Of Rhubarb and Roses2013

"The Telegraph has long enjoyed the closest association with gardeners. Indeed, as the newspaper of choice for the counties and the shires – rather than the metropolis – it revels in the glory and variety of Britain’s horticultural heritage, whether celebrating the most prized formal gardens, like Great Dixter, or extolling the tart virtues of rhubarb. For gardening spans a vast spectrum. Variously hobby, art form, industry and, on occasion, cause of social unrest, it encompasses the annual spectacle of the Chelsea Flower Show, Vita Sackville-West’s legendary White Garden at Sissinghurst, and the pursuit of prize-winning pumpkins. And while the Telegraph’s weekend supplements might publish advice on growing asparagus or figs, the letters pages bristle with feuds and controversies at the...