Luther Burbank’s Experimental Gardens
20 artifacts in this set
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The staff at The Henry Ford
"Conservatory and Residence of Luther Burbank, Santa Rosa, Cal.," circa 1915
Postcard
Attracted by a longer growing season, Luther Burbank followed family to Santa Rosa, where he established a large experimental garden. By 1881, modest success raising and selling plants allowed Burbank to purchase the ivy-covered home visible in the background of this postcard.
Burbank's Experimental Farm, Sebastopol, Near Santa Rosa, California, 1913
Postcard
Burbank expanded to nearby Sebastopol in 1885. On this 18-acre experimental plot, laborers cultivated lilies and many other plants.
Luther Burbank at His Desk, 1915
Photographic print
When not working outdoors, Burbank spent time carrying on his nursery business, keeping accounts, researching, and writing.
"New Creations in Fruits and Flowers," Catalog from Burbank's Experiment Grounds, Santa Rosa, California, June 1893
Trade catalog
Burbank's 1893 catalog, "New Creations in Fruits and Flowers," demonstrated his skill and helped make the local nurseryman an international celebrity. Ultimately, Burbank's experimental work yielded more than 800 new fruits, vegetables, flowers, and other plants.
Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Company Trade Card, Advertising "Gold $3,000.00 Plum" Trees, 1901
Trade card
"New Creations in Fruits and Flowers" captured the attention of established nursery businesses, including Stark Brothers Nurseries in Missouri. Clarence Stark traveled to Santa Rosa to see Burbank's creations for himself and purchased the right to sell Burbank's “Gold” plum variety. This began an exclusive distribution partnership that continued after Burbank's death.
"A Field of Burbank's Shasto Daisies, Santa Rosa, Cal.," circa 1915
Postcard
One of Burbank's most enduring inventions, the Shasta daisy (introduced in 1901) took him 17 years to perfect. Burbank praised its grace, beauty, abundance of bloom, hardiness, and persistence -- even as he released three "new" Shasta daisy varieties in 1904.
Luther Burbank's Phenomenal Berry, Selected Hybrid from Cross of California Dewberry and Common Red Raspberry, 1907
Postcard
Burbank's "Phenomenal Berry," pictured here, was the result of crossbreeding the California dewberry and the common red raspberry.
"A Field of Burbank's Crimson California Poppies," circa 1915
Postcard
Legislators named the California poppy as the state flower in 1903. Burbank believed he could improve on it. He selectively bred the native yellow variety to create a consistently crimson poppy by 1909.
Luther Burbanks's Santa Rosa Plums, 1907
Postcard
Burbank's international fame generated numerous business partnerships. A 1906 deal with Minneapolis publisher Dugal Cree to produce postcards like this helped promote Burbank's work.
"Burbank's Fruitful Spineless Cactus, Santa Rosa, California," circa 1908
Postcard
In search of a new livestock feed that could free acreage for crops to feed humans, Burbank devoted years of research to perfect the spineless cactus. When a business partner fraudulently distributed cacti with singed-off spines under Burbank's name, his reputation suffered and he retreated from business dealings.
Bridge and Burbank's Residence, Santa Rosa, California, 1913
Postcard
This steel-truss bridge, built as part of reconstruction efforts after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, allowed easier access for pedestrians and automobiles visiting Luther Burbank's experimental gardens.
Luther Burbank Standing in Front of His Home, 1914
Postcard
Burbank moved into this spacious new home in December 1906, just months after the San Francisco earthquake. The Mission and Colonial Revival design reflected popular tastes, while the furnishings ensured Burbank's comfort.
Burbank's Experimental Grounds at Santa Rosa, California, 1910
Postcard
Burbank's private den opened onto a balcony above the porch, offering this sweeping view of staff at work in his 40-acre experimental gardens.
Burbank's New Residence and Information Bureau, Santa Rosa, California, 1910
Postcard
The visiting public could purchase seeds and souvenirs at Burbank's "Bureau of Information," opened in 1910 just across the street from his home.
Luther Burbank Garden Office, Original Site, Santa Rosa, California, circa 1910
Photographic postcard
A mailbox in front of the "Bureau of Information" allowed visitors to send postcards as proof of their trip to Burbank's experimental gardens.
Editorial Rooms and Old Home of Luther Burbank - Santa Rosa, California, 1915
Photographic postcard
The Luther Burbank Society, organized in 1910, used Burbank's old home as an editorial office and the "Bureau of Information" for storage. The group published a multi-volume series on Burbank's work in 1913-1914.
The Burbank Seed Book, 1914
Trade catalog
On the back pages of this 1914 catalog, which offered seeds and plants created by Burbank, the Luther Burbank Company advertised a branded seed box filled with flower and vegetable seed packets for dealers to sell.
Cedar of Lebanon in Santa Rosa, California Where Luther Burbank is Buried, 1928-1940
Photographic postcard
Luther Burbank died in 1926. He was buried beneath a Cedar of Lebanon tree he had planted in front of his old Santa Rosa home in 1893.
Luther Burbank Garden Office
Office building
In 1928, Burbank's widow offered the "Bureau of Information" to Henry Ford for installation in Greenfield Village. It stands there today as a reminder of the influential and enduring products of Luther Burbank's experimental gardens.
U.S. Plant Patent 15, for Luther Burbank Peach, Granted to Elizabeth Waters Burbank, April 5, 1932
Patent
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office -- swayed in part by Luther Burbank's life’s work -- began recognizing the work of horticulturalists by awarding patents for new or improved plant varieties in 1930. Burbank himself would receive 16 plant patents, awarded posthumously to his widow.