Introduction
Planting the Seeds
Native Agriculture and Plant Use
Canadian Flora
Pioneer Gardening
19th Century Seed Catalogues
Cultivating the Garden
The Cultivators
Reaping the Harvest
Bibliography
Photos by Beth Powning
Other Gardening Sites
Acknowledgements |
Planting the Seeds
19th-Century Seed Catalogues
Before the use of colour photography in seed catalogues, artists had free rein to paint the flowers and vegetables of their dreams. These catalogues span two decades and make it clear that the spring hopes of Canadian gardeners have not changed much over the past century. All catalogues are from the collection of the Centre for Canadian Historical Horticultural Studies, located at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton, Ontario.
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Rowancroft Gardens, Meadowvale, Ontario, 18--. |
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John A. Bruce & Cos., Hamilton, Ontario, 1891. (The company had been in existence since 1850.) |
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William Evans, Montreal, 1878. |
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William Rennie, Toronto, Ontario, 1890.
The cover illustration is a painting of the Rennie home and grounds. |
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