PEOPLE'S GARDENER

Having judged Britain in Bloom for 25 years, trained at RHS Wisley and worked for the GLC before becoming a Superintendent of the Central Royal Parks and then Superintendent of Greenwich Royal Park, Jim Buttress is now a judge at the RHS. He presides over the country's favourite flower shows including Chelsea and Hampton Court and has been watched by millions on the BBC's The Big Allotment Challenge. But how did this practical gardener from Purley go on to have one of the most impressive careers in British horticulture? In his warm and funny memoir, Jim takes us from his boyhood obsession with Percy Thrower to his working life with day-to-day duties including anything from having a drink and a chat with the Queen Mother to working out how to water some elephants who had taken up residence in Hyde Park. Jim also reveals what it's like to exhibit and to win gold at the Chelsea Flower Show and shares his many adventures as a judge including a threat with a punch on the nose from the odd irate loser. 'I've spent the vast majority of my life working with some of nature's most beautiful creations, and it has to be said in some pretty incredible settings.' He is a warm-hearted knowledgeable companion through his 306 page story complete with many colour photographs from his own albums.