D. Landreth Seed Company
Corporate brand
UnclaimedD. Landreth Seed Company is an American seed brand founded in Philadelphia in 1784 and associated with heirloom seeds, horticultural experimentation, and early mail-order seed catalogs.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
D. Landreth Seed Company is an American horticultural seed company founded in 1784 by David and Cuthbert Landreth. Its origins are connected with David Landreth, who was born in Northumberland, England, and immigrated with his family to Montreal in 1780 with the intention of establishing a seed business. The Canadian climate proved unsuitable for the enterprise, prompting relocation to Philadelphia in 1783. The company was established there in the 1780s and initially supplied seeds to Philadelphia residents and nearby estates. The business developed during a period when American horticulture was becoming more organized and commercially significant. Its customers reportedly included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Joseph Bonaparte during visits to Philadelphia. The company expanded beyond its original market through stores in Charleston, South Carolina, opened in 1818, and St. Louis, opened in 1854. The St. Louis operation later closed at the beginning of the American Civil War. David Landreth and his son David, who joined the business in 1820, also participated in the founding of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in 1827. In 1832, the company produced Floral Magazine, described in reference material as the first agricultural journal in the United States. Landreth's activities extended beyond retail seed sales. In 1847, D. Landreth and Sons moved its testing and growing operations to Bloomsdale Farms in Bristol, Pennsylvania, where the company used approximately 600 acres for seed trials and production. Its catalogs emphasized the freshness of seed grown on the company's own fields, dated packets, and the destruction of unsold stock after the planting season. The company distributed seed throughout the United States and to overseas markets including the West Indies, South Africa, India, China, and Japan. It supplied seeds connected with Matthew C. Perry's expedition to Japan in 1852 and later received Japanese plant material for American cultivation and distribution. The company is also associated with several horticultural introductions and breeding claims, including the introduction of the zinnia in 1789, a notably white potato in 1811, and the tomato to the United States in 1820. Its catalogs became important marketing and educational instruments. After the Civil War, the company adopted strongly nationalistic language such as “American seeds for the American climate,” used the Liberty Bell in its visual identity, and registered its logo and brand names after the passage of federal trademark legislation in 1881. It was among the early seed companies to replace illustrated woodcuts with photographic representations of plants during the late nineteenth century. Ownership and location changed repeatedly. After David Landreth II died in 1880, his sons Oliver, Burnet, and Leopold took over. The business adopted the name D. Landreth Seed Company in 1904. It was sold to Buist Seed Co. in 1942 and later to the Goldberg Co., which moved the operation to Baltimore. The loss of much of Bloomsdale Farms to defense-related condemnation during World War II, followed by suburban development, ended the company's long association with its Pennsylvania growing site. In 2003, venture capitalist Barbara Melera acquired the company and became its president in an effort to prevent its closure. During the 2000s, renewed consumer interest in heirloom varieties helped expand the customer base. Reference material states that customers increased from approximately 350 to 4,000 and that the business returned to profitability in 2010, although the company also relied on Melera's personal funds and loans and faced creditor litigation in 2012. In 2010, the company worked with Michael W. Twitty on an African American Heritage Collection of approximately 30 heirloom plants, including fish pepper and the long-handled dipper gourd. In 2016, the company was listed for auction and acquired by American Meadows, Inc. The brand is therefore best understood as a heritage American seed business whose identity combines historical cataloging, heirloom preservation, seed experimentation, and direct-to-consumer horticultural retail.
History
D. Landreth Seed Company traces its beginnings to David Landreth's attempt to establish a seed business after immigrating from England to Montreal in 1780. The Canadian climate led him to move to Philadelphia in 1783, where the company was founded in 1784. His brother Cuthbert became involved in the Philadelphia operation during the 1780s. The early business served Philadelphia and surrounding estates, and its reported customers included prominent political and aristocratic visitors to the city. The company expanded geographically during the nineteenth century. It established a Charleston store in 1818 and a St. Louis store in 1854, although the latter closed as the Civil War began. David Landreth's son joined the business in 1820. The family participated in the creation of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in 1827, and the company published Floral Magazine in 1832. It also contributed land in 1845 for a Philadelphia public school that became known as the Landreth School. In 1847, D. Landreth and Sons moved its principal growing and testing work to Bloomsdale Farms in Bristol, Pennsylvania. The site covered approximately 600 acres and supported seed trials, production, and the preparation of nationally and internationally distributed stock. Landreth seeds reached the West Indies, South Africa, India, China, and Japan. The company supplied seeds associated with Matthew C. Perry's 1852 expedition to Japan and later received Japanese seeds, including red shiso and wineberries, for cultivation and distribution in the United States. Landreth's commercial identity was built through catalogs that promoted seed freshness, company test fields, dated packets, and the disposal of unsold seed. Following the Civil War, the company used patriotic slogans and the Liberty Bell in its branding. It registered its logo and brand names under the new federal trademark system in 1881. The catalogs initially relied on woodcut illustrations, but the company became an early adopter of plant photography during the 1890s. The family business changed hands within the Landreth family after David Landreth II died in 1880. His sons Oliver, Burnet, and Leopold assumed control. In 1904, the business adopted the name D. Landreth Seed Company. It was sold to Buist Seed Co. in 1942 and later to the Goldberg Co., which moved the operation to Baltimore. World War II defense development removed much of Bloomsdale Farms, and subsequent suburban expansion eliminated the remainder of the historic farm. The company was acquired in 2003 by Barbara Melera, who served as president and sought to preserve it from closure. A later revival in heirloom gardening increased the customer base, and reference material records a return to profitability in 2010. The same period included a collaboration with Michael W. Twitty on an African American Heritage Collection of approximately 30 heirloom plants. Financial pressure nevertheless continued, and creditors sued Melera in 2012. In 2016, the company was auctioned and acquired by American Meadows, Inc.
- 2016
Acquired by American Meadows
[1]After being listed for auction, the company was acquired by American Meadows, Inc.
- 2010
African American Heritage Collection introduced
[1]The company worked with Michael W. Twitty on a collection of heirloom seeds associated with African American history.
- 2003
Acquired by Barbara Melera
[1]Barbara Melera purchased the company to prevent its closure and became president.
- 1942
Sold to Buist Seed Co.
[1]The Landreth family business was sold to Buist Seed Co. of Philadelphia.
- 1904
Company adopts current name
[1]The business changed its name to D. Landreth Seed Company.
- 1881
Logo and brand names trademarked
[1]The company used the newly available federal trademark system to register its logo and brand names.
- 1852
Seeds supplied for Perry expedition
[1]Landreth supplied seeds connected with Matthew C. Perry's expedition to Japan.
- 1847
Operations move to Bloomsdale Farms
[1]D. Landreth and Sons moved seed testing and growing operations to a roughly 600-acre farm in Bristol, Pennsylvania.
- 1832
Floral Magazine published
[1]The company produced Floral Magazine, described in the reference material as the first agricultural journal in the United States.
- 1827
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society involvement
[1]David Landreth and his son were among the founders of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Products and positioning
A heritage American seed brand positioned around long horticultural history, heirloom varieties, seed preservation, experimental growing, and the cultural history of food and gardening.
Seeds
Vegetable seeds
Vegetable seed offerings form a central part of the company's historic catalog business. The brand is particularly associated with heritage and heirloom varieties, reflecting its long-running emphasis on preserving older cultivars and making them available to home gardeners and growers.
Seeds · 1789
Flower seeds
The company has historically sold flower seeds and is linked with the introduction of the zinnia in 1789. Flower offerings were promoted through catalogs that combined horticultural information with illustrations and, later, photographic images of mature plants.
Heirloom seed collection · 2010
African American Heritage Collection
Developed with Michael W. Twitty, this collection contained approximately 30 heirloom plants connected with African American foodways and self-sufficiency. Named examples include fish pepper and the long-handled dipper gourd. The collection presented seeds as both gardening products and carriers of cultural history.
Specialty seeds · 1855
Japanese plant introductions
Following seed exchanges connected with Matthew C. Perry's expedition, Landreth received Japanese plant material for cultivation and distribution in the United States. The reference material specifically identifies red shiso and wineberries among the introductions associated with this exchange.
Controversies
Marketing campaigns
- 2010African American Heritage Collection
United States
For the company's 225th anniversary period, D. Landreth collaborated with Michael W. Twitty to assemble an heirloom seed collection highlighting plants important to African American survival, food traditions, and independence.
Outcome. The collection comprised roughly 30 plants and became a notable example of connecting seed retail with cultural and agricultural heritage.
- 1865American seeds for the American climate
United States
After the Civil War, the company increasingly used patriotic positioning in catalogs, including claims centered on American-grown seed suited to American conditions and the phrase “preeminently the AMERICAN SEED HOUSE.”
Outcome. The campaign helped associate the brand with national identity and domestic horticultural production.
Brand decisions
2016
Acquisition by American Meadows, Inc.M&ABackground
The company was listed for auction after a period of financial pressure.
Action taken
American Meadows, Inc. acquired D. Landreth Seed Company.
Aftermath
Ownership moved outside the Landreth family and into the American Meadows organization.
2003
Acquisition by Barbara MeleraM&ABackground
The company was at risk of closure when Barbara Melera decided to acquire it.
Action taken
Melera purchased the business and assumed the role of president, financing operations with personal resources and loans.
Aftermath
The company continued operating, later benefiting from consumer interest in heirloom seeds, but subsequently faced creditor litigation.
1904
Adoption of the D. Landreth Seed Company nameStrategyBackground
Following successive generations of family management, the company formalized the name D. Landreth Seed Company.
Action taken
The business changed its corporate and trading name to D. Landreth Seed Company.
Aftermath
The name became the principal modern identity of the historic seed business.
Sources1 sources
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