The Plantsman (journal)

"The Plantsman", published quarterly by the Royal Horticultural Society since 1979, is a 68-page journal "dedicated to a deeper understanding and appreciation of garden plants." Its authoritative articles are written by acknowledged experts on plant-related subjects, including plant profiles, horticulture, botany and the development of garden plants, focusing on ornamental plants grown in temperate gardens. It also reflects the scientific work of the RHS, as well as research conducted by other horticultural and botanical institutions and individuals.

The RHS website describes "The Plantsman" as "in-depth yet accessible" and its target readership as "keen gardeners, botanists and horticulturists" - in other words, plantsmen and plantswomen.

ubject matter

Under its current editor, Mike Grant, the journal, now printed in full colour on every page, continues to broaden its scope. Its subject-matter includes:

* Profiles and evaluations of plant genera, species and cultivars of horticultural merit
* Recent plant introductions and descriptions of new plants
* New or advanced cultivation and propagation techniques
* Detailed accounts and findings from RHS trials
* Developments in plant taxonomy and changes to names of garden plants
* Plant exploration and travel
* Opinions and viewpoints of prominent horticultural figures
* Conservation of garden plants and wild plants of horticultural interest
* Advances in plant breeding and development of new garden plants
* Profiles of plant experts, breeders and horticultural personalities
* Botanical illustration and its development

Gardening "Magazine of the Year" 2006

On 30 November 2006 "The Plantsman" was named the surprise winner of the British Garden Writers' Guild award for "Consumer Magazine of the Year"; the other two finalists being "BBC Gardeners' World" magazine and "BBC Gardens Illustrated". In the judges' opinion:

History of "The Plantsman"

"The Plantsman" magazine was first published in June 1979. The quarterly began as a scholarly spin-off from "The Garden", the monthly journal of the RHS, which was then widening its editorial scope and popularizing its approach, in response to the wider audience provided by the society's rapidly increasing membership.

In his introduction to the first edition of "The Plantsman", its Editorial Director, Hugh Johnson, noted that the changing editorial policy of "The Garden" had meant: :"…leaving out, or at any rate abbreviating, the sort of scholarly, unhurried, lovingly minute studies of plants which are the true meat of specialist horticultural literature."He described "The Plantsman" as the solution to this editorial quandary, and continued::"Its intention is to supplement the monthly" Journal "with quarterly studies for the gardener whose passion for plants will never be satisfied—the plantsman of the title."

The first editor of "The Plantsman" was Elspeth Napier. Among the contributors to the first issue were Christopher Brickell (then Director of the RHS Garden, Wisley, later Director General of the RHS), Roy Elliott (then Editor of the Quarterly "Bulletin" of the Alpine Garden Society) and Lawrence D Hills, the founder (and the then Director) of the Henry Doubleday Research Association.

The magazine was printed in black and white, with one colour plate as a frontispiece (as well as many finely-detailed line illustrations) until the end of 1993.

"The New Plantsman"

In March 1994 "The Plantsman" was relaunched as "The New Plantsman" with a new editor, Victoria Matthews, previously Editor of "The Kew Magazine" (journal of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew). She was followed in the post, from March 1995, by Sabina Knees. From now onward the journal featured full-colour photographs and illustrations on alternate spreads.

"The Plantsman" relaunched

In March 2002 the publication reverted to its original title (with a New Series suffix) during the editorship of botanist and author Christopher Grey-Wilson. Full colour became available on every page for the first time. In 2005 the magazine was relaunched with a refreshed design under its new editor, Mike Grant, previously a botanist at RHS Garden, Wisley.

References

*"The Plantsman" Volume 1, 1979. Royal Horticultural Society (New Perspectives Publishing Ltd) 1979 ISSN 043-0106
*"The New Plantsman" Volume 1, 1994. Royal Horticultural Society 1994 ISSN 1352-4186
*"The Plantsman" New Series Volume 1, 2002. Royal Horticultural Society 1994 ISSN 1352-4186
*"The Plantsman" page of the RHS website (accessed at 18:08, 7 October 2005 (UTC))

ee also

*List of horticultural magazines

External links

* [http://www.rhs.org.uk/learning/publications/pubs_journals_plantsman.asp RHS web page for "The Plantsman"]
* [http://www.rhs.org.uk/news/pressreleases/theplantsman.asp Online version of "The Plantsman" relaunch press release, 2002]