BEST THINGS IN THIS CATALOG AND WHY 
I believe no year has brought a finer array of lovely garden flowers than the Novelties for 1940, and I 
commend them to you most highly but I do not want you to overlook many fine old flowers as yet unsur¬ 
passed and on this page I am going to talk to you about some of them and their usefulness. 
CALIFORNIA WILD FLOWERS FOR 
YOUR BORDER 
First I want to mention the versatile California Native Annuals, 
see complete list page 23. You may know how splendid they are 
for naturalizing and beautifying vacant lots but you may not know 
nearly every one of them ranks with the finest of flowers for the 
annual border. Distinctive in themselves, they flower quickly from 
seed and are real "pinch-hitters" to take the place of more delicate 
things that have failed. I will point out the more valuable. 
I have never found a substitute for the lovely low masses of 
Nemophila, Gilia Tricolor, or Phacelia Campanularia, while the 
taller Gilias. Clorkia, Godetia Amoeno give airy masses of fine 
color and daintiest cut flowers. Bartonia is outstanding and 
Phacelias excel in lovely blue shades. Lupines and Eschscholtzia 
are the famed blue and gold of the California landscape which may 
be duplicated in your garden. Abronia, a very long flowering bed¬ 
ding annual, and try Collinsia in the shade or over bulb beds. 
Coreopsis stillmanii is unsurpassed for garden and cutting. 
WINTER AND EARLY SPRING BLOOM 
Pansies sown August-September give a wealth of bloom when 
most needed and who doesn't love them? Early Sweet Peas, Aug¬ 
ust-September. Siberian Wallflower with its bright and fragrant 
masses, Nigella which everyone loves on sight, brilliant Eschscholt¬ 
zia. Hunnemania, Silene Pendula, Calendulas, most sturdy and 
reliable of winter flowers, all sown August-September. Wallflowers, 
Aubretia, and stately Foxgloves, sown in May, will in all mild 
climates give a wealth of color and cutting flowers when most 
needed. Except the last two, sow all again in spring for a later 
bloom. In cooler climates sow very early in spring. 
FOR SHOWY MASSES OVER A LONG PERIOD 
You will agree in giving the Petunia and Verbena first place, 
but give them a rich well drained soil and see how fine they con 
be. Fine cut, too. Godetios always were "top-notchers" but try the 
finer new ones and water liberally. Then there's dainty Clorkia, 
Calliopsis, Salpiglossus, annual Phlox, Stocks. Cornflowers in the 
fine new larger flowered varieties. Marigold Hormony and Golden 
Harmony in front rank, Leptosyne Golden Rosette, Iceland Poppies, 
Zinnia Linearis. Larkspur, Nasturtiums, Hunnemania, and the fine 
newer annual Scabiosas with long cutting stems all providing a 
continuous succession of garden color and cut flowers from early 
summer until frost, while the too seldom seen Virginia Stock and 
Viscaria sown at frequent intervals provide the dainty touch. Add 
to these the versatile Nigella so seldom seen, yet the "first love" 
of all visitors in my garden, and you have "Flowers that Bloom all 
Summer", a prescription I am so often asked to fill. 
ABOUT ZINNIAS 
So that you may have the best, I pay for prize-winning strains. 
You will like my Zinnias for they ore unsurpassed. 
FOR LATE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER 
Often a difficult period, we must prepare well in advance to fill 
the gaps. Canterbury Bells must be sown a year ahead but few 
flowers are more loved. Dainty Shirley Poppies sown in fall or 
very early. Snapdragons sown August-November or very early. 
Nigella fills in admirably, and in this period some of the native 
annuals are particularly valuable for it is their natural flowering 
time. There will be carry-overs from the early group and spring 
sowings of all of them will be in flower. Be sure to have a good 
row of Sweet Peas for they will be most valuable now. Godetia 
sown in fall will come at this time as will annual Candytuft 
MID-SUMMER TO FALL BLOOM 
If you have kept the old blossoms picked off, the foregoing list 
will still "carry-on". African Marigolds, preferably in beds of sep¬ 
arate colors, give bold garden masses and fine cut flowers until 
frost. Zinnias are old reliables but sow some of each type for 
variety in the garden and more useful cut blooms. Cosmos Sensa¬ 
tion and Orange Flare are "must-haves", the fine Choboud hardy 
Carnations, Hollyhocks, the everblooming Venedium and its cousin 
the new Arctotis Hybrids, so effective for cutting, the splendid New 
Dwarf Dahlias with their wealth of brilliant blooms in two months 
from seed. All of these add to the richness of the garden and give 
a wide variety of finest cut flowers. 
FOR FALL BLOOM 
Asters hold first place from late August on and there are few 
lovelier flowers, success being assured with the wilt-resistant strains 
of which I offer the outstanding. In the background the brilliant 
Tithonia Fireball with its splendid cutting stems will hold forth until 
frost and rivalling it in brilliance the new Salvia Bloze of Fire. Late 
Cosmos and Cosmos Burpee Orange with long graceful stems bring 
a welcome change in fine cut flowers. Late sowings of Zinnia and 
Marigold will bring fine bloom now but if you hove kept the first 
plantings picked off they will still be fine. Constant picking will 
have kept the Scabiosas in full glory and June sowings of Virginia 
Stock, Viscaria and Candytuft will be on. Verbena and Petunia are 
with us in full glory and there will still be Iceland Poppies for cut¬ 
ting; and do not forget a June sowing of Nigella to bloom now. 
"MUST HAVE" FLOWERS FOR MY GARDEN 
I have land, water and seed but do not always hove time, yet 
there are some flowers I must always have and here they are: 
Nemophila, Clarkia Pulchella, Godetia, Bartonia, Horned Poppy, 
Nigella, Marigold Harmony, Eschscholtzia in variety, Shirley Poppy, 
Calendulas, Silene pendula, Phacelia viscida, Dianthus Loveliness, 
Scabiosa, Viscaria, Canterbury Bells. 'They are so easy to grow, I 
can always find time to rake in a few seeds and they just seem to 
fill all the gaps between the flowering of various perennials and 
bulbs. Perhaps you would like them. If so, there's 20 pkts. in the 
group. Special for $1.50. 
COLLECTIONS 
Through these pages you will find advantageous collection offers of various groups. Many friends ask 
nie to suggest collections for special purposes and to give you the advantage of my recommendations I am 
giving them in the following collections: 
MY CHOICE OF LOWER BEDDING ANNUALS 
Things that flower continuously from early summer until 
frost: Petunia DeLuxe Bedding Mixture, Verbena Supreme 
Mixture, Zinnia Linearis, Marigold Harmony, Abronia umbel- 
lata. (Value 75c.) Collection, 5 pkts. 50c. 
CALIFORNIA WILD FLOWER GARDEN 
A breath of loveliness that will delight you for weeks. Just 
sow in early spring where to flower and thin to 6 inches 
apart, watering liberally. 'The taller ones ore Bartonia Aurea, 
Coreopsis Stillmanii, Godetia Amoena; medium height: Pha¬ 
celia viscida, Clorkia pulchella, Gilia copitata, California 
Poppy, Lupinus nanus; and the entrancing low Nemophila 
insignis, Nemophilo maculata, Gilia Tricolor, Phacelia cam¬ 
panularia. Value $1.25. Special collection price, 12 pkts. 90c. 
A SUPREME CUT FLOWER GARDEN 
Medium to tall, they will give a summer-long succession of 
finest cutting stems: My Supreme Blends of Giant Larkspur, 
Cornflower, Godetia, Calendula, Chabaud's Carnations, Ice¬ 
land Poppy, Cosmos, Snopdrogon, Americon Beauty Mari¬ 
golds, superb Scobiosas, Stocks, Candytuft, Dahlia-flowered 
Zinnias, Crego Asters. Purchased separately they would 
cost $2.15. Collection price, 14 pkts. $1.65. 
MY ALL-SEASON GARDEN 
1 Pkt. each in Supreme Mixtures of Pansy "My Choice", 
Calendula, Virginia Stock, Viscaria, Eschscholtzia, Sweet 
Peas, Salpiglossus, Calliopsis, Marigold American Beauty, 
Dahlia-flowered Zinnia, Lilliput Zinnia, annual Phlox, Stocks, 
Cornflowers, Scabiosa, Crego Asters, Giant Larkspurs, Ver¬ 
bena, Petunia, Godetia, plus Nigella, Marigold Harmony, 
and Phacelia viscida. Purchased separately, value $2.80. 
Collection price, $2.00. 
22 
CARL PURDY, UKIAH, CALIFORNIA 
