A Passion for Plants: Behind the Scenes at the Royal Horticultural Society

Carolyn Fry is a writer and journalist specializing in science, conservation, natural history and adventure travel. A former editor of Geographical, the magazine of the Royal Geographical Society, she is a contributor to Kew magazine, BBC Wildlife, The Times and New Scientist amongst others. Under Carolyn's editorship, Geographical won the British Environment and Media Award for Best Environmental Coverage in a Consumer Magazine. Carolyn also wrote The World of Kew to accompany the BBC2 series. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

No nation is quite so passionate about its gardens as the British and no organization embodies that passion more than the Royal Horticultural Society. Famous for its beautiful gardens at Wisley, Rosemoor, Hyde Hall and Harlow Carr, and its spectacular flower shows, such as Chelsea, Hampton Court and Tatton Park, the RHS is a quintessentially British institution. Yet the work of the Society encompasses so much more. In this book, which accompanies a major BBC television series, Carolyn Fry goes behind the scenes at the RHS to look at the huge variety of work undertaken by its many dedicated staff and members.The Royal Horticultural Society is at the forefront of the changes that are affecting our gardens today; from experimenting with more environmentally friendly practices in its own gardens, to monitoring the impact of climate change on the pests and diseases attacking our plants. Like all keen gardeners, the RHS is also constantly seeking to improve on the design and planting of its existing gardens, and nowhere is this more apparent than at Wisley, whose spectacular new glasshouse will inspire and delight generations of visitors for years to come.In a journey that takes us behind the scenes at the RHS, Carolyn Fry introduces the reader to an exotic and colourful world full of passionate people and wonderful plants. Lavishly illustrated with beautiful photographs, this book paints a vivid portrait of the Society - the home of gardening excellence and obsession.

A celebration of a great gardening institution and the people whose passion and obsession for gardening make it what it is.