Celebrity garden designer Adam Frost comes to the Ribble Valley

Adam Frost, award-winning presenter of BBC "Gardeners' World", took time out of his busy schedule to attend Bolland Gardening Club's December meeting.
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The RHS ambassador gave a witty, informative and inspirational talk entitled "My Life in Gardening" to a jam-packed and sell-out audience at Bolton-by-Bowland Village Hall.

From modest and difficult beginnings in a tough Harlow council estate, Adam at the age of 16 began his working life in gardening. He obtained a three year apprenticeship with his local Parks Department where he learned many aspects of gardening, which enthused him from the outset and in particular his interest in garden design.

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The audience heard how at the age of 21 his abilities in design and landscaping came to the notice of the then presenter of the BBC Gardeners World, Geoffrey Hamilton. Geoffrey’s influence and guidance were key to Adam’s progress and success. His work in garden design lead to an eventual gold medal award at the Chelsea Flower Show (the first of seven such awards). Adam provided an insight into how the award was achieved. This involved him in a big personal financial risk and 19 days of "round the clock" hard work to transform a patch

The green-fingered host's talk proved a hit with the sell-out audienceThe green-fingered host's talk proved a hit with the sell-out audience
The green-fingered host's talk proved a hit with the sell-out audience

of Chelsea soil into a gold medal-winning garden.

A spokesman for the club said: "Adam related an amusing story of how, after a wait of seven years, he eventually met and talked with The Queen at the Chelsea Show. This went well, but at the end, a friend who had been listening told him that when The Queen was moving off, Adam had said ‘Ta Ta’ to her! Adam gave us some of his secrets for successful garden design, which revolved around four basic guidelines, namely ‘people, plants, place and space’. These he combines with an emotional awareness of his vision for the finished garden. He also gave practical tips such as taking a ‘layering’ approach by thinking first of the largest features of the garden, such as trees, then shrubs, followed by herbaceous plants then bulbs. Adam’s spell-binding talk was a huge hit with the audience. He came over as a really genuine man who had overcome many obstacles to achieve his success. A truly enjoyable and memorable evening summed up by Adam’s parting words, ‘look what a lad from a council estate can achieve’."

The next meeting of the Gardening Club will be held on February 12th, 2020.