The Block 2019 garden reveal recap: El'ise and Matt make it two in a row

The Blockheads have been going for 100 days now, and tonight marked their final reveal – the front garden. As judge Neale Whitaker put it, “[the front garden] is like tying a bow on each house”.

This week’s winner scores a new car. They can either keep it for themselves or sell it along with the house. Everyone is choosing to keep it for themselves, as they’re not morons.

Here’s how it played out in the final reveal before the moment of truth at this weekend’s auction.

Mitch and Mark 

After letting their hair down at a party they threw for their tradies, Mitch and Mark crawled to the finish line with hangovers in tow.

Their aim with their terrace was to link the heritage and the mid-century feel of their interior with their front garden.

Highlights included a bluestone pavers, pet friendly turf around the palm tree and a huge cycad in a dramatic feature urn.

Upon entering, Neale commented “it’s a grand house and they’ve presented a beautifully grand little garden”. Shaynna Blaze approved of the styling, but when the judges returned in the evening to see how it looked all lit up, they were a little disappointed. 

Shaynna felt that there was too much lighting and it wasn’t well placed. She said “it’s not as glamorous as I thought it was going to be … I thought the lighting was going to stimulate it a little bit more.” 

Tess and Luke

According to Tess, the goal with their front garden was to create a private, lush space with a little moodiness to match the interior of their home. 

Neale was a fan, saying “it’s got a sense of grandeur to it … good on them for making this much of an impact with so little money … I think they’ve done the old girl proud”.

He continued saying “I don’t remember ever on The Block experiencing this type of luxury before you’ve even gone through the front door”. 

In the evening, Neale felt the light was better distributed than in Mitch and Mark’s place. While they probably used half the number of lights, he felt it was a great example of “less is more”. 

Andy and Deb 

House number three was one of only two houses to use landscapers (the others were El’ise and Matt). 

And after Andy took a big stack down the stairs and almost broke his ankle, it was a good thing they weren’t trying to do all the manual labour themselves.

On top of redoing their main bedroom (which the judges found a bit “nana-ish”), the couple presented a front garden that had the judges marvelling “Andy and Deb never disappoint”. 

Darren Palmer loved the central island with the palm tree growing out of it and the bluestone paving. He commented “there is so much to love here”. They felt the planting was simple but effective and the cycads and magnolias were good choices. 

The unique rocking chairs got the seal of approval, with Shaynna noting that the space had a seaside feel to it, which suited the St Kilda environment. 

Neale was enamoured with the pots, saying they were “the best” he had ever seen.

The garden was also visually appealing in the evening, with beautifully lit steps. As Neale put it “it feels seriously glamorous … it’s subtle but there’s a real sense of theatricality to it”. 

El’ise and Matt

The Perth pair are again using landscaper Dave Franklin, who helped them win the rooftop terrace reveal last week.

They opted for bold black and white feature tiles to tie in with the federation style.

They also incorporated potted succulents, a wooden park bench and two cumquat trees (which provided the first bit of real colour the judges had seen in any of the garden planting).

The judges fell in love with it instantly. 

“El’ise and Matt have a knack for making it seem as if everything has been there forever. There’s a real maturity to it … it’s beautiful, confident and classic” commented Neale. 

They also loved the eye for detail, such as the umbrellas at the front door, which made it feel like a real home.

The lighting didn’t let them down in the evening – the judges felt the lighting had been “sensitively placed to welcome you as you walk in”. 

Shaynna concluded saying “house one used to be the glamour house … now it’s definitely house four”. 

Jesse and Mel 

Jesse feels The Block has aged him 50 years, after he did much of the back-breaking work himself. 

But lucky for us, that fatigue didn’t stop him from giving everyone a crash course in what a deciduous tree is. 

The Melbourne locals presented a “minimalist” front garden, with Neale commenting that there was an “elegant simplicity” to it. Basically it was some plants, some feature pots and an outdoor setting with a coffee table.

While they acknowledged there wasn’t much there, it was a “very presentable” space that is the right entrance for the house beyond.”

The huge number of gardenias they planted pleased Shaynna, with her saying that the perfume will be “stunning” and that this is a garden that will benefit from time. 

Unfortunately when they returned in the evening the judges felt the lighting plan was “a little undercooked”. 

In the end, El’ise and Matt took home the honours and the new car, and everyone was relieved they didn’t have to look at a hammer again for a while.

Final scores

Mitch and Mark – 21

Tess and Luke – 26.5

Andy and Deb – 28

El’ise and Matt – 29.5

Jesse and Mel – 22.5

Join us on Sunday night when we recap The Block auction finale live.