Rock Garden Quarterly

[McDonough]

Mine arrived today, only had a chance to quickly flip though it; I like the fresh new look inside.  Will give it a proper read through tonight.

[Booker]

The new Quarterly arrived in Lancashire this morning, a super read Malcolm, hearty congratulations.

[Lori S.]

Got mine today!  The  new look is very nice... will start reading soon!

[David Sellars]

The RGQ has finally made it west of the Canadian Rockies.  It was entrusted to Canada Post in Niagara Falls; probably trucked there from the US to avoid international postal costs.

The layout is excellent and I like the emphasis on actual rock gardening which gives the RGQ a distinctive flavour.  Great job Malcolm.    I suspect plaudits are also due to the NARGS Board for approving the additional printing costs with the use of colour throughout.

[Fermi]

It arrived yesterday!
Looks excellent and worth the wait! I'll be reading it while on holiday!
cheers
fermi

[McGregor]

I want to start by thanking all those who've posted such positive comments about the way the Quarterly looks and the range of content - more updates for the next issue which I'm deep into now - since the weather here has turned into winter - cold, wet hail this morning and this evening I'm driving a 90 miles across the North Yorkshire Moors to do a presentation - working on the new issue is a really good indoor activity.

The other main run of comments is about delivery time - seems that it takes about three weeks for it to progress from Lawrence, Kansas, to the furthest corners of the US - real snail mail! And to most of Canada and Europe (UK at least) much the same. Canadians copies I understand to be freighted to Canada in a batch before being individually dispatched on. So far Fermi, you hold the record with a five-and-a-half week delivery but then at least it feels like it's a good long distance delivery, and we all envy you being well on into spring. I do know that Todd (October 12th) finally got his copy (and a personal contributor's copy) just before he set off to South Africa. Anyway Membership Secretary Bobby Ward and I are keeping in touch with Allen Press about the process. Their statement to us was that 15 working days should see all US copies delivered. My objective is to have each issue ready for dispatch two months after the deadline date, so for the next issue, deadline was November 1st, and dispatch should be by January 1st. If its ready early that's a bonus but that is my target date.

One last thing to ckarify - going back to a comment by David Sellars (Oct 20th) the Fall issue was managed to come in at the same cost as the average of the previous four issues - 80 pages made up of 32+32+16 being a very cost-efficient form. But with the donations from last year toward more color and pages in the Quarterly it gives me the financial space to make some more changes which will be obvious with the Winter issue - then the only problem is to keep it up !

[Fermi]

I finished reading the Quarterly on the plane back from India.
An excellent issue and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next!
I think the personal stories about using the Seedex were exactly what would encourage others to participate.
cheers
fermi

[McGregor]

PLeased you liked the Seedex article - I thought it came out well - hope it does have that effect!

The new issue is now in the post and people should start receiving it pretty soon now - before New Year I anticipate. It seems to take about three weeks from the first person tot he last person in the US, Canada only seems to be a few days behind that.

The printer is very efficient at getting things from me signing the issue off (when I finally say it's ready to print) and actually getting it into the post - no more than ten days. Apart from actually editing the articles, and doing the photo layouts (much of which obviously is well under way before the deadline) the most time-consuming (and unnerving) thing is color-balancing the photos for printing. The nature of the process always makes this a problem stage but I'm not unhappy with what has come through the process. And some of the photographs sent to me are so good that they deserve the very best its possible to give them.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year - we've now had snow on the ground since 25th November with only about two days when we saw that the was grass and other things under the snow! Just hope the airports are open in Manchester, Chicago and DC so we can get to Washington for our New Year visit to our elder son and family. Last year it was Christmas when we came over and all three airports we used had been closed by snow two or three days before we travelled but had re-opened, do we're keeping our fingers crossed.

[McGregor]

First couple of messages from people that they have now received the Quarterly - Phyllis Gustafson in southern Oregon and Mark McDonough in Massachusetts.  Its rather like waiting for your seeds to germinate - but at least you know that it should be in the next couple of weeks.

Happy New Year

[Nold]

Got my RGQ yesterday. The whole thing is just beautiful.
I have one small complaint, though. Photographs of rosulate violas awaken my otherwise dormant acquisitive instinct, and perhaps next time an article like this is published, a small packet (say 1Kg) of seed could accompany the quarterly? You wouldn't have to send seed out to every NARGS member, just one.

Bob

[Peter George]

Beautiful!! I've already read it twice, and I'm still not satiated. Many thanks to our new editor for his exemplary product. We now have one very substantial reason to join NARGS. 4 issues like this one are worth the price of admission all by themselves. Thank you.

[AmyO]

I got my Q yesterday and have inhaled every word! Well done!! Love the photos throughout and the articles are so interesting & well written. Keep up the good work!

[Mary Ann and Chuck Ulmann]

Hasn't arrived in SE Pennsylvania yet but then it takes two weeks for something from Denver to get here so we shall be patient!!!

[Lis Allison]

Got my RGQ yesterday. The whole thing is just beautiful.
I have one small complaint, though. ...... You wouldn't have to send seed out to every NARGS member, just one.

Bob

Nope, two.

[RickR]

Got my RGQ today here in Minnesota.  Now I see what all the hubbub is about!

Most Excellent!  I haven't actually read anything yet, but it is so enticing....
I want to read it during my hour lunches at work, but I don't know if I can wait that long!