Vintage Seed Catalogs: Selling Garden Dreams
Each year homesteaders and gardeners look forward to the arrival of those delightful purveyors of gardening dreams – Seed Catalogs! Did you know that some vintage garden catalogs tempted our ancestors up to 400 years ago?
For many years gardeners have been inspired to try new varieties and plants by the descriptions and illustrations in seed catalogs.
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This is the time of year when the promise of a perfectly manicured, productive, and miraculously low-maintenance garden is alive and well.
Long before the soil warms, the first weeds sprout, and good intentions give way to busy summers, these gems tempt us with visions of ‘candy-sweet’ corn, crunchy cucumbers, and perfectly plump tomatoes – Garden Utopia!
Dreaming of Spring…
Never will our plot be as productive, tidy, and green as our mid-winter dream garden. But just because the reality of gardening can be messy and unpredictable, we don’t give up.
As we survey our tangled gardens in July, the work seems insurmountable. Dream garden? Hrmph…more like a nightmare weed patch! We should have picked those beans days ago. Cabbage worms munch happily on our broccoli, over there next to the weedy pea patch. We seriously consider throwing in the ‘trowel’.
But when the garden catalogs arrive in our mailboxes in December and January, we forget the weeds. We forget the bacteria wilts and squash bugs.
We dream of tidy rows of beans, well-trained tomatoes, and mulched paths (yes, paths!) leading to sparkling fountains and potted topiaries. These are the stuff that garden dreams are made of!
Like generations of gardeners before us, we eagerly peruse the varieties of peppers, onions, squash, and tomatoes. Promises of plentiful harvests and floral perfection captivate our attention while our gardens hibernate outside.
A Brief History of Seed Catalogs
It seems that gardening enthusiasts have been drooling over seed catalogs forever, but it has only been about 400 years since the first known plant catalog was printed in Holland.
In 1612 a Dutch merchant named Emmanuel Sweerts listed plants for sale in his catalog Floriligium. Prior to his publication, other plant catalogs listed ornamental species growing in the private gardens of the rich and famous.
Wealthy Europeans had a penchant for collecting ornamental and newly discovered plant species from around the world. Printed catalogs with beautiful engravings depicting these rare botanical possessions were a means of showing off their status.
A few years after that Dutch catalog, the first known French plant catalog was published in Paris by René Morin.
The age of the seed catalog was born. *
Vintage Seed Catalogs Have Come a Long Way!
Early garden catalogs were little more than lists of plant and seed varieties and their prices. The evolution of seed catalogs has brought us a long way from these early lists.
The garden catalogs that arrive in your mailbox contain photos, illustrations, descriptions of plants, planting and care instructions, hardiness zones, and a wealth of information to rival gardening books. In addition to offering plants and seeds, today’s gardening companies often sell books, kitchen gadgets, fertilizers, pesticides, gardening tools, and clothing.
Who needs to go to the garden store when you can curl up beside the woodstove with a few gardening catalogs and a cup of tea?
Learn how to store seeds for best germination with How to Make a Survival Seed Bank!
So, as you ponder which variety of beans to order this year, take a moment to appreciate the history of seed catalogs and the fine companies that produce them.
It takes quite a lot of work to compile the wealth of information included in their pages, making it just a wee bit harder to choose which varieties you will plant in your garden this year!
Do you order seeds from paper catalogs or do you order from an online company? Leave a comment!
Thank you for hosting Lisa! Happy New Year!
I love this. I love the beauty that the vintage seed catalogs evoke. These catalogs certainly do spark Winter dreaming! My husband has already got the garden bug and ordered a ton of seeds!
Thanks for this little history. It deserves to be remembered.
Laurie
I love old seed packets and catalogs! Thanks for stopping by, Laurie!
Thank you so much, Lisa, for featuring my DIY Sleigh Bells from Old Belts! I am so tickled to see this today! I hope you have a very happy New Year!
Hugs,
Tee @ Teediddlydee
Thank you for sharing, Tee! Happy New Year to you, too!
Lisa,
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Thanks so much for taking the time to host each week!! It truly is appreciated!! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
Hugs,
Deb
Thank you for joining us, Deb! Here’s to a healthy New Year!
This is what I featured on my blog 12-21 to 12-26-2020. On Tuesday was Egg Nog Pie. Wednesday was Philadelphia Creamy Salsa Dip. Thursday was Reindeer Pancakes. And Friday was Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. Enjoy!
Congrats on being featured this week at the Simple Homestead Blog Hop! What a neat article!
Melissa | Little Frugal Homestead
Thank you, Melissa! It is an honor to be featured!
Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Happy Holiday!
Love this, Lisa! What beautiful images 🙂
Thank you so much, Suzan! I’m on my way over to check out your post!