RHS Journals
The Garden
December 2006
The Garden gets a facelift
Ian Hodgson, Editor, writes: From January, the Society’s magazine will have a fresh look and revised content. Your comments, in response to surveys we have run over the past few years, have helped to guide us. Central to the developments are practicality, inspiration and clarity of presentation. We will continue to maintain the renowned calibre of editorial content, while the team and I look forward to presenting a balanced range of features to suit your many and varied interests.
Sharing the Society’s know-how
The Advice section (right) is your favourite part of The Garden, so we have increased coverage to an average of six pages each month. With a new, approachable layout, more profiles and increased use of illustrations, the Advisory team based at RHS Garden Wisley will be better able to reflect your gardening problems and provide practical solutions. Some profiles will also link into features to give you a more rounded understanding of the techniques and processes of gardening and caring for your plants.
Unashamedly committed to plants
Plants and how to grow them are the key interest of all gardeners and our commitment to profiling groups of plants or plant-related themes remains core to The Garden. Whether it be vegetables, ornamentals or fruit, each edition will contain at least one major profile, supported by our trademark photography. Additionally this may present the results of an RHS trial, or link with a specialist society or nursery.
Practicality and inspiration
Gardening is about enjoyment and that sense of fulfilment or achievement when you give something a try. It might be when you see creative planting or design ideas that can be applied to your own plot. Sometimes you discover a novel approach that opens up exciting possibilities. Or perhaps it is simply experiencing the pleasure of accomplishing a new skill for the first time.
Our original and specially-commissioned features will contain something for all members, from expert guidance on the techniques of soil cultivation, water conservation, propagation and creative planting through to short series on taste in food crops with top chef Raymond Blanc and gardening with nature. Each will be supported by illustrations, photographs and incisive narrative, clearly explaining the facts and providing the necessary know-how.
Opinion and comment
To reflect on the various issues that affect and influence gardeners from all walks of life, Ursula Buchan will head up our new column, Garden Talk, drawing on her thoughts and experiences, and those of other invited commentators from the world of horticulture.
A detailed look at design
Also starting in The Garden next year is an occasional new series examining the overall approach to making a garden through various case studies - giving you sound design ideas to take into your own garden.
Gardens and nurseries to visit
Visiting gardens and nurseries are two of most gardeners’ greatest passions, next to caring for their own garden of course.
The pull-out bimonthly booklet Diary of Events will seek to tempt you to take part in the Society’s events and visit the list of gardens that open free of charge to RHS members.
The gardens we will profile next year are selected for their various qualities, whether it be for distinctive style, use of plants and materials, or overall character. Whether medium-sized or small, each garden will be reviewed in terms of the original elements and ideas that help create its character, and how it works as a garden experience.
Everyone’s favourite
Renowned plantsman Roy Lancaster also returns in his ongoing tour of the UK to bring you the most remarkable plants from the best nurseries, voiced in his own inimitable style.
< back to The Garden contents page