Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140

MS 406
Fleeta Brownell Woodroffe (1894-1990)
Papers, 1940-1990, n.d.


Descriptive summary

creator:

Woodroffe, Fleeta Brownell (1894-1990)

title:

Papers

dates:

1940-1990, n.d.

extent:

7.61 linear ft. (2 record center cartons and 3 oversized boxes)

collection number:

MS 406

repository:

Special Collections Department, Iowa State University.

 

Administrative information

access:

Open for research

publication rights:

Consult Head, Special Collections Department

preferred citation:

Fleeta Brownell Woodroffe Papers, MS 406, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

 

Biographical note

Fleeta Brownell Woodroffe was born May 9, 1894. She graduated from Drake University in 1918. She became well-known as a garden writer and editor. Her first free-lance article was published in the Christian Science Monitor in 1929. She became a regular contributor to Better Homes and Gardens that same year, but also provided free-lance work to a number of publications during this time. She was eventually named garden editor (1942-1959) for Better Homes and Gardens. Woodroffe was also employed by the Des Moines Register as garden writer and editor (1940-1984).

Woodroffe gained a national reputation through her efforts as a garden writer and editor. As a writer, she traveled around the world exploring and writing about new and exotic gardens. As editor, she pushed the use of full-color photographic prints in her magazines at a time when color photographic images were still uncommon. She wrote and supervised the publication of the first edition of the Better Homes and Gardens Garden Book (Meredith Publishing Co., 1951), a publication which sold nearly three million copies in its various revisions and printings. And as a testament to her longevity as a writer her gardening column appeared weekly in the Des Moines Register for 44 years.

Throughout her long career, Woodroffe remained active in gardening activities, clubs, and societies. She served as judge at the New York International Flower Show and patroness at the Chicago Flower Shows. She was a charter member of the Des Moines Garden Club (1921), as well as a member of the American Horticultural Society, the American Rose Society, the American Iris Society, and the Overseas Press Club of America. Woodroffe was awarded an Honorary Membership (1979) from the Garden Writers Association of America. She was the first recipient of the Garden Writers Award (1959) from the American Association of Nurserymen and she received the Gold Honor Award (1966) from the Iowa State Horticultural Society. She was also honored several times over by having varieties of iris, day lily, and hosta named "Fleeta" in her honor.

Woodroffe passed away on February 10, 1990.

 

Collection description

This collection (1940-1990, n.d.) contains biographical information, photographs, and copies of garden articles written by Fleeta B. Woodroffe from her time as a columnist for the Des Moines Register and writer for Better Homes and Gardens. The articles consist of photocopies of over 40 years of published materials, mostly "Your Garden" and "Gardens" columns that originally appeared in the Des Moines Register. The collection also contains copies of her articles that appeared in Better Homes and Gardens spanning over a decade.

 

Organization

The collection is primarily organized chronologically.

 

Container list

Box

Folder

Title

Dates

1

1

Biographical Information

1959

1

2

Memorial Service Program

1990

1

3

Photographs of Woodroffe (1- 3x5" b/w, 2- 3x5" color, and 2- 8x10" b/w photographs)

1950-1983

1

4-6

"Your Garden" Columns

1940

1

7-9

"Your Garden" Columns

1941

1

10-11

"Your Garden" Columns

1942

1

12-13

"Your Garden" Columns

1943

1

14-16

"Your Garden" Columns

1944

1

17-18

"Gardens" Columns

1945

1

19-20

"Gardens" Columns

1946

1

21-22

"Gardens" Columns

1947

1

23-24

"Gardens" Columns

1948

1

25-26

"Gardens" Columns

1949

1

27-28

"Gardens" Columns

1950

1

29-30

"Gardens" Columns

1951

1

31-32

"Gardens" Columns

1952

1

33-34

"Gardens" Columns

1953

1

35-36

"Gardens" and "Your Garden" Columns

1954

1

37-38

"Your Garden" Columns

1955

1

39-40

"Your Garden" Columns

1956

1

41-42

"Your Garden" Columns

1957

1

43-44

"Your Garden" Columns

1958

1

45-46

"Your Garden" Columns

1959

1

47-48

"Your Garden" Columns

1960

1

49

"Your Garden" Columns

1961

2

1-2

"Your Garden" Columns

1962

2

3-4

"Your Garden" Columns

1963

2

5-6

"Your Garden" Columns

1964

2

7-8

"Your Garden" Columns

1965

2

9-10

"Your Garden" Columns

1966

2

11-12

"Your Garden" Columns

1967

2

13-14

"Your Garden" Columns

1968

2

15-16

"Your Garden" Columns

1969

2

17-18

"Your Garden" Columns

1970

2

19-20

"Your Garden" Columns

1971

2

21-22

"Your Garden" Columns

1972

2

23-24

"Your Garden" Columns

1973

2

25-26

"Your Garden" Columns

1974

2

27-28

"Your Garden" Columns

1975

2

29-30

Gardening Columns

1976

2

31-32

Gardening Columns

1977

2

33-34

Gardening Columns

1978

2

35-36

Gardening Columns

1979

2

37-38

Gardening Columns

1980

2

39

Gardening Columns

1981

2

40

Gardening Columns

1982

2

41

Gardening Columns

1983

2

42

Special Recognition Article

1983

2

43

"Iowa Living" Articles

1948-1970

2

44

"Iowa Living" Articles- Photocopies

1948-1970

3

1

Better Homes and Gardens Articles

1949-1951

3

2

Better Homes and Gardens Articles

1951-1953

4

1

Better Homes and Gardens Articles

1953-1954

4

2

Better Homes and Gardens Articles

1955-1957

5

1

Better Homes and Gardens Articles

1957-1960

5

2

Better Homes and Gardens Articles

1959, n.d.