FLOWER CULTURE 
ee (6 0 «6 oF e790 Oe eeeee Ce ee ee HOW TO GROW 
all the flowers listed in our Garden Annual 
The numbers, | to VIII, found with 
every flower listing refer to the fol- 
lowing cultural notes which give direc- 
tions for growing all of the flowers 
we list. 
In general these elements are necessary 
for best results with all flowers: Loose, 
well-drained soil, a plentiful supply of 
organic matter, a good supply of plant food 
from a good mixed fertilizer, adequate 
water to keep soil moist and care to remove. 
weeds and check pests. 
One of the important problems in the 
garden is that of maintaining a continuous 
show of bloom, This calls for the use of 
several different types of-annuals, such as 
those that must be planted early to grow 
in cool weather (Culture IV) and _ those 
which bloom later in summer heat (Culture 
I and II), If some of the cool-weather an- 
nuals from Group IV are sown in mid-sum- 
mer and kept well watered, they will grow 
slowly until the cooler days of fall start 
them into more active growth. These will 
produce late flowers. Quick-growing an- 
nuals from Group II may also be sown at 
intervals for a succession of bloom during 
the summer. 
One way to lengthen the blooming period 
of annuals is to cut off all flowers as soon 
as they fade. Annuals complete their life 
span when seed is formed and frequently 
stop flowering as soon as the seed ripens. 
By preventing the seed from forming 
through removal of all old flowers, the 
plants are kept growing and blooming. 
Culture | 
These flowers need a long season and 
must be started indoors if a full blooming 
period is to be had. If early bloom is not 
important, they will bloom later in the 
summer when sown directly in the garden. 
Some gardeners sow both ways to obtain a 
succession of flowers. 
When starting seedlings indoors, select a 
place with plenty of light .North or shaded 
windows may be too dark for best results. 
Cold frames are generally very good. The 
seed is planted in small boxes (or flats) 
that have a good drainage and will fit the 
space you are going to use. Fill them with 
a’ mixture of ¥4 good soil, ¥3 sand and 
¥4 humus such as peat, Press the soil down 
firmly and make small rows with the edge 
of a ruler or lath and slowly shake the 
seed from the packet into the rows, Sift a 
light covering of the soil mixture over the 
seed and moisten with a fine spray. Keeo 
soil moist until the seeds have sprouted. 
Very fine seed such as that of petunias 
should be dusted carefully onto a smooth 
soil surface and covered with a pane of 
glass. Shade it with newspaper until the 
seeds sprout. These are best watered by 
setting the flat in a pan of water until the 
soil has become thoroughly dampened all 
the way through, When the seedlings have 
formed the second true leaves, transplant 
them into other flats so the plants are about 
2Y2 inches apart. This will give them room 
to grow to good size before being set out. 
Expose gradually to outside conditions and 
plant outside after the weather is warm 
and settled. When sown directly outdoors, 
follow directions under Culture II, 
Culture Il 
These are the quicker-growing annuals that 
can be sown directly in the garden and 
will bloom in time to make a good display 
38 
for most of the summer, If wanted especial- 
ly early, they should be started as directed 
under Culture I. 
Some flower seedlings are rather delicate. 
Extra care in preparing the seed bed will 
pay dividends in better plants. Prepare 
soil with a liberal amount of mixed fertilizer 
and organic matter and dig it in, Rake the 
surface until it is smooth and pulverized. 
Sow the seed at a depth equal to three 
times the diameter of the seed. Fine seed 
can be spread on the surface and pressed 
in without covering. 
Keep soil moist by light spraying until the 
seedlings have formed the first true leaves. 
When they are large enough to handle, they 
may be transplanted to other parts of the 
garden. 
Culture Ill 
These flowers do not transplant well. They 
should be planted where they are to bloom. 
Sow as soon as the weather begins to 
warm in the spring, Otherwise the culture 
is the same as II. Sow seed thinly or re- 
move the smaller plants after they are up. 
These can be handled as pot-grown plants 
as in Culture VII. 
Culture IV 
These flowers are unusually hardy annuals 
that can withstand very cool weather. They 
are often sown late in fall so they can start 
growing the first warm days of spring. If 
not sown in the fall, they should be planted 
as early in the spring as possible. Fall 
sowing gets the seeding job out of the way 
before the spring rush. 
Culture V 
These flowers, while garden subjects, are 
also useful for winter-flowering house 
plants. For garden use, handle as in Cul- 
ture II, For winter flowering indoors, plant 
fairly late in the season and transplant into 
small pots as soon as they are large enough. 
Keep moving them to larger pots as roots 
fill the soil until they are finally in six-inch 
pots, Annuals in pots should have at least 
six hours of direct sunlight daily if they 
are to flower. 
Culture VI 
Perennials can be seeded at almost any 
time of the year. Best periods are early 
in the spring or in early summer when 
the rush of spring work is over. A cold 
frame or sheltered bed which can be shaded 
from the direct sun is best, Prepare soil 
thoroughly with plenty of organic matter. 
A loose, friable soil will produce a thick 
mat of roots so that the seedlings will trans- 
plant more easily. Perennial seedlings are 
rather weak growers needing extra care. 
In covering the drills in which the seeds 
are sown, use either pure, clean sand or a 
mixture of half sand and half peat moss. 
This prevents packing of the soil over the 
seeds. Always water with a fine spray. 
As soon as the second leaves form, seed- 
lings may be transplanted into their perma- 
nent position, Or, if more convenient, they 
may be left in the seed bed until the fol- 
lowing spring. Under this culture, only a 
few species will bloom the first year and 
they will not produce normal flowers until 
the following year, Planting earlier does in- 
crease the chances for flowers the first year. 
But, if it is more convenient, Culture I may 
be used. Delphinium seed is often started 
in August to take advantage of the cooler 
nights for the seed will not grow when the 
soil temperature is above 77 degrees. 
Culture VII 
These varieties need a longer growing 
season that can be given them outdoors, 
And because they do not transplant well, 
they must be started in pots and set out 
without disturbing the roots, Otherwise Cul- 
ture is the sams as I, The use of plant bands 
allows you to set the seedlings out without 
disturbing the roots. The bands soon rot 
away and the seedlings will grow as though 
started in the garden, 
If clay pots are used, the excessive drying 
can be avoided by placing the pots in a 
flat and filling the space between them 
with damp peat moss or vermiculite. Be 
sure to keep this material moist or it will 
draw moisture from the pots. 
Culture VIII 
These flowers are biennials. They make a 
leafy growth the first year but do not 
flower. The leafy growth of the first year 
forms food for blooming the following year. 
The flowers appear the second year and 
then the plant dies. 
This means that a continuing show from 
biennials must be provided by starting new 
plants every year to replace those that are 
flowering. 
Biennials are handled in the same way as 
perennials except that they are started 
early in the spring to allow the plant to 
store as much food as possible for the next 
year’s bloom, 
Many gardeners start biennials in the vege- 
table garden or special starting bed and 
then transplant the ones needed to the 
flower garden the following spring, Dur- 
ing winter, biennials should be given the 
same treatment as perennials. 
Pansies are tender perennials that are 
treated as annuals or biennials. When 
grown as annuals, they should be started 
indoors about six weeks before time for 
planting out in early spring. When grown 
as biennials, the seed is started in late sum- 
mer and the plants carried over winter in 
protected spots where extremes of temper- 
ature and moisture are avoided, Mulching 
or the use of frames may be necessary in 
your particular garden. Pansies do best un- 
der conditions of constant, moderate mois- 
ture, partial shade and a humus-rich soil. 
Pinching off old flowers will prolong the 
flowering season. 
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