TINA JACKSON
Amateur Gardening has been around for a long time. Launched in 1887 in a newspaper format, it has consistently been a practical weekly guide for amateur (originally meant to indicate non-professional rather than inexperienced) gardeners in the UK. ‘It’s weekly and has since its early years had an informal edge,’ said editor Tim Rumball. ‘I was surprised to come across an article in a 1930s edition in which the staff dressed up as vegetables. When I started with the magazine eighteen years ago the editor at the time did something similar – which the staff all thought was barmy. We’ve since learned that making gardening fun is a valuable tool in informing readers. We don’t do posh in gardens or presentation.’