Formerly Director General of the Royal Horticultural Society, Chris is an eminent plantsman. In 1976 he was awarded the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour for his services to horticulture, followed by the CBE in 1991. A former editor of The Plantsman, he has published many botanical and horticultural papers and articles and chaired the International Commission for the Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants. In 1990 he was editor-in-chief for the first edition of Dorling Kindersley's bestselling RHS Encyclopedia of Plants & Flowers (now in its 5th edition and with sales of over a million copies in the UK). This was followed by RHS Encyclopedia of Gardening, RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants and RHS Pruning & Training. He has recently completed full updates of both the A-Z of Garden Plants and Pruning & Training.