1121 WASHINGTON ST. WEST NEWTON,MASS. 
Notes on Raising Flower Seeds 
ANNUALS (HARDY). Those families which are sown 
and bloom the first season, the plants dying with the approach 
of Winter, such as Alyssum, Calliopsis, Candytuft, Cen- 
taurea, Mignonette, Nasturtium, Poppy, Sweet Peas, 
etc. Sow from April to June, the later sowings being confined 
to rapid-growing annuals only. The ground should be pre¬ 
viously prepared by digging, working in a little manure at the 
same time. The surface should be made level and finely raked. 
If the weather is dry, give a watering some hours before sowing. 
Sow thinly and gently press the seed into the earth, covering 
lightly with finely sifted soil; the very small seeds must have 
very little covering. Keep the soil moist and shaded until 
the seedlings are up; the shade can be managed with branches 
of evergreens or sheets of paper fastened to little stakes. When 
large enough to handle, thin out freely, leaving space for each 
plant to develop to its full size. Thinning out is best done during 
dull, moist weather, or in the evening time. In calculating the 
distance that should be left between plant and plant, it may 
be taken as a general rule that plants which attain, when fully 
grown, a height of 1 foot, require to be thinned out to at 
least H foot apart, and so on. 
Many of the hardy annuals may be sown in August and Septem¬ 
ber, for Spring and early Summer flowering, and if the seedlings 
are boldly thinned out at an early stage they become hardy 
and robust, producing finer plants and a greater profusion of 
bloom than when sown in Spring. 
Hardy Annuals do not, in most cases, transplant well; they 
should therefore be sown, where intended to bloom. 
Half-hardy Annuals. Slower in growth than the Hardy 
Annuals. They include Antirrhinum, Aster, Cosmos, 
Marigold, Salpiglossis, Salvia, Stocks, Verbena, Zinnia, 
etc. May be sown in March or April, in gentle heat, in pans, 
shallow boxes, or pots, a light sandy soil being used. Shade 
from the sun’s rays till seedlings are up; this can be done 
by simply placing a newspaper lightly over them. As soon 
as the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick off into 
shallow boxes, and when strong enough and all danger of 
frost is over, plant out on to well-prepared ground. 
Those who have no convenience for sowing in heat can sow 
all Half-hardy Annuals in the open border middle of May. 
GREENHOUSE FLOWERS such as Calceolaria, Cineraria, 
Cyclamen, Primula, etc. Sow in gentle heat, in pans of 
loam, leaf soil and sand, in equal parts, placing a piece of glass 
over the pan and keeping shaded and moist until the seedlings 
are up; pot these off singly when large enough, and replace in 
heat, shading and keeping close until established, and pot on 
as necessary. 
PERENNIALS. Those plants which do not usually blossom 
until the following year after sowing, but continue to flower 
and increase each year thereafter, many however, will flower 
the first season from seed if sown in February indoors, and 
planted out. Some popular perennials are Aquilegia, Del¬ 
phinium, Digitalis, Gaillardia, Hollyhock, etc. Sow 
from March to July in pans or in drills on a prepared bed of 
light, rich soil and keep shaded and moist until the seedlings 
appear. Prick these out as soon as large enough to handle, 
into shallow boxes or nursery beds, and when strong enough 
transplant to permanent situations. Do not allow the seedlings 
to remain too long in the seed pans or to get starved for want of 
water. 
Hardy Alpines. Seeds of Alpines, rock plants, and all hardy 
Primulaceae should be sown in pots or pans during early Win¬ 
ter, and after a good watering should be stood outdoors against 
a north hedge or wall where the soil can get frozen. Then 
when milder weather sets in, bring the pans into gentle warmth 
and the seeds will germinate freely. After March it is better 
to wait and sow the seed in Winter, giving the treatment as 
recommended above. 
BIENNIALS require similar treatment to perennials. They 
include Campanula, Pansy, Sweet-william, etc. The 
plants die after the flowering season. 
MARIGOLD, French 
Lawn and Flower Fertilizer 
COST OF SEED 
The difference in cost of tested and guaran¬ 
teed seed grown by specialists and the 
ordinary stock is merely nominal. The 
outlay for seed is the smallest part of 
gardening operations; selection, the most 
important. It costs just as much to grow 
ordinary stocks as it does for improved and 
selected strains. 
It pays to pay for the best 
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