Henley and Marlow Lifestyle Sep - Oct 2021

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BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO HISTORIC BUILDINGS BRICKWORK & MASONRY We specialise in the repair and restoration of period and listed buildings. Established for over thirty five years, we regularly work with conservation architects, structural engineers and organisations such as Natural England and SPAB. ROOFING Our portfolio ranges from large scale professionally managed projects to domestic repair works. CARPENTRY & JOINERY info@dunneandco.co.uk Telephone: 01491 598 898 dunneandco.co.uk
IT’S A GARDENERS’ WORLD Adam Frost is an award-winning British garden designer, television presenter and motivational speaker. Sally Thomson caught up with him to discuss all things green... TELL ME HOW THE GARDENER’S WORLD EVENT WENT AT BEAULIEU? I had a lovely weekend! I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a bit nervous. I had just had my 2nd injection It was the first time I had done anything in a public arena for about 18 months! You realise that all the shows are now your general catch up. WITH THE PANDEMIC DID YOU FIND IT STRANGE NOT BEING OUT & ABOUT WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC? Definitely, We run a school as well so we had to close that. I did some stuff on zoom like most people but that’s a very strange experience. I’ve never spent so much time at home or in the garden through the summer months with my wife and kids which was a mixed blessing and gave me time to stop which I don’t think I’ve done since I was 16. HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT BUILDING A GARDEN FOR CHELSEA? It can be 12 months to 2 years planning but at one point I was doing them back to back finishing one then moving straight onto the next one. But it’s fascinating, it’s how I built my career. HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR FIRST CHELSEA GOLD? If I’m honest, I think I was slightly oblivious to what they actually meant. My dad was a landscaper and he built early John Brooks gardens in the 70s. I recently met Professor David Stevens, garden designer, who also worked for John Brooks. We were talking about Chelsea and he said that my dad would have been a few gardens along from where we were. David also taught me a lot about design in that sense. WHEN YOU START A DESIGN IS IT FROM A THOUGHT OR ARE YOU PLANNING IT IN ADVANCE? It depends on whether its for a client. I think ultimately gardens are about 4 things people, space, plants and place. It’s normally one of those that I tap into first and it might be a bit of landscape, it might be an individual picture I’ve seen, it might be the shape of something, whatever it is that gives me an insight into a person or if it’s a show garden what particular design will drive it. DO YOU THINK BEAULIEU WILL BE A REGULAR EVENT NOW? I think so, I walked in and thought what a glorious piece of landscape and the moment I walked in the gate it had a good feel. People really enjoyed themselves and as a setting it had quite a lovely intimate feel to it, even the stages had an open canopy, and everybody was sensible and had plenty of space. The standard of the displays was really good and Hilliers had gone there and built a garden, so it was great that you had something there of Hilliers quality. I think a positive out of the last 15 months is that people have slowed down have connected or reconnected with what’s outside their back door or in the area. I’ve seen a report saying we now have 3 million new gardeners. Everybody you talk to in the industry says that the hunger from last year is still there which is great. I just hope in a way that stays. I FIND IT VERY THERAPEUTIC AND GOOD FOR THE SOUL It’s interesting that we are seeing statistics people moving out of cities and into the countryside and are wanting bigger gardens it wasn’t that long-ago people were downsizing and didn’t want a big outdoor space and this time has now changed that. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE AN RHS AMBASSADOR? WHAT DOES THAT ENTAIL? Yes, I’ve done that for quite a few years now. Basically, I help them with stuff looking at helping youngsters to engage more through events and I did a lot of work a while back with Homebase creating apprenticeships so that’s how it started. I also do a lot of community stuff with RHS and I’m just about to start a new project which I can’t say too much about which will be good. I have travelled all over to schools, events for them. I was brought up just outside London and wasn’t the best behaved, I’m dyslexic and obviously I’ve done OK and I think that’s why they wanted me to help. YOU ARE AT THE NEC IN THE SUMMER WHAT WILL THAT INVOLVE? I normally go from stage to stage and talk all things gardening and there’s different themes on different stages from talking about ‘Grow your Own’, ‘Unusual edibles’, ‘soil and compost’ so all sorts really. What I love about that show is you have the gardens and displays but it also interlinks with food and because its at the NEC if we do have poor weather people can get inside. Because it’s such a large venue everything will feel alright. SO, AT CHELSEA FOR EXAMPLE ARE YOU THERE WHEN THE JUDGES COME AROUND? You have a 2 minute conversation the day www.minervamagazines.co.uk | 23
Page 3 and 4: Contents A Note from the EDITOR 19
Page 5 and 6: REBECCA KINGWELL FINANCIAL PLANNER
Page 7 and 8: WEEDS The beauty and use of 50 vaga
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Page 11 and 12: KIND HEARTS FIERCE MINDS STRONG SPI
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Page 15 and 16: A COUNTRYSIDE ESCAPE Overlooking th
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Henley and Marlow Lifestyle Sep - Oct 2021

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