BOOK REVIEW / EXCLUSIVE READER OFFER: RHS Chelsea Flower Show: A Centenary Celebration

One of the things that I love most about gardening, plants and flowers, is the very timelessness of it all.  In a world of high-speed technology and global industrialisation, it's reassuring to spend some quiet time in the garden, nurturing and cultivating plants with knowledge that has been passed down through generations.

And this sense of gardening through time is explored marvellously in the new book from the Royal Horticultural Society, which celebrates the centenary of the Chelsea Flower Show.

Written by Dr Brent Elliott, librarian and archivist to the Royal Horticultural Society and author of numerous articles and books, 'RHS Chelsea Flower Show: A Centenary Celebration' is a veritable 'joie de vivre' of gardening literature.

Packed full of rare archive photos, content and interviews, this wonderful book explores the history of the Chelsea Flower Show, charting its progress from humble beginnings to the war years; populism in the 1960s through to the media glare of the 1990s and the ascendancy of style in today's culture.

On page 80, we see some truly stunning photographs of vegetable exhibitions, which will no doubt appeal to readers of the London Vegetable Garden.  Of particular fascination throughout the book is also the many vintage posters and signs, which demonstrate our collective attitude towards gardening from a societal perspective; from the austerity of post-war gardening, to the flamboyance of competition and modern-day artistic creations.

Published by Frances Lincoln Limited, 'RHS Chelsea Flower Show: A Centenary Celebration' is available now in all good book shops, priced at £25.

EXCLUSIVE LONDON VEGETABLE GARDEN READER OFFER!

To order 'RHS Chelsea Flower Show: A Centenary Celebration' (9780711234512) at the special London Vegetable Garden offer price of £20.00 (inclusive of UK P&P) please call Bookpoint on 01235 400400 and quote the code 46CFS.