We recently interviewed Adam Frost in The Westland Garden Spring/Summer 2025, here is an extended version of that interview, plus Behind-the-Scenes content from the day we visited him in his garden.
Adam Frost is a renowned British garden designer and horticulturist. In 2016, he joined the BBC’s “Gardeners World” as a presenter and has since become a familiar face on the programme. Chris Young visited Adam at his Lincolnshire home in Rutland to find out more about his love for gardening.
Garden Fact file:
Where: Lincolnshire
Size of garden: front: 30 x 12; back: 35m x 30m
Soil: improved garden loam
Adam’s interesting plants:
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- Trees: Cornus mas “reliable and hard working”
- Shrubs: Rosa spinosissima ‘Dunwich Rose’ “the early white flowers are a joy”
- Perennials: Epimedium ‘Spine Tingler’ “very long, dark leaves are great”
- Bulbs: Camassia leichtlinii ‘Sacajawea’ “variegated leaved, brilliant spring flowers”
- Fern: Polystichum polyblepharum “elegant, evergreen, enduring”
Top 3 tools:
- Dutch planting spade
- Japanese secateurs
- Pocket knife and twine
How long have you been gardening?
Since I can remember, but definitely since I was 3! In terms of a job, as soon as I could leave school at the age of 16.
Would you say gardening is your job and your passion, or do you have other hobbies?
Yes, I love gardening a lot, but I also do other things too. I’ve played sport, especially football, all my life and I’m now helping coach younger kids. I also love music and cookery. When I cook, I love trying new things – in fact, anything that catches my eye.
What’s the one thing you love about gardening most?
Getting my hands in the soil. It’s really that simple.
What sort of plants do you love to grow?
All of them! I genuinely have an interest in a diverse range of plants, but what particularly interests me is the layering of plants. Using trees, shrubs, perennials…. plus drifts of bulbs. The more inspiration we take from nature, and look to see how plants grow together, the more we can do in our gardens.
You worked for Geoff Hamilton. What was he like?
Geoff was an inspiration. He presented the Gardeners’ World television programme from 1979 until he died in 1996. The programme came from his garden in Barnsdale, Rutland, from 1985. I worked with him for many years, helping build his famous sets and different gardens. He was fun; a good bloke to get on with. But looking back, he was way ahead of the times – he was organic and peat-free 30 years ago! I feel as if the rest of the world is still catching up with him.
Best bit of advice when gardening, and who from?
From the one and only Geoff: “the answer’s in the soil, boy”.
You’re pretty unique in being able to build gardens as well as design them. Should more people be hands-on like you?
If you can, then yes! Knowing how materials get put together, how they interact, and how they are constructed is really interesting – and, I reckon, makes me a better designer. My old man was a landscaper, and now our son is starting in the landscaping world. It’s brilliant to watch him work but also to learn new techniques, new materials and new machinery.
Do you feel gardening is good for your mental health?
Absolutely. Lots of people say it is, and I know it has been over my life. But it really hit home when I designed and built my 2013 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden. It was for Homebase but in association with the Alzheimer’s Society. I saw the importance of memory, of watching people interact; really just having a magical space to be outside. I’m really pleased that things like social prescribing are now happening on the NHS – we all need that connection with nature and plants.
Top tip for someone starting out?
Measure it up. Get it on paper. Sounds boring, but it’s got to be done!
You’re a presenter, designer, speaker and author. Which one do you love the most?
Being a designer.
You were very close with your grandparents. What advice would you give any grandparent who wants to enthuse their grandchild?
Sow a seed; any seed into a pot or a potato in the ground. Do anything that shows a youngster the power of germination. And grow something they will eat – it will make incredible memories for them.
- Adam’s new book, For the love of plants, was published by DK in March. Available from all good bookshops and online
- In April, September and October, Adam will be on tour, talking all things plants, gardens and memories. Book tickets: fane.co.uk/adam-frost
