Adam Frost has become a familiar sight on Gardeners’ World, sauntering through swards, watering plants and generally getting his hands dirty in the soil. If he had a superpower, it would be demystifying gardening and showing it’s something anyone can, and crucially, should, do. But four decades ago, he was the one his grandparents were subtly convincing to get outside.
“I had a difficult childhood and so I ended up spending a lot of time with my grandparents,” the 56-year-old recalls. When he was a teenager, Frost’s mother and father, who had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, moved him from Harlow in Essex to Devon, before splitting up. He found school difficult, a later diagnosis of dyslexia explaining some of his struggles, and moved into a bedsit at 16.
“[My grandparents’] gardens became my safe space. I had my tidy nan, with closely knotted daffodils and cut weeds, and grandad, who taught me to grow vegetables at his allotment. He always had this gentle calmness about him, which my old man didn’t; he was on the other end of the spectrum. At that point, I thought it was all my fault, and I bottled things up, but I would talk to my grandad more than anybody. It was easier as we were doing [something], rather than looking at each other. Then there was scruffy nan, who had an overgrown suburban garden that gave me a sense of freedom.”
The garden is where he still retreats as an adult. “When life isn’t dealing the cards that I want to play with, the garden is where I go.
Adam presents ‘Outsiding’ with co-host Caitlin Moran
“Five years ago, the wheels came off as Mrs Frost and one of the kids became poorly,” he recalls. “We had this huge house with a big outdoor space that I was totally disengaged with, so we moved and simplified life. Reconnecting with a smaller garden was incredibly cathartic. I watched my wife get better as we created it together.
“My biggest problem at the moment is that I don’t want to be anywhere other than my garden.”
Being outside while working on a project is also how he was eventually able to heal the fractured bond with his father before he died in 2012. “We did some landscaping together, and we built our relationship around this idea of creating something. I learnt more about my old man than I ever did before. We had a big sort-out, and by the time he passed away, we were good mates, which is funny, innit? I’ve not really said that out loud before.
“There are still problems with men’s mental health, and that idea of talking, but my own boys will talk more than I would at their age, and it’s usually when we’re working together too.”
It’s no wonder he wants to get more people involved in gardening. “All I want is for everybody to get their hands in soil, because hand on heart, I think the world would be a happier place. I’d quite like to get all the world leaders and lock them in a walled garden for a month while I teach them all to garden. It could make them into better people.”
Adam in his garden at home. He says: ‘When life isn’t dealing the cards that I want to play with, the garden is where I go’ (Photo: BBC Studios)
His children – Abi-Jade, Jacob, Amber-Lily, and Oakley, who range in age from teenagers to late twenties – have naturally inherited their dad’s love for it, particularly Amber-Lily, who is considering a career in horticulture.
“I’m trying not to say too much, so she feels like she has to do it. I will let it play out. I just want her to be happy,” he says sweetly. Frost will be great for advice if she does decide to pursue it; he shares a sample with us. “Like life, a garden is one big experiment that goes at its own pace and does what it wants. You’re signing up for a lifetime of learning, so take your time, understand your space, and then slowly build.”
Pearls of wisdom of a similar kind can also be heard on his new podcast, Outsiding, which he hosts with the writer Caitlin Moran. Each week, they celebrate the joys of nature, wildlife, and gardening, inviting celebrity guests including Bob Mortimer and Charlotte Church to join them outdoors.
Frost was initially hesitant to join the ranks of podcasters, as there were already a lot of gardening podcasts, but reassurance that it wouldn’t be restricted to how to garden and a meeting with Moran changed his mind. Now he is determined to build a community – “but not in a naff way. It will be a place where people can engage.”
He adds: “It’s a different interview environment for our guests, so they open up about stuff they wouldn’t ordinarily discuss. Dawn O’Porter spoke about loss, and I could feel myself becoming totally overwhelmed because my uncle, who I viewed as a dad, passed away before Christmas. But I still felt comfortable talking.”
Adam and Caitlin celebrate the joys of nature
What he also loves about the outdoors is its power as an equalising force. “It really bridges the class system in this country. I can be down on the allotment, talking to a local called Jim, and then I can have a conversation with King Charles. You’re just talking to them as gardeners,” says Frost. “I’ve done filming all around the world, and I’ve consistently found it unites people in a way that not many things do.”
Although he remains, at core, non-judgemental, he recently admitted on Sunday Brunch that he doesn’t enjoy giant chess sets in a garden. “You’re paving over a large section of garden just to play chess, and when you go to a hotel, you see kids hitting each other with them.” With a cheeky smile on his face, Frost adds, “You can just take a chess set outside, so it’s a pet hate.”
With that level of controversy, it is easy to see how Frost has helped Gardeners’ World become one of the longest-running shows, celebrating its 60th anniversary next year. “For so many people, it’s a staple part of their week. They get to Friday night, the music comes on, his lordship – as I like to call Monty Don – walks out, dogs in tow, and the whole world feels like a beautiful place to be.”
Not that Frost had longed to be on the show – he initially actively avoided it while climbing the ranks as a landscaper. When people asked him to speak on camera at events such as the Chelsea Flower Show, he’d say: “Not for me” – but then one man changed his path.
Adam is best known for his work on ‘Gardeners’ World’ (Photo: BBC Studios)
“If there were a human being that was to blame for me being on the telly, it would have to be Nick Knowles from DIY SOS [a show on which Frost regularly returns as a guest designer]. He would always say to me: ‘You love talking about gardening, why wouldn’t you want to talk to two million people?’
“I spent the first couple of years at Gardeners’ World thinking: “What the hell am I doing?” Then, slowly you realise that you’re just doing something you love, with nice people watching.”
His unexpected fame has been an adjustment, but not one he resents. “It’s very different going for a pint now. Normally, someone wants to talk about their tomatoes or ask for a selfie, but that is all part of it. It’s an honour. It only lasts for so long before it disappears, and then I’ll be able to go for a quiet pint again.”
‘Outsiding’ is available through all major podcast providers
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