This is what the Gardeners' World team really love about the outdoors

Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost has told how his best personality traits have stemmed from time working in the garden.

The landscape designer, 46, has been passionate about plants for 30 years and said his commitment to the outdoors has transformed him into a more confident person.

Decades after taking on his first gardening job at the age of 16, the father-of-four told the Radio Times: “I can map out my whole personal history by the gardens I had or was working on.

“I wasn’t the most confident young person; every part of me that has evolved has done so through gardening.”

Adam joined the BBC Two show last September, shortly after moving to his Lincolnshire home with a three-acre space that he described as the largest “playground” he has ever owned.

But while he admitted that he often comes up with ideas for shaping his garden at 3am, his co-presenter, Carol Klein, 71, said she takes a more “measured” approach.

“Women are more inclined to let plants be themselves,” she said.

“I have to make sure that everything gets a chance to do its own thing. Besides, plants won’t necessarily do what you want or intend.”

Gardeners’ World veteran Monty Don, 61, confirmed Carol’s claim that men prefer gardening jobs that require hacking “chunks off a plant”.

“I’m very happy pruning,” he said.

“I’m interested in the relationship between man and nature, control and abandonment. That balance varies, but is incredibly rewarding.”

Joe Swift, 52, said: “My favourite job is pruning. A few times every year, I blitz the garden.”

Read the full article in this week’s issue of Radio Times, out on Tuesday.