Who Started It... And Why? 
Bob Lemmon started it . . . after having been 
Garden Editor of House & Garden for twenty 
years and Managing Editor for ten of them. 
He felt that there was a place for a new kind 
of magazine . . . all-garden . . . all practical . . . of 
a size easy to read and convenient to handle. . . 
fresh, friendly, human and completely reliable . . . 
well illustrated . . . designed for every man who 
takes his garden seriously and every woman who 
tires of sleuthing out an article on Lilies tucked 
between a double-page spread of chromium furni- 
ture and a puff for somebody’s silverware. 
Who Writes for It... On What? 
So, early in 1938, he took a deep breath and 
struck out for contributors keen to collaborate— 
each on his own pet subject. 
These weren't hack-writers with axes to grind 
or pockets to line, but experts, horticulturists, 
practical gardeners and skilled nurserymen who 
had long wanted a fair chance to tell what they 
knew to less experienced enthusiasts. Some of them 
wrote long articles . . . some short, pithy digests 
of information . . . others contributed nuggets of 
plant wisdom to split up into those pregnant para- 
graphs that fill out pages and settle thorny problems. 
Here are a few of the big names, with fresh ones 
Bete ected every month: 
i iam N. Craig (Lilies): Helen Page Wodell 
(Landscaping); Montagué Free (Vannes Plants) ; 
Henry Teuscher (Shrubs and Trees); Dr. A. B. 
Stout (Daylilies); Henry T. Skinner (Latest De- 
velopments); Elizabeth Nesmith (Oriental Pop- 
pies); C. H. Nissley (Vegetables) Henry E 
Downer (Pest Control); B. Y. Morrison (Daffo- 
dtls); Edward Steichen (Delphiniums) ; etc., etc. 
Who Reads It... And How! 
REAL GARDENING has had a sound and steady 
growth from its very: first issue, Today its sub- 
sctibers fepresent every State in the Union, all the 
Canadian Provinces, and a fat handful of foreign 

countries. They range all the way from such spe- 
cialists as the contributors themselves . . . through 
estate owners and those who have big though not 
enormous gardens . . . down to little people who 
hang just as lovingly over their few flowers as if 
each one were a brand-new variety. 
The best part of it is that they seem to. feel that 
this is their magazine. They make suggestions to 
the Editor. They tell their friends what REAL 
GARDENING is all about. They take two-year sub- 
scriptions instead of the customary singletons. They 
send in lists of prospects who will be glad to receive 
sample copies. And, in between, they burst into 
songs like these: 
Michigan: “Happy to be a new subscriber to 
the best gardening magazine in the country, the 
kind of magazine I’ve always looked for.” 
New York: “The beloved friend I dosed with 
a Christmas subscription to REAL GARDENING is 
a garden nut and declares that gift the best of all 
she received.” 
California: “I have enjoyed every issue of REAL 
GARDENING, reading and reading them and then 
saving them for later reference.” 
Massachusetts: “I am thankful there is a 
magazine about gardening which takes it seriously 
without sliding off into dressmaking, interior 
decorating, etc. I am very well pleased with it.” 
Nebraska: “Continue my subscription, for I 
couldn’t miss an issue. I find REAL GARDENING 
the most complete and interesting magazine for 
an amateur.” 
Connecticut: “REAL GARDENING is just what 
I’ve been waiting for. It has more practical infor- 
mation to the square inch than any other gardening 
magazine I’ve ever seen. It is perfect in every way.” 
Maine: “I have just been reading the latest 
number of your magazine, and IJ can’t refrain from 
telling you how much I enjoy it and how eagerly 
I anticipate its arrival. I like its neat green cover 
and its most convenient size. I don’t have to break 
my neck trying to read it through the lower part 
of my bi-focals as I do the others!” 
