Henry Field Seed & Nursery Co. built a mail-order reputation in mid-20th century America on printed catalogs that combined nursery stock, seeds, and bulbs with practical gardening advice. The brand name Henry Fields persists today not as an independent mail-order operation but as a legacy imprint absorbed into Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. Understanding the historical catalog, the contemporary free catalog offer, and the mechanics of requesting material remains useful for gardeners who want to trace variety provenance, locate historic planting guidance, and obtain current Gurney's material under the Henry Fields brand umbrella.
The free catalog concept for Henry Fields originally meant a physical spring catalog mailed to home gardeners across the United States. The modern free catalog experience is managed by Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co., which continues to offer a full color catalog with discounts printed only in the catalog and promotes email and text updates for new products and special discounts.
Historical Henry Field Seed & Nursery Catalog
The Henry Field Seed & Nursery Co. spring catalog for 1957 is preserved in the Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection at the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Library. The catalog is catalogued as Henry Field's catalog for spring 1957 / Henry Field Seed & Nursery Co. and carries the bibliographic description:
- Publisher: Shenandoah, Iowa : Henry Field Seed & Nursery Co.
- Publication date: 1957
- Topics: Nursery stock Iowa Shenandoah Catalogs, Plants, Ornamental Catalogs, Bulbs Plants Catalogs, Trees Varieties Catalogs
- Collection: usda-nurseryandseedcatalog; usdanationalagriculturallibrary; biodiversity; fedlink; americana
- Contributor: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library
- Language: English
- Rights: The contributing institution believes that this item is not in copyright
- Item Size: 56.2M
- 87 pages : 35 cm
- Addeddate: 2023-10-04 15:10:46
- Identifier: CAT31418998
- Identifier-ark: ark:/13960/s2mjf3qfnmt
- Nalcallnumber: 62.27 1957
The digital scan metadata indicates: - Camera: Sony Alpha-A6300 Control - Ocrdetectedlang: en - Ocrdetectedlangconf: 1.0000 - Pages: 10 in the scanned item preview description, with the full bibliographic record noting 87 pages - Ppi: 400 - Republisherdate: 20231004105045 - Scanningcenter: beltsville - Series: Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection - Worldcat source edition: 1143848501
The catalog record is part of the Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection. The Biodiversity Heritage Library considers that this work is no longer under copyright protection.
| Catalog Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Henry Field's catalog for spring 1957 |
| Author / Publisher | Henry Field Seed & Nursery Co. |
| Publication Place | Shenandoah, Iowa |
| Publication Year | 1957 |
| Physical Description | 87 pages : 35 cm |
| Digital Item Size | 56.2M |
| Archive Identifier | CAT31418998 |
| Collection | Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection |
| Rights Statement | Not in copyright per contributing institution |
The 1957 catalog exemplifies the post-war mail-order nursery model. Henry Field Seed & Nursery Co. operated from Shenandoah, Iowa and distributed nursery stock, ornamental plants, bulbs, and trees through a printed catalog. The catalogs were intended for nationwide distribution by mail and served as both product list and horticultural advice.
Catalog Request and Mail Order Ecosystem
Mail order catalog culture in the United States relied on printed catalogs mailed at no cost to prospective customers. The Gardening Places mail order listing aggregates companies that offered catalog requests. The list includes multiple seed and nursery firms with request methods.
The entry for Henry Fields Seed & Nursery appears in the mail order compendium as:
- Henry Fields Seed & Nursery - request catalog online
The same compendium lists a broad range of contemporaneous and later catalog providers:
- Abundant Life Seed Foundation - order a catalog; rare varieties
- Bear Creek Nursery - request catalog - Specializing in cold and drought hardy stock
- Bountiful Gardens Rare Seeds Catalog - $2.00 - Bountiful Gardens, 18001 Shafer Ranch Road, Willits, CA 95490
- Deep Diversity Catalog - $6.00 - Deep Diversity, PO Box 15700, Santa Fe, NM 87506
- Fairweather Gardens - PO Box 330, Greenwich, NJ 08323 (609) 451-6261
- Fedco Seeds - seeds, trees, potatoes, organic supplies, request catalog
- GardenNet.com's Catalog Request Service - fill out online form to be sent various catalogs by mail order
- Gurney's Seed & Nursery - request a catalog
- The Guru Garden.com - Exceptional plants and flower seeds for every climate
- Henry Fields Seed & Nursery - request catalog online
- Hover Mower - A hover mower is good for slopes and difficult banks. You can order one online at very competitive prices with quick delivery. Also mail order service for petrol, electric, cordless & push lawnmowers
- Jackson's Online Garden Centre - Mail order delivery website offering a massive selection of plants and garden items online
- J.L
Additional entries from the same page include:
- Shumway's - free catalog
- Ronninger's Seed Potatoes - Star Route 1, Moyie Springs, ID 83845
- Seeds from Italy - U.S. Mail order distributor for Italian Vegetable Seeds
- Seymour's Selected Seeds - request catalog, order online
- Stokes Seeds - order catalog online; information
- Totally Tomatoes - PO Box 1626, Augusta, GA 30903-1626 803-663-0016
- William Dam Seeds Ltd - Box 8400 Dundas, Ontario L9H 6M1 (905) 628-6641
- Yucca Do Nursery - Rte 3, Box 104, Hempstead, TX 77445 409-826-4580
The page notes that you can often also obtain print catalogs from companies listed in the Seed Catalogs Online section.
| Mail Order Catalog Provider | Request Method | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Henry Fields Seed & Nursery | request catalog online | Legacy brand now with Gurney's |
| Gurney's Seed & Nursery | request a catalog | Current catalog distributor |
| Abundant Life Seed Foundation | order a catalog | Rare varieties |
| Bear Creek Nursery | request catalog | Cold and drought hardy stock |
| Fedco Seeds | request catalog | Seeds, trees, potatoes, organic supplies |
| Shumway's | free catalog | Free catalog offer |
Henry Fields Brand Integration with Gurney's
We're glad you're here and we've got great news. Henry Fields has joined forces with Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. to bring you an even better selection of quality seeds and plants.
The Henry Field's brand name may be gone, but its legacy lives on. We still offer tried-and-true favorites alongside exciting new items-all selected with home gardeners in mind.
Our research team tests every new fruit and vegetable variety for flavor, disease resistance and productivity before recommending it to you. We're so confident you'll be pleased with anything you grow from Gurney's, we proudly offer a No-Risk Guarantee.
We want you to be satisfied. If you're not happy with one of our products, we'll replace it or provide a merchandise credit for the full amount of your purchase price. All nursery stock, trees, plants, seeds and merchandise are guaranteed for one full year.
Be sure to sign up for Gurney's emails-we'll send new product announcements, the latest deals and exclusive offers just for our email subscribers.
gurneys.com/newsletter
The integration means that requests historically associated with Henry Fields Seed & Nursery now route through Gurney's systems. The brand identity is retained for marketing purposes while operational fulfillment, testing, and guarantees are provided by Gurney's.
Current Free Catalog Offer from Gurney's
Our free full color catalog includes many of our favorite varieties of plants, seeds, fertilizers and much more! Also, you will receive special discounts only printed in our catalog! Make sure to also sign up to start receiving Gurney's Seed & Nursery e-mail and text updates to preview exciting new products, learn about special discounts and lots more. Rest assured Gurney's Seed & Nursery will not share or exchange information that you provide.
The Gurney's Farm
Before fruit, vegetable and flower varieties are sold in our catalog, they're grown and tested at the Gurney's Farm. Tucked amidst corn and soybean fields in Tipp City, Ohio Zone 6, the 20-acre test farm includes an orchard, vineyard, brambles, various berry plantings, ornamental beds and a large vegetable garden.
Each year, we search for the best new varieties for our catalog. Finding the best means we must grow and test hundreds of plants. Our fruits and vegetables are grown with very little, if any pesticides, and we try to mimic home garden conditions. We do this because we want to know how each variety holds up to stressors like pests, diseases and inclement weather. When growing our ornamental plants, we don't pamper them
The catalog request process is centralized through Gurney's Seed & Nursery pages for catalog request. The free full color catalog is offered with printed-only discounts and is supplemented by email and text updates for new product announcements and exclusive offers.
How to Access Henry Fields Catalog Material Today
Access to historic Henry Field material is via the USDA National Agricultural Library digital repository. The spring 1957 catalog is available through archive.org with identifier CAT31418998.
Modern catalog fulfillment for the Henry Fields brand is handled by Gurney's:
- Request a catalog via Gurney's Seed & Nursery request a catalog page
- Sign up for Gurney's emails for product announcements, latest deals and exclusive offers
- No-Risk Guarantee applies to all products: replacement or merchandise credit for full purchase price if not satisfied
- One full year guarantee on all nursery stock, trees, plants, seeds and merchandise
The Gurney's Farm testing protocol informs catalog selections:
- 20-acre test farm in Tipp City, Ohio Zone 6
- Includes orchard, vineyard, brambles, berry plantings, ornamental beds, large vegetable garden
- Hundreds of plants grown and tested each year
- Fruits and vegetables grown with very little, if any pesticides
- Home garden conditions mimicked for stress testing against pests, diseases and inclement weather
- Ornamental plants are not pampered during testing
These operational details are presented as the rationale for variety selection in the current free catalog.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Henry Fields free catalog exists today as a historical artifact and as a living brand managed by Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. The spring 1957 catalog from Henry Field Seed & Nursery Co. in Shenandoah, Iowa documents the mid-century mail-order nursery model with 87 pages of nursery stock, ornamental catalogs, bulbs, and tree varieties. The digital surrogate is preserved in the Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection with public domain status.
Contemporary access is through Gurney's catalog request system. Henry Fields has joined forces with Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. to provide an expanded selection of quality seeds and plants while preserving tried-and-true favorites. The legacy brand name persists in marketing while fulfillment, testing, and guarantees are provided by Gurney's.
The free full color catalog includes favorite varieties of plants, seeds, fertilizers and more with special discounts printed only in the catalog. Email and text updates are offered for new product announcements and exclusive offers with a privacy assurance that information will not be shared or exchanged.
Product confidence is underwritten by the No-Risk Guarantee with replacement or merchandise credit for the full purchase price and a one full year guarantee on nursery stock, trees, plants, seeds and merchandise. Variety selection is supported by the Gurney's Farm in Tipp City, Ohio Zone 6, a 20-acre test farm with orchard, vineyard, brambles, berry plantings, ornamental beds and a large vegetable garden where hundreds of plants are grown and tested annually under home garden conditions with minimal pesticide use.
For researchers, the 1957 catalog remains accessible via the USDA National Agricultural Library digital archive. For gardeners seeking current material under the Henry Fields legacy, the practical path is to request the Gurney's free catalog and subscribe to email updates, thereby receiving the Henry Fields curated selection through the integrated Gurney's distribution system.