I Think This May Become My Favourite Gardening Magazine
Gardening magazines can be expensive and not always as expected. Here is one that I think offers excellent value.
My daughter treated me to membership of the Royal Horticultural Society for my birthday at the beginning of the year. (She is a thoughtful person and always manages to find a gift that fits well with its recipient.) Consequently, now I am loving the RHS gardening magazine which is full of wonderful images with really inspiring stories and valuable information. It is a great relaxant and along with a glass of sav (NZ of course) and some nibbles, offers a very pleasant couple of hours out in the garden on a sunny day.
This month, a skim through the ‘Contents’ leaves me tempted by an article about Phlox, a review of aspects of the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show, a piece about Basil (not Faulty, I am sure) and a section on Coastal Gardens.
Featured plants are RHS award plants from the flower show, tender climbing plants and Eucryphias. The featured garden is Abbotsbury in Dorset (an RHS partner garden).
We are then treated to the ‘Regulars’ – News, Comment and Book Reviews and following that, we turn to ‘Advice’ with topics that cover garden maintenance for August, Wildlife (identifying newts) and Fungal Diseases, again the identifying of same.
Finally, there is a section entitled ‘RHS Life: Making the most of your membership’ and here we find a plethora of interesting tips, snippets of information and details of up and coming events from all corners of the country. You can also enjoy those small, ‘posh’ ads that you get in such magazines on the back few pages. Cruises, weekend breaks, wonderful holidays, conservatories and summer-houses, bulbs, plants, garden furniture and expensive rain-proof jackets. Lovely.
(NOTHING ABOUT COMPOSTING, THOUGH.)
It is a super magazine for anyone interested in gardening, both for enthusiasts like myself who have never done any gardening in the UK and for those who have had plenty of experience. It is, put simply, just darn well readable and right to the point.
The photography is stunning, and truthfully, even if you do not read one word of text, you will find great delight in just ‘looking at the pictures.’ The high quality allows easy identification of plants and flowers, not to mention insects, pests (or not) various diseases and in this issue, fungal infections. The images of established gardens from small domestic ones to those attached to huge houses and those run on a professional scale are truly inspirational and the source for many good ideas that can be translated by we humble peasants in our tiny back yards.
I now have access to an amazing number of fabulous gardens at no cost, to advice, product, great value holidays, concerts, shows. You name it – the list just seems to go on and on.
Thank you, daughter.