1939 CATALOG OF RICHARD DIENER NURSERY, OXNARD, CALIFORNIA, U. S. A. 
Trade Sample 
Pkg. Pkg. 
No. 38. DOUBLE RUFFLED MONSTERS 
MIXED. —This is a mixture of the 
same colors as the single Ruffled Mon¬ 
sters but double. These have now 
reached perfection. After years of 
crossing and testing the size is enor¬ 
mous, reaching over nine inches in 
some instances. The percentage of 
doubles is very high. No matter what 
other varieties of double petunias 
there are on the market, including the 
100% double from foreign countries, 
you will find by comparison that ours 
excel in growth, color and size, so 
buy American seeds and keep the 
money in this country. $1.00 $ .50 
1000 seeds. 1.50 
No. 33. (Our 1937 Novelty) DOUBLE 
DAINTY LADY (Yellow).—Is of the 
same color as Dainty Lady Single, 
and is the first yellow double. We 
have produced double yellow Petu¬ 
nias by the thousands the last few 
years, and some were very yellow 
and large size, but they would not 
bring seed. This variety offered here 
is seed bearing. Seeds limited, no 
more than 2 trade packets to a cus¬ 
tomer . 1.00 .50 
No. 42. LARGE DOUBLE FRILLED 
MIXED. —After years of crossing and 
selection Mr. Diener produced this 
double strain, which stands highest 
today commercially. The color plate in 
this catalog will give you an idea of 
its average. In 2^ and 3-inch pots 
they commence flowering when only 
three to four inches high. These pic¬ 
tures of plants in pots in our catalog 
are actually growing. If the soil is not 
rich enough, many of the flowers may 
appear almost single when raised in 
small pots, but when you see the 
same plants after being transplanted 
into the open, the flowers will be large 
and double. The amount of doubles is 
75 per cent and the single types there¬ 
from are all heavily frilled and eagerly 
sought by the public. 1.00 .50 
1000 seeds. 1.50 
Delhi, New York, March 9, 1938. 
Richard Diener Nursery, Oxnard, California. 
Gentlemen: Two years ago I sent for some of your Petunia 
seeds and I had very good success with them. They were the 
most beautiful single ruffled Petunias I ever saw. Everybody 
was amazed at the size and we won first prize at our Flower 
Show. 
The package had more seeds than I needed for one year, 
so I kept them over and they came as good the next year. 
Yours truly, 
MRS. J. WALTER RINGHOLM. 
Trade Sample 
Pkg. Pkg. 
No. 44. DOUBLE FRILLED ROSE PINK 
AND WHITE VARIEGATED.— Of the 
fluffy ruffled type. Flowers four to 
five inches across. Of dwarf, compact 
growth and flowers sell at sight. It 
is the grandest combination of colors 
yet produced in Petunias. $1.00 $ .50 
No. 50. DOUBLE DARK CRIMSON.— 
Heavily fringed fluffy ruffles. About 
four inches in size. One of the dark¬ 
est red double Petunias. 1.00 .50 
No. 53. DOUBLE LAVENDER.— Deeper 
lavender veined in center of petals. 
Edges of petals heavily ruffled. About 
four inches in size. A beautiful 
variety . 1.00 .50 
SOWING OF PETUNIA SEEDS 
Prepare a seed bed by taking leaf mould soil which has been 
mixed with some clean, white sand (use positively no fer¬ 
tilizer in this soil when sowing). Sift this through a fine 
sieve into seed pans and flats within two inches from the top. 
Fill the remaining two inches at the top of the receptacle 
with boiling water and let the water seep through the soil 
and let the soil then stand for a day. This will have killed 
all weed seeds, worms and fungi contained in the soil. Smooth 
over the surface of the soil, but do not pack, as Petunia seeds 
will not grow in soil which has been packed. After the sur¬ 
face is smooth, sprinkle with fresh, cold water so that the 
soil will settle evenly. Sow the seeds over the top. If you are 
in a dry atmosphere, sprinkle a very little of this sterilized 
soil over the seeds. In damp climates no soil covering is 
needed, but a sprinkling of charcoal dust is good. Place a 
clean pane of glass over the flats or seed pans. If the sun 
strikes the glass, place over it a single sheet of newspaper. 
Always keep the seed bed moist, but not wet. Do not sow 
the seeds too closely, as they are to attain three or four 
leaves before transplanting. The glass should be removed as 
soon as the seeds have sprouted. The young plants should be 
transplanted as soon as possible into flats, spacing them one 
inch apart. 
Petunia seeds should be sown out four months before they 
are marketable. 
Petunia seeds sowed out in this sterilized soil will ger¬ 
minate 100% and the young plants will grow faster and be 
more vigorous. Also, you will not be bothered with weeds and 
fungi. These seeds are cleaned by a process where only the 
fertile kernels are selected. Ants will carry off the seeds if 
they have any access to same. Snails will eat the young seed¬ 
lings—-a great many in one night. For this reason seed boxes 
should be placed so that snails and ants are unable to reach 
them. Most of the loss of the seeds occurs in this way. We 
would suggest in this case that the seed box be placed on 
small blocks of wood, the blocks resting in jars or pans, the 
latter containing either oil or water. The ants or snails are 
unable to cross the oil or water, and so cannot reach the seeds. 
If you have successfully raised Petunias from seeds before, 
use your own method. The above is given to those who are 
unacquainted with the handling of Petunia seeds. 
Bar Harbor, Maine, February 8, 1937. 
Richard Diener Nursery, Oxnard, California. 
Gentlemen: We were very much pleased with the plants 
raised from your Petunia seed last season. We received first 
prize in the double Petunia class with some gorgeous im¬ 
mense blooms of your salmon double for Mrs. William Procter 
at the Mt. Desert Island Garden Club Exhibition. We also 
captured the novelty Petunia class in the Seal Harbor Show 
with an 8-inch pot of Green Edged Double. Many of our 
patrons were much pleased with their window boxes which 
we planted with your mixed doubles. Sincerely, 
GEORGE RENWICK, 
Bonnie Brae Farm. 
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