How To Get Best Results With 
Himtmgton’s Seeds 
Raising giants from seeds is one of the most interesting subjects and the most fascinat¬ 
ing hobby for the true flower lover. It is a rare delight to watch the 
growth of the giant from the seedling stage to the fully 
develoged, blossoming sgecimen in your garden. 
ADVANTAGES OF GROWING FROM SEEDS— 
In our complete list of fine seeds you will find many 
items that are very rare in this country. It is al¬ 
most impossible to buy plants of these varieties. 
By sowing the seeds you have the unusual in your 
garden at a very low cost. 
In many cases these unusual and delightful items 
are very easy from seed and only await your trying 
them to give to your garden a distinctiveness ob¬ 
tained in no other way. In our entire list of alpine, 
perennial, and annual seeds there is not an item 
that cannot be successfully grown from seed if giv¬ 
en proper treatment. 
WHEN TO SOW —Early Spring is an ideal time 
to sow alpine, perennial and annual seeds. The 
middle of April is just right in our climate for we 
have enough rainfall to keep the ground moist, the 
sun is not too brilliant to burn the seedlings, and 
we find that our best results are achieved by sow¬ 
ing at that time. 
We drill out in the permanent nursery row such 
items as the following: Delphinium, Coreopsis, 
Gaillardia, Hollyhocks, Sweet William, Alyssum, 
Pyrethrum, and Rudbeckia. Unless the weather is 
very unfavorable we always have a good stand of 
these varieties. 
TO SOW IN SEED FRAMES— About the last of 
April we prepare our seed beds for the finer items. 
These are not as rapid in their growth and must 
have protection from the hot sun. We sow such 
varieties as these in the frames: Aquilegia, Aethi- 
onema, Campanula, Heuchera, Geum, Lobelia, 
Primula, Thalictrum, Violas, and all of the fine al¬ 
pine seeds. Care must be taken not to transplant 
too soon, and when they are transplanted it is wise 
to do it on a cloudy day so that the sun will not 
burn them. Do not transplant until the seedlings 
have been hardened off. 
PREPARATION OF SEED BEDS— Prepare all 
seed beds, either frames or outside, by thoroughly 
spading and raking. Level the soil and firm it 
lightly. An unlevel seed bed causes the seeds to be 
washed to one corner when they are watered. Do 
not make the seed beds so large that you cannot 
place a covering over them in case the sun becomes 
too warm. 
HOW TO SOW —Sow the seed thinly, especially 
those items that are not going to be potted or 
transplanted early. This gives the seedlings a 
chance to properly develop. Screen a thin layer of 
dirt over the seeds so they are just covered from 
sight. The really fine seeds do not need any cov¬ 
ering at all. Gently firm the seed into the soil with 
a fiat board. Water thoroughly but very carefully 
with a fine sprinkler. Keep them well shaded until 
they germinate. 
HOW TO HANDLE SEEDLINGS— After the seed 
has germinated care must be exercised in handling 
the seedlings. Do not water too much, but do not 
let the soil dry out. Gradually give them a little 
air, but do not let the mid-day sun hit them. We 
give them a little sunlight in the morning, and 
gradually increase it until they are old enough to 
take care of themselves. 
SUMMER SOWING OF PERENNIALS— Many of 
our clients are sowing seeds during July, August 
and September. These seeds should be sown in a 
frame so that they can be protected over winter. 
Fine results are obtained with Delphinium, Pyre¬ 
thrum, Aquilegia, Scabiosa, Anemone, Iberis, and 
other perennials when sown in the late summer. 
The advantage of sowing then is that the seedlings 
can be transplanted early in the Spring. 
FALL SOWING OF PERENNIALS AND AN¬ 
NUALS. It is not generally known that there are 
certain perennial seeds that must be sown in the 
Fall for the best results, and that certain annual 
seeds will germinate successfully if sown in the 
Fall. These seeds require the action of winter 
freezing to aid them in germinating in the Spring. 
The list of Annual Seeds that can be sown in the 
Fall is given in the Annual Seed Section. We rec¬ 
ommend late Fall sowing for the following perennial 
seeds: Adonis, Anthericum, Apocynum, Asperula, 
Cassia, Colchicum, Convallaria, Cirsium, Dicentra, 
Dictamnus, Ferula, Gunnera, Hedysarium, Helle- 
borus, Heracleum, Hypericum, Liatris, Morina, 
Oenothera missouriensis, Pardanthus, Peony, Phlox, 
Sidalcea, Spirea, Trollius, and about all vine and 
shrub seeds. These items can be sown in the 
Spring, but for superior results sow in the Fall. 
LENGTH OF TIME FOR GERMINATING—Most 
perennial and alpine seeds require about a week to 
two weeks to germinate. Annual seeds germinate 
in about from two days to ten days. Because of 
climatic conditions it is difficult to give exact time 
for the seeds to germinate. Do not become dis¬ 
couraged if the seed does not germinate quickly. 
Some of the more stubborn items such as Eremurus 
and some varieties of Primulas take more than a 
year to germinate. We recommend that flats or 
pots containing the fine alpine and perennial seeds 
be held a year. Frost aids germination even after 
seeds have lain in the soil for months. 
Several Important Factors About Fine Seeds 
Be very careful that you do not sow seeds too 
deep. A fine rule to follow—sow all seed the depth 
of the size of the seed. 
Be sure your seed frames are well drained. Many 
young seedlings are destroyed by excessive mois¬ 
ture. Be careful in watering the seeds. Too much 
force will wash them all to one corner of the bed. 
The proper soil for a large majority of seeds Is 
clean rich loam. Too much fertilizer is injurious. 
Do not permit the soil to become crusted. Seedlings 
cannot struggle through hard soil. 
A light covering of screened peat moss over the 
seeds is a big help in holding the moisture and 
keeping the ground from baking. Do not get too 
thick a covering of peat. 
If the seeds do not germinate quickly, do not get 
discouraged for many items require a considerable 
length of time to germinate. 
THIS IS IMPORTANT—We are ready at all times 
to be of assistance to you. We have been experi¬ 
menting with seeds for over a quarter of a century. 
Possibly we have just the information you require. 
Do not hesitate to write. We consider it a pleasure 
to aid those who are interested in flowers. 
