The more eagle-eyed amongst you may have spotted the addition of a few new Flange members.
Firstly Graham Rice, who I trust needs no introduction, and in addition to writing the things clearly in the advanced stages of book addiction, as these posts testify. Graham also DJ's, so I imagine his place is also awash with CD's and vinyl.

Next up is Sue “Trillium” Beasley. Well known in the UK for winning the BBC’s Gardener of the Year, her RHS show gardens at Tatton Park and her nursery.
Sue says she was sagging off from doing RHS Diploma revision as she’s reading
but Maggie Campbell-Culver's 'The Origin of Plants'. I reckon the revision must be deadly dull, because I found that book a bit dry and am still only about halfway through it, having picked it up and put it down a few times. Mind you in my case that it true of far to many books.

Lastly, but by no means least, we have one of the stars of the UK garden blogging firmament the blogger formerly known as R Pete Free.

Welcome to the Flange, book lovers.
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Love is blind.

I say that because I have yet to come across a Penguin Handbook on horticulture who’s cover I didn’t adore - even this one which is ‘orrible.

It is PH 50 - The New Vegetable Grower’s Handbook [1962], was written by Arthur J Simmons who wrote the earlier Penguin Handbooks, The Vegetable Growers' Handbook Vol I & II and was published 4 years after his death.

Report report

Following New Shoot's comment on the last post, I feel I should explain that I bought the RHS Council Reports solely for the amusement of looking at the 20 to 30 pages of adverts at the back, featuring such things as boots for horses (so that they wouldn’t damage the turf as they pulled enormous lawnmowers), since the rest seemed to be a list of RHS members (all 170 pages of them).

But I've since had a closer look and the results are, I have to admit, mildly interesting. As I have said the last 30-odd pages are ads, and the first 8 pages are also ads, but imbedded within them are such things as Notices to Fellows, including offers of free poppy seeds from the RHS's then Secretary Rev Wilks (breeder of the Shirley poppies no less).

There is then the 10 page annual report, plus accounts. After that there is a list of the RHS council and officers, followed by a list of the Victoria Medal holders

Strange how some of the names like Gertrude Jekyll and Ellen Willmott, have remained well known, but others such as Rev Charles Wolley Dod, a hugely well known horticulturalist in his day, are not familiar to most gardeners today.

On closer inspection, even the list of members is vaguely interesting, including as it does the likes of Reg Farrer.

It does emphasise how, in many ways, the Edwardian period represents a high-water mark of British Gardening.

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