Prince Charles asks gardeners to join the fight to save the British landscape

The Prince of Wales is due to make a star appearance on Gardeners’ World this evening (Wednesday July 18) in an interview with award-winning garden designer Adam Frost.

The special episode will focus on trees, with Prince Charles discussing the threat to our landscape from pests and diseases, and with the plant disease Xylella fastidiosa particularly in the news at the moment.  We spoke to Adam ahead of the broadcast to hear about the interview, and learn more about how British garden lovers can “do their bit”.

Q. Was the interview for Gardeners’ World your first meeting with Prince Charles?

A. No, I’d been invited to Highgrove by Prince Charles for an industry get-together back in March to chat about the problem of biosecurity [new pest and disease threats from around the world].

Q. What were your first impressions of him?

A. Incredible. He’s someone that cares massively about our planet and the issue of biosecurity. I was a bit blown away really!

Q. How did you feel when he asked you to get involved with his campaign against tree pest and diseases?

A. It was me really. I was cheeky enough to ask him if I could get something off the ground, would he help with it? And he said he’d be there like a shot.

Q. What were your first impressions of Highgrove?

A. It’s lovely, the place is stunning. I just love the way Prince Charles has approached the garden.

Q. Which diseases and threats to trees and gardens is the Prince most concerned about?

A. It’s the amount of threats, really. Xylella is the one that everyone is talking about. I suppose that’s the one that’s brought it to the fore of the industry. I think the biggest worry is that there are 1,000 pests and diseases on the pest list and there’s probably 100 being added every year.

We’re in a place now that we have to do something. We have to do something as gardeners but also we have to do something as a country.

Adam Frost

Q. What action is the Prince asking you and other gardeners to take to combat the threats?

A. For me personally all I’ve wanted to do is raise public awareness. In terms of Prince Charles, it’s been on his radar for a long, long time, going back to Dutch Elm disease. As gardeners we can think a lot more about where we’re buying our plants. We should focus on buying British plants.

DEFRA are starting a campaign this year at ports and airports in the UK pleading with holiday makers not to bring foreign plants back into the country.

Q. How do gardeners fit into the bigger environmental picture?

A. Someone described it to me as horticulture’s version of plastic in the sea and that’s a fair analogy. After that amazing programme [BBC Blue Planet] the country went ‘hold on a minute’ and started demanding that the suppliers change what they’re doing. So I think amateur gardeners are probably some of the most powerful people. If they start asking the questions then they’ll have to be answered.

Q. If we don’t take action what will happen?

A. To give you an idea, our English oak is under threat. Our iconic oak tree that has helped us win wars because it’s what we built our first ships with, to the oak trees in the Capability Brown landscapes that we love and adore. They’re really under threat and you couldn’t even imagine our landscape without oak trees. And the knock-on from that is how many species does the oak tree host? It’s our biggest wildlife hosting tree. So all of a sudden, the effect is on our wildlife. It’s becoming a much bigger list!

Q. What are some of your favourite gardens worldwide?

A. That’s a massive question! It’s like asking me if I’ve got a favourite kid - I just love gardens. I went to Singapore a few years ago and I loved the new gardens they’ve built there. I loved their botanic gardens and their gardens by the bay. There’s a lovely mad cactus garden in the middle of Gran Canaria. I love Madeira… it’s an endless list.

Q. You’ll be visiting Madeira with The Telegraph next year - do Madeira's gardens face similar threats to the UK?

A. If you think about it logically, anywhere in the world is going to be under threat. Part of the problem is environmental change, it’s the fact that we move around the world more than we ever did. And it’s very much driven by the policies that the governments of those countries hold.

New Zealand is a prime example of a government that doesn’t let anything in and personally I think we’re at that stage where we need to keep everything at bay.

Q. What are you most looking forward to seeing while you’re in Madeira?

A. It’s just that lushness. Madeira is known for its flowers and, like I said, anywhere that’s got a garden is pretty cool! We’ll just have to encourage people not to bring stuff back.

Q. We look forward to watching the programme!

A. I think it will be good. It’s just two gardeners having a chat really! Hopefully a few people will pay a bit of attention.