Graffeg Publish an Impassioned Celebration of the Peony by Chelsea Gold Medal Award Winner Alec White
Graffeg are delighted to be publishing A Love Affair with Peonies, the first book by RHS Chelsea Gold Medal winning peony grower Alec White.
Driven by a passion for horticulture from a young age, Alec shares his extensive expertise and personal experience in this illustrated celebration of the peony. Written from Alec’s perspective as a professional peony grower and enthusiast, the book is accessible to both gardeners and non-gardeners and is more than just another gardening title – it conveys the inspiring story of how Alec pursued his passion to achieve the first RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medal for peonies in eight years.
Varied chapters introduce each of the qualities that make this remarkable flower stand out: their many varieties, scents and colours, how to care for and cultivate your plants, the historical and cultural significance of the peony and the hard work and commitment needed to exhibit at the UK’s leading flower shows. Each is superbly illustrated, with the photography showcasing the range of colours and changing shades of peony blooms to their cultivation on the nursery and art works featuring or inspired by peonies.
A Love Affair with Peonies is a book to be returned to again and again, whether to appreciate the excellent quality of the images and illustrations, for entertaining insight or for expert practical advice. This is Alec’s story of a dedicated career combined with all of the essential information needed to appreciate peonies to the full and keep them thriving in your own garden.
We have received stock of this wonderful book this week, so will be sending out all orders made on the Graffeg and Bird Eye Books pre-publication and with a free postcard.
About the author
Alec White, peony aficionado and owner of specialist nursery Primrose Hall Peonies, has long shared his passion for these gorgeously flamboyant blooms. Alec is an RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal Winner and keeps the largest selection of rare and collectable peonies for sale in the UK. The nursery regularly exhibits at RHS Flower Shows: Chelsea, Cardiff, Malvern, Chatsworth, Hampton Court Garden Festival, Tatton and BBC Gardeners’ World Live.
Alec also holds the Plant Heritage National Collection for unusual Intersectional or Itoh peony varieties. The eight-acre nursery sits on a lovely sloping site in rural Bedfordshire, run by a nursery team of experienced horticulturists, headed by Alec. The most exciting month is March, when pink buds push through the soil and the season’s promise lies ahead. By late spring the nursery is very busy preparing for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May and the following horticultural shows in late spring, summer and autumn.