The Gardeners’ World presenter talks about the UK gardens that inspire him most, why visiting gardens as a group creates special bonds, and what he wishes he’d have known when starting his 40-year career.
Which gardens in the UK stand out for you to visit?
If I started up north, the one garden that sticks in my mind is Lowther Castle near Penrith in Cumbria. I love the story behind the garden – the Yellow Earl (Sir John Lowther) who bought soil over from Japan to make his Japanese garden. It’s an amazing garden and there are some incredible views from it too.
I also love Sissinghurst in Kent because of the love story behind it (poet and writer Vita Sackville-West transformed the garden with her diplomat and author husband Harold Nicolson). It’s a classic English garden. Harold was in charge of the architecture and layout while Vita was in charge of the planting. It’s fascinating to think about the relationship that carried them through their lives and all the love affairs that went on.
I just love the human story of a garden.
You’ve also got places like Gravetye in Sussex and the history of William Robinson who originally created the gardens, and then others like Marwood Hill Gardens in Devon and the story of the doctor who created the gardens there. I used to go there as a youngster. There are so many places though, I trained at Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland – the home of Jeff Hamilton.
“Before I became famous, Mrs Frost and I used to visit gardens and and we would judge them, not on the standard of the garden, but on the standard of the cream tea!”
Then up the road you’ve got Easton Walled Garden which is great for snowdrops in particular. I don’t think we shout about all the amazing gardens we have in the UK enough. Particularly thinking about group visits too – there’s so much power in being with a group of people visiting a garden, spending a day away from whatever else life is.
Why do you think it’s particularly special for people to visit gardens as a group?
People bond, there are friendships formed, but also I think it becomes a bit more of an experience because it’s not just the garden visit, it tends to be a stay at a hotel, a meal and the conversations that take place. Gardens bring people together which I think is the magic of them.
Gardeners tend to be nice people, so you enter a really nice world and you don’t have to worry about all that other nonsense that’s going on and that’s the power of gardens.
You can sort of just disappear; the tea and cake helps the experience too! It’s definitely a thing. Before I became famous, Mrs Frost and I used to visit gardens and and we would judge them, not on the standard of the garden, but on the standard of the cream tea!
Your career now spans 40 years, what’s been the biggest pinch-me moment?
Oh, so many. Obviously I’ve done things with the Royal Family which have been amazing.
I have met so many friends along the way too but I guess winning the medals at Chelsea was up there. It has only really been the last four years that I’ve thought ‘oh actually, you’ve done alright’.
I say to my kids that in reality, life is just about creating memories and if you can find something that you love and can build your life around it, then just do it. I feel genuinely lucky that I’m doing what I am.
What’s the one piece of advice you wish you’d have known when you started out?
To treat gardening as one big experiment. We go in thinking we need to learn everything and most people go into gardening with an element of fear. But I think if somebody said to me, boy, it’s just one big experiment, just go out and play, just experiment for the rest of your life, that would have made a huge difference.
“Gardens bring people together which I think is the magic of them.”
I worked that out slowly and actually Jeff Hamilton probably told me that. But if somebody had told me even as a kid, just go and experiment, try and grow things, it can teach you so much about life.
The other thing I’d say is just go and enjoy yourselves. Get your hands in the soil and experiment.
Is there a particular country that stands out in terms of its plants/gardens?
It’s got to be Japan. Would I create a Japanese garden? No. But as a country to travel to and experience, it’s up there.
I am fascinated in how they understand their landscape and respect it. The cherry blossom season is a great example of this. They celebrate every single part of that season.
We’ve got the mayflower over here which, if we planted it well, could potentially have a similar impact, but can you imagine stopping people on the high street somewhere in the UK asking people ‘what do you think of the Mayflower this year’ and they say ‘yes, it’s nice but it’s a bit messy’, whereas the Japanese celebrate every part of the cherry blossom.
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