Adam Frost is currently chatting life, gardens and whatever tickles his fancy on UK tour. Here he opens up on career highs, royal encounters and a lifelong passion
Gardeners World presenter Adam Frost is on a UK tour – and he’s full of stories
Even if plants or gardening don’t particularly float your boat, an evening in the presence of the funny and self-deprecating Adam Frost may just get you excited about coming over all green-fingered.
If you’re already passionate about all things horticultural, you’ll love the Gardener’s World presenter’s UK tour, during which he talks about the job that’s taken him across the world – from curating a garden in Japan during a monsoon, to meeting his heroes.
Here, the Harlow-born celebrity gardener, 57 – who lives in the Lincolnshire countryside with his wife Sulina Frost, with whom he shares four children, talks about brushes with royalty, top tips for getting your garden back into shape after a long winter – and the world-famous rockstar whose garden he had a nosy around in …
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Princess Kate met Adam during a visit to the RHSs Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital which he helped create
Adam, we’re all trying to get our gardens ship-shape again. Any top tips for us?
I would say to anyone, concentrate on your soil. You know what life there is in your soil. And if needs be, start applying some mulch, because you can work as hard as you like but first you have to lay down the foundation work. That’s the key to having a good garden, really. The other thing is, do NOT overthink it— treat it all as one big experiment. Have fun. I always think… the right things will go wrong!
Are there any buys, like outdoor lights, that you particularly love?
I do like a pot. I’m quite a simple gardener, for me it’s about creating a garden that feels like it belongs there, and will carry the test of time. Mrs. Frost is always saying, “Do you actually need any more pots?” The answer is yes – you can never have enough pots.
What if you’re in the city, with just a balcony?
Oh, you can grow herbs. You don’t need rolling acres to do something nice. .You grow something, you care for it, dress a meal with it, you cook with it and that’s just lovely.
Tell us about your tour An Evening With Adam Frost…
It’s just me walking out on a stage for two hours and talking. It still blows my mind that it’s not just two men and a dog in the audience! It’s great. I’m probably enjoying the live aspect of it more than telly. And also, nobody edits you out. I go out and apologise that audiences are not getting the Gardeners’ World version of me, maybe it should be after the watershed! You get to meet people,I feel quite lucky.
The then Prince of Wales and Adam Frost deep in conversation at Highgrove
It’s not just two hours of gardening talk, is it…
No, it’s not. It starts with a little recap of my life, with me getting locked in a room with Covid in 2021 and getting diagnosed with depression, burnout, whatever. It sounds dark, but I promise you, it’s not! Really, it’s about the conversations that you ended up having about life, why I’ve been so attracted to plants, as well as different people that I’ve been drawn to.
You also talk about misadventures on your travels – can you share one?
There’s a lovely story about mangos that people seem to enjoy. But I don’t want to give any spoilers. As soon as I go abroad, I seem to get myself in a bit of bother. It just follows me.
You also talk about the music that inspires your planting…
I live in a musical world in my head. I realised over the years I was using music to drive the atmosphere. Over the years, I’ve started to create playlists for clients. They never hear them, and so I talk about how we’ve created the garden with a song to drive each part. Every song’s about a story and the human connection to the music.
What does a beautiful garden mean to you?
Stillness, it helps your mind.. But really, we create visually. For me, a perfect garden is one that holds my attention and carries varying atmospheres. You can’t get into a garden and it just looks like something; it has to feel like something.
Adam also met U2’s Adam Clayton in 2024
That takes understanding your space: how the light moves through it, where the wind comes from. I’ve probably just got older—I’m a romantic fool! It’s weird, isn’t it, as we get a bit older; there’s what’s in front of us and what’s behind us – that definitely has an impact on how we see things.
You’ve moved home in Lincolnshire, tell us about that…
We’ve moved to a more simplified life, a new place just on the other side of town, and we’ve now taken on a bigger garden. There’s a real excitement to that idea of now creating this blank canvas. That’s creative justice.
Are your wife and your children involved?
When I first met my wife at the make-up counter at John Lewis I’m not even sure she knew what a landscape gardener was, for years. Now she’s been drawn in and absolutely loves it. Well, now she comes out and bosses me about. That’s what happens.
The two boys are massively involved because we’re building it, and one’s an architect —they’re absolutely loving it. My youngest daughter’s more interested in social media, but you know, she’s getting more and more into it.
This career’s given you some incredible experiences. Do you still pinch yourself?
Yeah, I mean, I interviewed King Charles. Well, I cheekily asked him for a favour. He was a prince at the time, and you’re not meant to do that. I was invited to a thing about biosecurity, and it’s something he cares hugely about. When you hear him talk about, you know, the damage and the companies, he talks about it a lot. But, you know, with his passion for the countryside I asked him to come along and he was there like a shot.
The presenter jokes that he’s the ‘supply teacher’ of Gardener’s World(Image: Gardeners world)
‘Mrs Frost’ likes to make fun of the gardener’s obsession with buying pots(Image: adamfrostdesign/Instagram)
What’s Charles like? You’ve met him a few times at the Chelsea Flower Show…
He’s always been an absolute gentleman. The great thing about conversations with King Charles is that you’re still talking to a gardener. You don’t have to be like, “oh God, I’m speaking to the King.” I’m just talking to another human being. And he’s very passionate about it.
What does it mean to present Gardeners’ World?
I’m like a supply teacher. They call me when someone wants a couple of weeks off which is good, isn’t it, because kids always love the supply teacher. I get to meet people talking about the things they love. You get access to people’s gardens that maybe you wouldn’t.
Who have you met that stands out?
OK, imagine getting a call and somebody says, “Would you fancy flying to Dublin to catch up with Adam Clayton and talk to him about his garden?” And you go, “What? You mean Adam Clayton from U2?” That was unreal. But then you get to talk to him and you’re not talking to a next-level rock star, just a guy who’s really into his garden. Mrs Frost and I literally walked up the aisle to Beautiful Day by U2. That’s as good as it gets.
How do you feel about people who think gardening’s ‘boring’?
Each to their own. I think people that don’t get gardening are missing out on something. They could be bringing another layer of colour to their lives. But so many British people are into their gardens.
What’s next for you?
Well I think Gardener’s World is going to film the mudfest that is my new garden a few times. And I have an OK job hosting the BBC One side of the Chelsea Flower Show in May.
What else sparks joy for you?
Music, cooking, and Sunderland Football Club.
You can see Adam Frost on tour until April. For tickets and more information see https://www.fane.co.uk/adam-frost
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