Graham Rice -- An English Garden Writer

I've dreamed of becoming a garden writer for the last 5 years. For three of those years I've had the privilege of writing for www.suite101.com as the Enabling Garden editor. Still, I long to see my articles appear in the popular garden magazines.

Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing, via email, one of my favorite garden writers: Graham Rice from England. I thought you'd enjoy listening in on our conversation. The interview will appear this week and next followed by book reviews of several of his books.

Diana: How did you break into garden writing? What was your very first book?

Graham: I started writing after I'd finished my training at Kew Gardens and was living near Dublin working on the restoration of a garden. I'd always wanted to be a writer. When I was 12, I wanted to write about sports. My first two garden pieces were published in a British magazine called Self Sufficiency (long since closed). They were rather serious pieces, I seem to recall, about how understanding the biology of weeds can help gardeners to control them. My first book was a short book on pruning, long since out of print.

Diana: What is your educational background that qualified you to become a professional garden writer?

Graham: I trained in horticulture and botany at Kew. While working in Ireland, I had a few articles published. Then I got a job as a trainee on Practical Gardening magazine, which was then one of Britain's leading gardening monthly magazines. It was published by a large company which ran its own training scheme for journalists so having first trained in horticulture I then received a thorough training in journalism and magazine production.

Diana: Can you suggest how a new writer can break into the garden writing field?

Graham: Start by writing about what you know for an audience with which you're familiar. Writing carefully composed replies to queries raised by people on mailing lists (see below) is a good way to start without pressurising yourself too much. Then contact your local paper and local gardening newsletters. Never just send in an article out of the blue. Always send a short letter first, briefly outlining your idea. If you become serious about writing, join the Garden Writers Association of America and never sell yourself short - your work is worth proper recompense.

Diana: How do you view the role of the internet in today's world?

Graham: I think the internet is wonderful medium both for finding

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