This database will present written resources pertaining to horticulture and botany on the Great Plains. There will be an emphasis on Nebraska, especially the university, as well as on historical works. Therefore, this is the place to find 19th and early 20th century publications by the University of Nebraska's botanists, horticulturists, and plant scientists. Particular attention is placed on native plants.
Click here to view a pdf of the current database (1.8MB)
A Note About the Annual Reports of the Nebraska State Board of Horticulture:
One of the more obscure, yet most important publications regarding the history of horticulture in the state of Nebraska including, but by no means limited to, references to the landscape history of the University of Nebraska's East Campus are the annual reports produced by the State Board of Horticulture.
They are a wealth of information not simply about specific horticultural topics (fruits and orchards, trees and shrubs, herbaceous perennials, insect pests, landscape design, etc.), but they open a window onto the world of the early days of gardening in the state. Many things that we think of as recent innovations--the use of native species for example--find ample representation on their pages.
The people that shaped botany and horticulture at the university and throughout the state fill these volumes. Charles Bessey; Fred Card and R.A. Emerson of the Horticulture Department; W.H. Dunman, university landscape gardener; and many others relate their expertise.