Count that day Jost, we always say, 
Should some day come to an end, 
When we have failed to try to make 
Some customer a friend. 
It pleases us to please you, and 
owever we re at fault, 
Tt can't be said we didn’t try 
Believe us.... Ede and Walt 
WHO GIVETH THIS CATALOG? 
This foreword, occupying first position in the catalog, but last to be written 
before going to press, is our final effort to tip the scale of your approval in favor of 
Edenwald Gardens. We feel a little like we did the day we got married—affectionate, 
but nervous and apprehensive. Did we blow ourselves up too high? Are we going to 
be able to make good on all those big promises we made? Are things going to be all 
right for us hereafter? 
FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE, FOR RICHER, FOR POORER 
Well, win or lose, this is it. Here in your hands is our bid for favor and our effort 
to make you Edenwald conscious as well as iris and daylily conscious. Whether you 
classify as a fancier, a novice or somewhere in between, we hope we have presented 
something of interest. 
THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE 
We should like, first, to address a few words to the amateurs who receive this 
catalog. As you become better experienced and get past the colored-picture stage, 
likely you will gain in regard for our little booklet, easy to read and purposely de- 
signed to fit conveniently in the pocket, handbag or desk drawer. You will then also 
appreciate that the carefully restrained descriptions are the result of our desire to 
present the facts briefly and honestly and our reluctance to overwhelm you with 
words which might confuse rather than clarify. You should not read into these 
descriptions any lack of enthusiasm on our part, because of their brevity. 
BEST OF THE OLD, FINEST OF THE NEW 
You will appreciate too, that the wide range of selection which we feature, is for 
your benefit, not ours, since we could operate more profitably and more efficiently 
were our list condensed to those which propagate most easily. Because our plantings 
are extensive, it is seldom necessary to substitute for varieties sold out and we hold 
ourselves in readiness to serve you, from the beginning of our shipping season, about 
July first, until freezing weather. 
LIFE BEGAN IN THE GARDEN—REMEMBER? 
Increasingly greater numbers of amateurs are being attracted to flower garden- 
ing as an inexpensive, satisfying hobby. One which offers interesting pursuits for 
individuals of all types and ages. Under the pressure of everyday living in a tense 
age of atomic bombs and cold wars, gardening provides a form of relaxation and 
achievement absorbingly interesting as well as healthful to mind and body. Millions 
of new householders possessing comfortable, functional homes in suburban areas, 
are learning that they can extend the attraction and enjoyment of their modern 
environment by developing and beautifying the surrounding outdoor areas. 
PICTURE WINDOW ALSO NEEDS PICTURE 
Through the medium of nursery and seed catalogs, flower gardeners are offered 
their choice of many interesting and attractive plants. Some are nothing more than 
weeds collected from distant places, others are the product of selective breeding and 
hybridization. Few have reached the highly developed stage to which hundreds of 
enthusiastic hybridists have brought the modern iris, a process which is now under 
way also, for the daylily. These flowers can glamorize your garden as can no others 
which are, at the same time, so un-demanding in their cultural requirements. 
ABANDON HOPE, ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE 
If you have heretofore been indifferent to the appeal of gardening and decide 
to send us a trial order, we’d best warn you that you may as well abandon the hope 
of ever being normal again. There is a spring malady we call “iris virus’ and a sum- 
mer complaint termed “daylily daze’? and either can be very upsetting to one not 
previously exposed. The early symptoms are a sensation of excited amazement, fre- 
quent hurried trips to the garden and once there, a disposition to dawdle; digging 
“and scratching the ground at the most unseemly hours, (even on Sundays) and the 
ceaseless leafing through catalogs like this one. Later on the waist line is likely to 
reduce, breathing become less labored, color more healthful, eyes sparkling, and 
eating and sleeping easy. No more brooding about this and that and less indulgence 
eal ba pursuits. Yes, very likely this passion for flowers will have profound 
after effects. 
