands aren’t real. The wisteria doesn’t need watering. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I don’t need to weed, seed or repot plants. “My faux garden makeover cost a few .
