The Plantsman (journal)

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In March 2002, The Plantsman was relaunched. The first issue of the New Series featured a cover photo of Crocus cancellatus taken by the then editor, Chris Grey-Wilson

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.

Contents

1 Subject matter
2 History of ''The Plantsman''

2.1 ''The New Plantsman''
2.2 ''The Plantsman'' relaunched

3 References
4 External links

Subject 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

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 during the editorship of botanist and author Christopher Grey-Wilson. Full colour became available on every page for the first time.

Image:Plantsman Cover June 1979.jpg|The first issue of The Plantsman, June 1979 Image:Plantsman Cover June 1990.jpg|The Plantsman cover redesign, June 1990 Image:New Plantsman Cover 1994.jpg|First issue of The New Plantsman, March 1994 Image:Plantsman Cover March 2002.jpg|The New Series of
The Plantsman began
in March 2002 Image:Plantsman Cover March 2005.jpg|The latest redesign
was introduced
in March 2005

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))

External links

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