Adam Frost

 I was hoping to start my 2010 blog feeling a bit more up-beat but this weather is driving me crackers!  I just want to get out in the garden, even if it’s just to turn some ground. But instead, I’m driving my wife mad and making a mess in our kitchen. Mind you, if I say so myself, over Christmas I made a really good ham hock terrine and a chicken parfait (I’m not making it up) courtesy of Messrs Ramsey and Oliver. Add to that all the other festive treats - and obviously a huge quantity of red wine – and a good time was had by all!
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These blogs are starting to sound as if I’m away a lot but (I promise I’m not) but I thought someone might be interested in these pictures.

I have marked off another couple of things I’ve wanted to do for along time. I’ve just had a short trip to San Francisco with my dear lady. It’s good to spend a bit of time together and rediscover you love and laugh at the same things. It sometimes gets a bit lost with four kids, a dog, a cat and – of course – the small matter of work (god that sounds a bit sentimental – see dear I do love you).Read more...

I have just sorted all the details for next year’s courses I’m running next year at Barnsdale Gardens with David Stevens.

The first course is the Garden Construction course, which takes place on 27-28 February. This is a popular course and many people like to attend both this course and the Garden Design course which takes place on 13-14 November 2010.

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Have a look at these two photos that my clients have just sent me. I’m really pleased with the way this garden has turned out and the clients love it - suppose it does help! In one sense it is an honour to place sculpture of well-known artists, but in another it’s a worry when you’re designing a garden; especially a small one.  The two pieces in the pictures are big, and part of my brief was to make the most of them. So the large head, which is ‘Fallen Deodar’ by Jilly Sutton, was placed on the roof garden and the ‘Moon Disc’ by Emily Young was placed in the rear garden. I think that both pieces look great and really come into their own with the lighting.Read more...

I have just signed up to champion the new diplomas for 14-19 year olds. I didn’t realise, but by 2013 there will be 17 on offer covering a wide range of subjects, including the one I am championing the new Environmental and Land-based Studies Land Skills diploma.
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I have just had a few great days in Cork with my dad horse racing at Mallow. We had some great fun. It was a two day meeting. I know I am stating the obvious but the Irish are very hospitable and they love their racing – the atmosphere was top drawer.
 
The trip was part of my 40th birthday present from my wife (thanks sweet) and I feel as if I’ve been celebrating it for months – well, to be honest, I have! Anyway, all that just to tell you about another of  my presents which was a book from friends called ‘Wisdom’ (I think they were trying to tell me something…) It is a great book, basically wise words from some of the older statesman across the world from all walks of life.Read more...

If all goes well I should be in for a good year next year.
 
I have sent my plans in for Chelsea and we are busy looking for a sponsor (if there is anyone out there let me know….). We have linked up with Nick Hamilton at Barnsdale Gardens. Nick is going to do a lot of the growing but we also plan to rebuild the Chelsea garden at Barnsdale if we get the sponsorship. We will see….
 
And we are planning to open an office at Barnsdale so that we can work closer with Nick on various projects. It’s great to be going back there. It feels a bit like coming home after being away travelling; but I’m going back a different person from the one that left.
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I’ve just had another amazing trip to Cairo (although the traffic hasn’t improved!!); the place is turning into quite an inspiration to me. If I am honest, when I returned from my first trip I wasn’t sure how to approach the design. As I believe garden design is 80% about communication and understanding how people live I try to get under people’s skin and take them on a journey, which isn’t quite so easy considering the cultural differences. Well so I thought, but on this trip I arrived midway through Ramadan and have spent a lot of time with the client’s family, eating and chatting at the end of each day, so I really have got to know them better.
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I know I am not alone when I say this, but September is probably my favourite month of the year. Not because it’s my birthday – mind you, that helps – but because some of my favourite plants are at their best.
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I have just been taken to Germany to look at tree nurseries, mainly large stock. By the nice people at Deepdale Trees (take a look at their website www.deepdale-trees.co.uk they have some wonderful stock).
If you ever get the chance then go! one of the many things I thought was great was that so many of the nurseries in Germany are in the same area, for instance we flew into Hamburg and out of Bremmen two days later and in the region between those two airports there is over 600 hundred nurseries, so you can see so much in a short space of time. I think my favorite was our final visit the nursery was run by an old school friend of Matthias, who runs Deepdale, the nursery specialises in large trees.Read more...