Seed money: A short history of garden catalogs

Soon — even before Christmas these days — seed catalogs will show up in my mailbox and online seed catalogs will become available.

As I looked forward to seeing all the vegetable and flower “new arrivals,” I started to wonder, “How long have seed catalogs been a thing?” After a little bit of research, I found that they have been around a lot longer than I realized.

The earliest catalogs stemmed from books known as “herbals.” Herbals were the plant identification books of the Middle Ages; they helped people identify plants correctly for the purpose of treating illnesses.

As the wealthiest of the 16th century began to import more exotic plants to fill their estates, they would often publish their own personal catalogs as ornate “florilegia.” These books shared the focus on classification with the herbals, but moved away from the medicinal value to focus on the ornamental value of these plants. To the surprise of nobody, the oldest surviving plant catalog contains a merchant’s list of tulip bulbs for sale in 1612.

Over time, the British developed quite the green thumb, as plants from their various colonies were being sent home for enterprising gardeners to grow on their properties. The catalogs began to change as well, taking advantage of the gardening interest that had developed in all levels of society. No longer was the focus solely on exotics or ornamentals; the more “practical” plants — fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants, herbs — made a return to the pages of the catalogs.

As catalogs became easier to mass-print, they featured even more ornate illustrations to entice gardeners to purchase their wares. Newly developed mail-order services allowed people all over the country to have items shipped to their homes. Lists had also expanded to include item numbers, prices, lengthier descriptions and cultural growing instructions. By the early 1800s, they even included appeals to women about the suitable nature of gardening as an activity for the proper woman.

Seed catalogs originating in the U.S. mostly started out on the East Coast as simple lists. They had a bit of a delayed development because of the War of 1812 and the Civil War. (A sharp increase in catalogs was noted after the Civil War ended.)

Once commercial and postal networks improved, Americans were inundated with mail-order catalogs that more closely resembled what had been available in Europe since the early 1800s. The increased competition for the gardener’s attention also saw special offers, novelty varieties and contests appearing in seed catalogs for the first time.

By the early 1900s, catalogs were more colorful than ever, but the quick succession of World War I, the Great Depression and World War II had a major impact on the seed business. Exports decreased drastically and local production of seeds increased. A greater focus on staple foods at a lower cost can be observed in seed catalogs from around the globe. Catalogs were also printed on cheaper paper — and, where rationed (like in Great Britain), they returned to being simple plant lists.

After World War II ended, seed catalogs returned in full size and color. Seed catalogs have remained mostly the same since then, except that you are more likely to find them on the internet than in your mailbox.

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Thinking about becoming a WSU Master Gardener? Classes start in January and take place on Saturdays. Visit PNWMG.org for details and an application.

Katie Lutz, of Hoquiam, joined the WSU Master Gardener program in 2016.