The Sale Botanic Gardens was established in a period when it represented status to have highly ornamental public gardens. The Catalogue Garden Collection draws on that era, with plants selected from the publication Plants Listed in Nursery Catalogues in Victoria 1855-1889.  

The loss of old and less fashionable species reduces the range of plants available for people to use. Predications globally suggest up to two thirds of the worlds plants species will be lost by the end of the 21st century – highlighting the importance of the Catalogue Garden Collection in maintaining these species.

The objective of the Catalogue Garden Collection is to demonstrate to visitors to the Botanic Gardens a range of plant species that were on offer for households to plant or were in the nursery trade in the late 19th century.

These plants were popular during this period requiring little irrigation and have survived many of Australia’s harshest climatic conditions and are still proving to be very resilient.