Richard Frotscher’s Almanac and Garden Manual 
FLOWER SEEDS. 
The following list of Flower seeds is not very large, but it contains. 
all which is desirable and which will do well in the Southern climate. 
I import them from one of the most celebrated growers in Prussia, 
and they are of the best quality. There are very few or no flower 
seeds raised in this country, and Northern houses, which publish 
large lists and catalogues, get them from just the same sources as 
myself; but they, on an average, sell much higher than Ido. Some 
varieties which are biennial in Europe or North, flower here the first 
season; in fact, if they do not, they generally do not flower at all, as 
they usually are destroyed by the continued long heat of summer. 
Some kinds grow quicker here and come to a greater perfection than 
in a more Northern latitude. 
Flower seeds require a little more care in sowing than vegetable 
seeds. The ground should be well pulverized and light enough not to 
bake after a rain. Some of the more delicate and finer varieties are 
better sown in boxes or seed pans, where they can be better handled 
and protected from hard rains or cold weather; the other kinds do 
not transplant well and are better sown at once where they are to 
remain, or a few seeds may be sown in small pots to facilitate trans- 
planting into the garden without disturbing the plants, when large 
enough. Some have very fine seeds which the mere pressing of the 
hand or spade to the soil will cover; others may be covered one-fourth 
of an inch, according to their size. Watering should be done care- 
fully, and if not done with a syringe, a watering pot where the holes 
of the spout are very fine should be used. 
By setting the plants out, or sowing the seeds in the border, con- 
sideration should be taken of the height, so that the taller varieties 
may be in the middle and the dwarf kinds on the edge of the bed. 
The seeds are put up at ten cents a package, one dollar per dozen, 
except a few rare or costly kinds, where the price is noted. All flower 
seeds in packages are mailed free of postage to the purchaser. Where 
there is more than one color, I generally import them mixed, as I find 
that most of my customers do not wish to purchase six packages or 
more of one variety, in order to get all the colors. One package of 
Asters, Zinnia, Phlox, Chinese Pink, German Stocks, Petunia, Portu- 
laca and others, will always contain an equal mixture of the best 
colors. 
