I guess it depends on what you're looking for :-) Personally, I find Fine Gardening to be one of the best (if not THE best) of the gardening/horticulture-related publications on the market. The articles are informative, well-illustrated and cover a wide range of topics, from design to specific plants to technical issues like pruning, soils, fertilizers, pest control etc., and regionally specific articles written by local gardeners as well as always good book reviews. The contributors often include some of biggies in the business - Dan Hinkley, Allen Armitage, Dan Heims, Colston Burrell to name a few. This month's issue (actually February 2007) features articles on Japanese maples, garden math and how to get amaryllis to rebloom, for example. I think it well worth the investment and I have a library of back issues I refer to frequently.

The National Home Gardening Club has been the topic of various threads here over the years (searching the archives should turn up a few) and the consensus tends to be mixed. Their mag contains pretty basic stuff - not much to get excited about, specially if you are an experienced gardener. And the "special offers" and free product trials seem to be a bit of a come-on with little substance. The Garden Watchdog reports mixed opinions and doesn't rate it very highly.

Here is a link that might be useful: GWD on National Home Gardening Club

I have no gardening magazine subscriptions, as I would rather spend my money on gardening. I used to subscribe to Fine Gardening and Horticulture, but found that I was interested in only about 10% of the articles and could find the stuff in the ads online just as easy. I get a slew of free catalogs, and that is enough to keep me happy.

George

Some magazines are sent as part of your membership in gardening organizations and those are all I am getting. However I am continually getting offers of discounts or free subscriptions. Since I don't have time to read more articles even though they may be very educational, I will not take any more magazines. I wish my wifes doctor would subscribe so I could read them while waiting in his office. Al

Fine Gardening is the only gardening magazine to which I subscribe.

Thanks for the link Gardengal! I thought the Nat'l Home Gardening Club sounded a little suspicious, but I didn't think the Garden Watchdog would have info on them, since they weren't a retail garden supply company. It is great to have a source where we can get the scoop on places like that.

I may take a chance on the Fine Gardening magazine though, based on the positive response here. If the trial issue doesn't seem worth the money, I just won't pay for the subscription.

Fine Gardening is one of my favorites too

I'll just add this tiny little plug - I actually have an article in the current issue of FG - so my opinion may have a bit of a bias :-))

*gasp*

Which one, gardengal48? I'll be back home in a few hours, and I'm going directly to my copy on the coffee table!!

It's nothing to get very excited about - just one of the regional reports (Northwest) and of little value to anyone not living in my area. But I was rather tickled to be asked to contribute to such a well-regarded national publication :-)

Well, *I* think it's cool too! And I have friends and relatives in the PNW, so I'm sure I'll enjoy reading it.

And this time, out of respect to you, I WON'T mutter jealously under my breath about what a wonderful gardening climate y'all have!

I agree with the above comments. Fine Gardening is very nice. High energy & glossy. I could do with a LOT less advertising. I will be re-newing though.

I was very disappointed with NHG Club. They alone will inundate you with offers and "come-on's". I don't find I get any benefit from their monthly mag or my membership, which I will not renewing.

My personal favorite gardening mag which you may want to consider is Garden Gate. $24.00/year=6 issues with NO advertising at all. Just page after page of tons of plain ole useful, easy to read articles. I find it pleasant and relaxing to read. I refer back to Garden Gate and have "sticky-noted" more pages in it than in either of the other 2 gardening mags I subscribe to.

I looked over their website, requested the free issue and was hooked....Check it out!

Barbara

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Gate Mag Free First Issue

I received a subscription to Garden Gate for my birthday from my mother-in-law, who also bought one for herself. I really like their reader's tips section. It's a little on the short side, but what they do have is good. You can sometimes find these at the library to look at and decide if a subscription is worth it.

Fine Gardening definitely gets my vote for the single most
valuable magazine; their ongoing Guide to Pronouncing Botanical Latin has been a God-send, and, as noted by others, past issues become an invaulable resource. Here's a tip if you want to "sample" it without waiting for a trial subscription: they're online (including the complete
pronunciation guide!).....there's a link below.

gardengal48: You didn't have to go and get yourself
published just to impress me.....you did that some time ago
with some helpful tips. I can't wait to show that NW
Regional Report to my rabbits - they're here, after all, because of you !

Carl

Here is a link that might be useful: Fine Gardening

I am satisfied with Fine Gardening, though they do not publish monthly

I have gotten Sunset magazine off and on through the years, and I know it's not solely a garden magazine, but I enjoy their gardening articles. It's nice that it also has info on travel and cooking. But Sunset's focus is the West, so if you're east of the Rockies, it's not great for you.

I also received Fine Gardening for a year, and I did like it, but I didn't like the price. With Sunset, I usually take a break from subscribing until they send me the $12/year offer, and then I resubscribe.

I got an email from Taunton Press recently, which publishes Fine Gardening, and they have a special publication I'm interested in. It's called Great Gardens, and it's a soft-cover (magazine-style, I think) publication that has photos from the nation's "top 12" gardens and instruction on how to emulate them. I'll put the link below for it, but their site is not loading at this moment. Should clear up soon.

Here is a link that might be useful: Great Gardens publication