BCS Journal 2014

Well, the Journal seems to have got round Europe, and further afield, quite quickly this time; I hope you enjoy the articles and images. I would like to thank those who allowed me to use images and/or wrote for me this year; if anyone wants to write an article, large or small (all equally welcome) for next year's edition, please just let me know and I will be straight in touch. Also I should like to wish everyone all the best for a very merry Xmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

Journal 2014 will be printed and bound during 12th-15th November and mailed out to all Members 17th November.

Hi Everyone, I am more or less ready to start on the BCS Journal for this year. If anyone would like to consider contributing an article for inclusion in this issue, you would be most welcome indeed and I would be very grateful.
Technical articles are fine, and very welcome, too - but just as important, or, even, best of all, are articles dealing with everyday gardeners' experiences of plants in their gardens etc; no expertise required, some of the best and most enjoyable articles are penned by ordinary everyday gardeners!
Any clematis-related topic is fine, and if you are not confident about writing or grammar/language etc, don't worry, I will edit, smooth and splice and graft where needed - I am more than happy to assist with all such aspects - I will also add Latin names etc so no need to worry about any technical issues whatsoever. I will also deal with all photos and process them to readiness for publication, and also do the article layout etc for you, if you wish. All photos are acknowledged in the text. We like to include items from as many places in the world as possible, since people's experiences in different Countries are always varied and very interesting (sometimes even when talking about the same plants).

There is a lot of clematis knowledge on this site and many people with considerable experience - it would be really interesting to have your input and hear your thoughts; some super articles have been written for us this way over the years and I am very grateful. A short article is fine at about 3-400 words, anything longer is really good, longer still qualifies as 'just wonderful thank you so much'. Items by email, WORD doc attachment on email, typed and sent by post, hand-written - we don't mind! Photos can be virtually any image format (images as large as possible please) and I am happy to receive correspondence, questions, text files and images at bcollingwood@ntlworld.com whenever you wish.

Remember, you DO NOT have to be an 'expert' to contribute, at all, but since there is a lot of experience and expertise here, it would be nice to get some emails from among you! And to those here who have already indicated that they will contribute this year, 'thank you very much' once again. At this point in time, just an email to me expressing interest is fine, whenever possible. It just gives me a better idea of what people are thinking and helps with planning.

I will come back to this thread in due course, if anything relevant crops up. Until then, prospective publication date will be November 25th and I will be aiming for around 35 articles, FINAL cut-off date for submission of material for inclusion will be September 15th; any items are very welcome any time from now.

We've had lots of people write an article for the first time, in our Journal, some people think it is hard but there are lots of things to choose to write about;

How did you get started in clematis? Experiences with clematis you have grown in your garden. Plants I particularly love. My garden and clematis over the years. How I get clematis to establish well, in my garden. My clematis collection. My clematis memories. Stories of Clematis love and inspiration. My all-time favourite clematis Book: Which book stands out and why? What this book taught/meant to me. How important are photos? Clematis personalities from the past - & pictures. My Life with Clematis. My favourite clematis. History of clematis. History of clematis breeding. My breeding programme. Propagation Cuttings, grafts, raising from seed, hybridising, layering experiences/methods/thoughts/tips etc. Clematis and DNA. Interesting species clematis I have raised. My ‘wish list’ and why. Photographing clematis. Herbaceous clematis. Clematis encountered abroad or on holiday. New introductions and recent introductions that I have tried in the garden. Native clematis - your area. How I got interested/started with clematis. My favourite group of clematis. Why I joined the BCS/IClS. Striped clematis. My favourite Red clematis/white clematis/blue clematis etc. Botanic articles and so forth - and a million other topics!

So, go on, give it some thought, there's no rush as yet; and see your name in print in our Journal, in the fullness of time. Anything I can help with or answer, just email me! Thanks for reading.

Edited by bcollingwood - 08 Apr 2014 at 11:54pm