Since he has made a career out of gardening, it’s unsurprising that Adam Frost has crafted his own stunning outdoor paradise at home with his wife, Sulina, and their four kids, Abi-Jade, Jacob, Amber-Lily, and Oakley. The Gardeners’ World host, 55, previously lived in a large five-bedroom property in Lincolnshire with nearly four acres of land from 2016 to 2022.
After the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with family health problems such as his Fibromyalgia, his wife’s battle with sepsis and his daughter, Amber-Lily, becoming unwell with an eating disorder, they decided to downsize. Now, he has created a “safe” garden for his family…
Big family move
Confirming the move during an appearance on Gardener’s World, Adam said: “Like so many of us over the last couple of years, I had time to just stop and think. Probably, in reality for the first time since I was about 16 years old – and realised that my life is slightly chaotic. So as a family, we’ve just decided to scale back, so I can spend more time with them – but it does mean I’ve got a smaller garden.”
Adam revealed that while he loved his former home, he found it stressful trying to maintain the garden while also making time for his family. Promoting a less-is-more approach is now his motto, the author of How I Garden told Gardeners Illustrated that he was happy to find a home with a garden he felt “safe” in.
“Before, I had a massive 3.5 or 4-acre garden. I was running a garden school that was open to the public, and it was on the telly. But all I could see was lists and lists of jobs, and it was overwhelming. As a working-class boy, I’d been given the idea that if you work and work, you can get a better life and a bigger house. But actually, when you get there, it’s not quite what you were told.
“The moment I downsized, I walked out in the garden with a cup of coffee and felt safe. I’ve got to a point in life where I really don’t care what people think. I think we worry too much about the outside world. I literally get up now to have a nice day. It’s about becoming comfortable in your own soul.”
‘Scruffy’ garden design
© InstagramThe Gardeners’ World star has created two terraces in his new garden
Adam spent months designing and revamping the outdoor space, which he admitted was challenging due to the fact that it sloped. During a tour of the space, he told fans there was “two metres difference” in height between the floor near the house and the end of the garden.
He rectified the problem by creating two terraces. The first had a seating area that got plenty of sun in the north-facing garden, and allowed him to create paths that weaved through his planters. Situated up a set of stairs, the second terrace has an “unkept lawn” that is a haven for wildlife, right outside the door of his outdoor office – an area he originally feared would be “a little bit awkward” to design due to its proximity to the house.
© InstagramAdam Frost opened up about feeling “safe” in his new smaller garden
Elsewhere, he has a greenhouse where he plants vegetables like aubergines and tomatoes, as well as a “gravel garden”, which he admitted was his favourite place outdoors. “Some of this garden is definitely scruffy around the edges. It’s not all tidy, and that is for a reason. This garden is about me, my family, but on top of that, it’s about wildlife,” he confessed.
Adam Frost’s former home
The horticulturist shared plenty of glimpses inside his former home, which dated back to 1702. “We didn’t know how old the house was when we moved in two years ago,” Adam revealed to House Beautiful in 2018. “The property has been extended and added to over the years and the garden has been pared back. I want to return it to its former glory, and have already cleared out the original orchard and restored the yew hedge and Robinia grove.”
© InstagramAdam’s former home was in Lincolnshire
As well as offering plenty of space to set up his gardening school, he said there were other selling points to the home. “It has five bedrooms and nearly three acres of land, but what sold it to me was the awesome wisteria climbing up the front. The scent was amazing!”.
The sprawling garden featured perfectly pruned raised beds and a pizza oven. However, he struggled to pinpoint his favourite flowers, stating: “People often ask what my favourite flower is, but it’s like choosing a favourite child – it can change hourly depending on who’s being nice! I’ve got a soft spot for peonies at the moment, and species roses. A lot of my gardening is driven by memories.”
While he focused mainly on the exterior, he said his wife had a passion for renovating the interior, too. “Moving here surpassed our expectations,” the BBC star said. “The house had already had a lot of work done, and Sulina is doing up the children’s rooms. She also likes to restore furniture and we sometimes go to auctions together.”
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