PUDOR’S DESCRIPTIVE SEED LIST 
11 
HINTS ON SOWING FLOWER SEEDS 
When sowing seeds bear in mind the fact that every fertile seed contains a living 
plant in embryo. The germ of life is there in a state of suspended animation and only 
awaits favorable conditions to quicken and develop. Water, heat and air are the all-import¬ 
ant factors, and a happy combination of these must be the object of all preparations. 
WATER 
As a general rule, a seed requires to take up a quantity of water equal to its own 
bulk to enable the germinating processes to commence. After these have once started, ger¬ 
mination must go on, and growth continue, or the embryo will perish. 
TEMPERATURE 
Experiments have proved that seeds of hardy plants give the best percentage of germi- 
ation if sown in a temperature of 45 to 50 degrees. Half-hardy subjects should be given 
10 degrees more, while Cucumbers, Melons, Bananas, and the like, which revel under 
tropical conditions, should be afforded a seed bed temperature of 70 to 75 degrees. 
AIR 
Seeds breathe, giving off during the germinating processes carbon dioxide, and unless 
this can readily escape, germination is materially hindered, hence the advisability of using 
an open sandy compost that air can readily penetrate. 
SEED SOWING UNDER GLASS 
Seeds of any type sown under glass in pots or boxes should be sown very thinly, and 
be just lightly pressed into the soil with the aid of a piece of board. The soil should have 
been previously moistened and allowed to drain, and after sowing, cover the seed with 
three times its own diameter of fine sandy soil. By this method the seed is enclosed in 
a moist bed from which loss of water by evaporation must be checked by covering the pots, 
etc., with sheets of glass, and shading from direct sunshine with paper until the seedlings 
appear, as the soil must on no account be allowed to become dry after sowing. If possible, 
avoid any further watering until the seed has germinated, but should it appear necessary, 
water is best applied by standing the pot or pan in water up to the rim. 
SEED SOWING OUT OF DOORS 
Outdoor sowings are less under control, but the careful cultivator will usually be able 
to get a satisfactory seed bed. This is of the utmost importance, as much good seed is 
ruined by being sown when the soil is in an unsuitable condition. Good results can never 
be obtained by sowing in a pasty soil, the land should work freely without “balling,” a 
condition that can often be obtained early in the season by lightly forking over and leaving 
to dry for a few hours in the sun and wind before attempting to rake down. 
SOWING HARDY ANNUALS 
Seeds of Hardy Annuals can be sown direct into the position in which the plants are 
to bloom; making both spring and autumn sowings, the best months being March and 
April—September and October, respectively, for most types. Prepare the positions thor¬ 
oughly, sow the seed very thinly and cover with fine sandy soil. Many species, including 
such favorites as Mignonette, Clarkia, Godetia, Nigella, Schizanthus and many others, 
transplant readily, and an earlier supply of bloom may be obtained by sowing these sub¬ 
jects in boxes in gentle heat during early March, hardening the plants prior to trans¬ 
planting to their flowering positions during April. The first mentioned is popularly sup¬ 
posed to be a difficult subject to transplant, but this will not be found to be the case 
if transplanting is firmly done when the soil is in a fairly moist condition; the plants 
should not be watered in, but may be freshened by spraying with a syringe, or fine rosed 
can, should the weather prove dry and sunny. 
SOWING HALF-HARDY ANNUALS 
Such as Asters, Phlox Drummondii, Salpiglossis, etc., should be sown in boxes as pots 
on a mild-hot-bed during first or second weeks in April, and grown on steadily during 
the six or eight weeks that must elapse before it is safe to put them into their flowering 
quarters. The more tender types, usually grown for greenhouse decorations, such as, for 
instance, the Thunbegias, Celosias, Torenias, etc., should be sown in good time, say April 
at the latest, or the season will be far spent before they are in bloom. 
HARDY BIENNIALS 
Should be sown at an earlier date than is usually the case; much better plants can 
then be obtained and the wealth of bloom these will give in the spring will amply repay. 
A good general rule to adopt, and one that will provide a useful timely reminder, is to 
make a point of sowing seeds of Hardy Biennial plants for the following year’s supply at 
the time the current year’s plants are in full bloom. 
HARDY PERENNIALS 
Seeds of these should be sown during spring and early summer, and where the con¬ 
venience exists it is a good plan to sow in pots or boxes in a cold frame, transplanting 
when large enough to handle into nursery beds until the autumn. Otherwise, the seed may 
be sown in the open ground, observing the precautions already advised as to conditions of 
soil, etc. Shading is important and the seed beds should be protected from full sun until 
the seedlings are well established. 
