After Downing died there were several different editors, including Patrick Barry (1816–1890), John Jay Smith (1798–1881), and Henry T. Williams.
Downing was offered the editorship of The horticulturist in 1846, due to his extensive knowledge of plants as well as his growing fame from the publication of his books.
He used the position to promote his ideas on improving rural architecture, and over the years, included several editorial essays on the topic.
The magazine also covered news of plants and was notable for its extensive (for the time) etched and lithographed illustrations.
This was not a farmer’s magazine but rather a publication for horticultural enthusiasts, typically “gentleman farmers.” They were the audience for whom a “country villa” might be an appropriate aspiration, but who also might encourage improvements in rural architecture by building small, picturesque cottages on their property for workmen and their families.