Our popular digitised collections are a well-used treasure trove. It is a complex process, to get a publication to this point – so new titles are a reason to celebrate. Browsing through whole issues is quite a different experience from searching for information – gratifying though that may be! Serendipity, too, can be rewarding.
As the weather warms, and the garden beckons, visiting these titles may be of interest.
The Garden Gazette
The Garden Gazette, first published in July 1902, declared:
Its mission will be to show that both the flower and the vegetable gardens can be profitably and pleasurably utilised. Articles from practical experts will be one of the many features of its columns: these will be written in a clear and concise style, and not above the heads of the multitude. In other words, they will be compiled for the every-day horticulturist and gardener, more than for the mere scientist 1
The publication was sadly short-lived, surviving for just 14 issues.
Every gardener is keen on tips, and the wide-ranging content includes soil health, manuring roses, insects and species-specific information – from ladybirds, to pruning, to advice for the kitchen and fruit gardens; to notable gardens – public and private. Articles include reports from local gardening societies, gardening in state schools, and a regular column entitled The favourite flowers of Australian gentlewomen.
The Journal of Horticulture of Australasia
The Journal of Horticulture of Australasia was published from 1906 to 1911. The Horticultural Publishing Press of Australasia also published Fruit World and The Australasian International Nurseryman, Seedsman and Florist. Its first issue included letters from an encouraging and appreciative public.
Again, focusing on the flower and kitchen gardens, the journal attempted national coverage, but its chief source of advertising revenue was Victoria. In 1911, a call to the readership was made:
In conclusion we state emphatically that we need more leaf. For even Poppies have their likes and dislikes, and support, and it is in the hands of our enthusiastic readers to make this possible. Who will be the first? 2
From this date the subtitle Home and Garden Beautiful was added – the first combined use of those words in an Australian periodical title. 3
Including practical gardening tips for each state, reports from garden societies, advertisements for tools and various garden potions, the title aimed to cover the gamut of gardening activities and interests. Kitchen gardens, fruit trees and ornamental plants (chiefly exotics) were all covered. The growth of interest and appreciation in Australia’s indigenous flora was developing but was slow to appear widely in suburban gardens.4
Home and Garden Beautiful
The issues following the renaming of the publication to Home and Garden Beautiful, included house plans and detailed descriptions alongside advertisements for furniture and more domestic, rather than horticultural, products.
Each issue included at least one feature article on a house, with the name of the owner and architect responsible. Modern homes, plus beach shacks and servantless houses were all covered over the period of the journal.
Sadly, the issue for April 1916 included the notice that the publication would be suspended:
Owing to the heavy increase in the cost of production of ‘Home & Garden Beautiful’, we have reluctantly decided to discontinue publication for a few months. We hope to be able to resume when conditions become more normal.5
The title did not reappear.
Dig deeper into other State Library gardening journals
We do hold other titles, including some published over this time, that survived longer, indicating that the competition and margins were tight in this publishing field.
We hope you enjoy exploring these titles online, and discovering the passions, knowledge and interests of some of the gardeners of the past, as they sought to inspire both productive and beautiful gardens.
More to explore
Our garden related blog posts – Edna Walling, A turn around the garden, Fanny Anne Charlsey
Gardenesque: a celebration of Australian gardening
Yesterday’s gardens a history and bibliography of Australian gardening books
Oxford companion to Australian gardens
Australian Garden History Society
References
- Garden Gazette, July 1902, p 4
- Journal of Horticulture of Australasia, June 1911, p 2
- Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens, p 340
- Aitken, Richard, Gardenesque, p 110
- Home and Garden Beautiful, April 1916, p 369
