


Planting Notes and Helpful 
Hints 23 
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Planting Netes Jor BRECK’S FLOWER SEEDS 
Of the Summer-flowering plants usually raised from seed there are three distinct classes—Annuals, Biennials and Perennials. Each of these, because 
of peculiar habits and characteristics of its own, requires somewhat different treatment. Here we have tried to make clear the differences between each 
of these groups and to give details on the various methods of planting. Brief planting instructions will also be found on packages of Breck’s Flower Seeds. 
ANNUALS 
Botanically, an annual plant is one which completes its entire life-cycle 
from seed germination, through the blooming and seed-ripening periods, 
to a natural death within a single growing season. Practically, however, we 
include in this group all plants, whether biennials or perennials, which will 
bloom in the open the same year the seed is sown and which do not live 
over Winter in this climate. 
Most common annuals will bloom freely if the seeds are sown in the open 
ground in the Spring after the weather has become settled. However, since 
this rule does not always apply, it has been necessary to subdivide annuals 
into groups as follows: 
_ Hardy Annuals are so called because they need no artificial heat at any 
time. They are able to endure any ordinary weather from early April until 
Fall. Frosty weather which often occurs during April and even May will 
do the plants no harm after they have passed the seed-leaf stage. Seed of 
many hardy annuals may even be sown in the Fall and the young plants 
which appear in the early Spring will often flower more strongly than those 
from Spring sowings. 
Half-Hardy Annuals are those which must have a long growing season 
in which to reach full development and which require protection and 
warmth during the early stages of their growth. They are usually sown in 
seed pans or flats during February or March and grown in a window, hot- 
bed, or greenhouse to be transplanted to the open garden in May when 
the weather has become settled. 
HARDY BIENNIALS 
Hardy Biennials require more than one growing season to reach maturity. 
They usually bloom the second year, after the seed is sown and then die. 
It is customary to sow the seed out of doors at any time after the weather 
has become settled in the Spring, until August. Certain biennials such as 
Canterbury Bells (Campanula Medium) should definitely be sown early 
(in April or May) or they will not bloom until the third season, but most 
of the others will give good results if sown in June, July or early August. 
If the seed is sown late and the seedlings are small, it is best to transplant 
them into a coldframe where they may remain throughout the Winter. By 
doing so, the growing season will be lengthened and the young plants may 
be protected more easily from severe weather changes. 
HARDY PERENNIALS 
Hardy Perennials usually do not bloom until the season following the 
one in which the seed is sown. However, unlike biennials, they do not die 
after blooming. Their foliage will die back to the ground every year but 
the plant will start from the same root in the Spring and will bloom each 
season for a long time. The seed may be sown from April until August. 
Early sowing is advisable for the plants will be larger and better able to 
withstand the Winter. In some instances the plants from early sowings will 
flower the first season but in any case they will be stronger and will bloom 
much better the second year. Small plants from late sowings require the 
protection of a coldframe during their first Winter. 
THE SOIL AND ITS PREPARATION 
The soil best suited to the majority of flowering plants, whether annuals, 
biennials or perennials, is a light rich loam, neither too sandy nor too stiff. 
Such ideal conditions are not always available to the gardener but most 
soils will respond to proper conditioning. Deep and thorough digging with 
a generous quantity of well-rotted manure or leafmold worked into the 
land will usually give the desired results. If the soil is a heavy one sand 
should be worked in while it is being dug over. 
Good drainage is also an important matter for excessively moist soils are 
cold and young plants are likely to suffer during the cooler Spring months. 
Very few perennial plants will survive severe Winter weather if the soil in 
which they are growing is poorly drained and wet. 
Most flowering garden plants dislike a loam that is sour or acid. Test 
your soil, and if necessary, correct acidity with lime. 
SEED SOWING 
If seed is to be sown directly in the garden where the plants are to grow 
and bloom, the soil should first be dug over to the full depth of a spade. 
The surface should be finely pulverized and raked smooth and level. 
Broadcast Sowing—It is recommended that certain seeds be sown 
broadcast and these should be scattered evenly over the ground and gently 
raked in, so that they are well mixed with the surface soil. This raking 
shoul be done with extreme care, so that the seeds are not buried too 
eeply. 
Sowing in Drills—In most cases, however, the seed should be sown in 
drills. Use a garden line so that the drills are straight and draw a line in 
the smooth surface of the bed with the handle of a hoe or rake. Scatter the 
seed as thinly as possible in this shallow drill and cover them very lightly 
with finely pulverized soil. This covering should be no more than four times 
the thickness of the seed, in depth. Large seeds like Nasturtiums may be 
sown at a depth of about a half inch or even more, but very fine ones 
should be merely scattered thinly along the line and pressed into the soil 
with a flat board. At whatever depth the seeds are sown the surface should 
be pressed lightly but firmly so that the seeds are in close contact with the 
soil. If the soil is dry, the garden should be watered and kept moist (this 
is important) until the plants are well started. Be very careful that the 
watering is done in such a way that the seeds are not washed out of place. 
Sowing in Seed Beds—In many cases it is economical and desirable 
to sow seeds in a seed bed of limited size, from which the seedling plants 
are later transplanted. This is particularly true of biennial and perennial 
seeds which are sown during the Summer months, for in a limited space 
they are much more easily protected from the heat of the sun and from 
heavy showers. The bed should be thoroughly dug and the surface soil 
pulverized and leveled. The larger seeds may be sown in drills as thinly 
as possible, so that the plants will not become crowded. Fine seeds are best 
sown in bands across the bed rather than in narrow rows. If they are broad- 
cast over a surface it is much easier to sow thinly and thus avoid having 
the seedlings grow so closely that they cannot develop. After the seeds are 
sown press them firmly into the soil with a board and cover the seed bed 
with some such material as cheesecloth to shelter it from the sun and show- 
ers. By watering through the cheese cloth the seeds are not so readily 
washed out. As soon as the seeds begin to sprout, the covering should be 
raised on stakes so that it will hang a few inches above the plants and shade 
them but not interfere with their growth. The plants should be thinned out 
or transplanted as soon as they are large enough to handle. Plants that 
are crowded soon become spindling and weak. Frequent watering is ex- 
tremely important. The seed bed must never become dry for a single hour, 
since dryness may ruin the seed. 
Sowing in Seed Pans or Flats—Seed pans or flats should be nearly 
filled with loam made up of about one-third good garden soil, one-third leaf- 
mold, and one-third coarse sharp sand. Be sure that the containers are 
properly drained by covering the drainage holes with pieces of broken pots 
or other coarse material. After the soil is pressed down and leveled, the 
seeds should be scattered thinly over the surface. Large seeds should be 
covered thinly with sharp sand or finely sifted loam, and fine seeds should 
only be pressed into the surface. They must be kept well watered (this is 
important) until the seedlings are well started. Thin out and transplant 
the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle. They may be 
spaced well apart in flats or grown individually in pots until it is time to 
set them out in the garden. 
HELPFUL HINTS— lowers for Every Purpose 
In order to aid you in the selection of seeds for a particularly difficult location, or for some special purpose, we have made up the following suggestive 
lists. We cannot definitely state that all those mentioned for partially shaded places will thrive in the particular location you have in mind, for all Annuals 
delight in sunshine, and the listing of these items only indicates that they will tolerate more shade than the average. Furthermore, we cannot guarantee 
that those suggested for hot dry places will always succeed, but we do feel unless some other unfavorable conditions exist, that they will do reasonably well. 
ANNUALS FOR HOT DRY PLACES 
ANNUALS FOR PORCH BOXES Page 
Annuals for Porch Boxes—Coniinued 
Page Ageratum, all dwarf varieties............... 30 , : ia ee Page 
Abronia umbellata (Sand Verbena)........... 29 ee, PURO ATICL Ie GMa atts Aces eccd ee tera: 30 Nasturtium, Semi-double Dwarf varieties... 55 
Amaranthus, all- varieties serait tec... << 30 Browallia speciosa major...............0055 a eee ee Vaneleay. ee ae toa g : 
Convolvulus, Dwarf, all varieties............ 41 Centaurea, foliage varieties...............5. etunia, Balcony varieties................-. 58 
Di hotheca, all varieties 44 Centaurea, Jubilee Gem....... last? ff s = aahaels 39 Phlox drummondi, Dwarf varieties.......... 59 
ti oh, ae nik RN deve NS i Convolvulus, Dwarf, all varieties............41 Thunbergia, Mixed..... Rada fatete sh Ssz> Pisyss erent .66 
Eschscholtzia, all varieties.................. 45 Gupheay Miretlyen tarosnets +) sucker loy- ei als ateeienerey- 42 Verbena, Mammoth varieties............+.. 66 
Lychnis coeli-rosa, both varieties............ 52 Lobelia, all varieties........ iste dio stiches 51 Vinca rosea, all Varieties... 0660. ee eee tens 67 
Phlox drummondi, all varieties..............59 Marigold, Dwarf French varieties.....54 and 55 Zinnia, Breck’s Mid Betis. aiciaseers gaat tse - egioe gO) 
Portulaca alll varieties: meet eie a vies aicealexcrs = 61 Marigold signata pumila varieties........... 55 Zinnia, Mexicana Hybrids............--.++. 69 
Sedum caeruleum SE Ce 63 Nasturtium, Single, Dwarf varieties......... 55 ZArniay eed RGIS LELOOG renee) «aia ehonange uae 69 
