RHS wins media 'Oscars'
The RHS picked up three awards at the Garden Writers' Guild awards lunch at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London last week. The awards are regarded as the 'Oscars' of the gardening communication world.
Matthew Wilson picked up the Practical Book of the Year for RHS New Gardening, published by Mitchell Beazley. The judges said: "The winner gives us a uniquely detailed look at gardening from the perspective of climate change. It is extremely practical, with easy to follow writing and with good, simple illustrations. The author has a commonsense approach with a wonderful use of garden examples to show effects of topography, microclimates and the effects of weather and climate. The writer is creative yet also gives sound advice on how to deal with problems. Aesthetically pleasing and attractive, this is a responsible book with regard to wildlife, sustainability, water use and related aspects. It is certainly good value for money and a worthy winner."
The Reference Book of the Year
went to the RHS Encyclopedia of Perennials by Graham Rice, Editor-in-Chief, published by Dorling Kindersley. The judges commented: "The judges felt that on publication the winner had immediately become the standard reference book on perennials for gardeners. Put together with a great attention to detail, the quality of illustration is exceedingly high. This is supported with an extensive and detailed text that balances the need for including and describing many thousands of good new cultivars without excluding those older ones still worthy of cultivation. The coverage of many large groups such as Hosta and Geranium is impressive, but equal importance has been paid to hundreds of smaller genera also. At only £25, this is one of the best-value books on the market this year."
Andi Clevely was awarded for his article To dig or not to dig?, which featured in The Garden. The judges said: "There were a huge number of entries for this Award, so the judging process went long into the night! At the end of it all, however, there was one clear winner. Clarity of writing is essential with a subject like digging, and the judges felt that the winner handled the topic with supreme skill, cleverly explaining a subject that is dry and unexciting so that anyone would become interested in it."
To view the full deatils of the awards visit the Garden Writers' Guild website