General Offices and Mail Order Department, Plant City, Florida 3 
PLANTING THE FLORIDA FLOWER GARDEN 
There are two general methods of sowing 
flower seeds, the first method is to sow the 
seeds in the open in shaded shallow furrows 
in the garden, where the plants are to bloom. 
Burlap, palm leaves or Spanish moss may be 
used for shading, and will also protect seeds 
from being washed out, covered too deep or 
packed by heavy rains. 
The other and preferred method of starting 
most flower seedlings in Florida is to sow the 
seeds in flats or shallow boxes, or in muslin or 
burlap covered seedbeds, where the environ- 
ment may be more easily and better controlled, 
than when sown in the open. The flats must 
have adequate drainage provided by holes in the 
bottom to allow the free passage of water. 
If flats are used, use a mixture of rotted 
manure or Terra-Lite (see page 30) and fer- 
tile sandy loam garden soil, free of root-knot 
nematodes, and fill the flat to within a halt 
inch of the top. Firm the soil with a block of 
wood, and soak with a fine spray. After the 
water has drained away, sprinkle small seeds 
thinly over the moist surface, or plant large 
seeds in rows. Large seeds may be covered by 
sand; fine seeds planted broadcast, such as 
Snapdragon, Pansy and Petunia, should be 
pressed into the soil with a block. Cover the 
seeds with newspaper, or better, with burlap, 
and apply water to the flat or seedbed daily, 
until germination starts. It is very important 
never to allow the seeds to dry out. The cover 
must be removed immediately after the seeds 
sprout so that the tiny plants will not be weak, 
spindly or leggy. 
After germination, apply a damp-off disease 
control, such as Semesan (see page 46), follow- 
ing directions on the package. The damp-off 
control should be used at the first sign of the 
disease, which causes young seedlings to rot off 
at the base of the stem. Give as much light as 
possible and water daily with a fine spray, never 
allowing seedbed soil to dry out. 
Thin the seedlings as they begin to crowd. 
When the flower plants have four leaves and 
are 4 to 6 inches high, they should be set in 
their permanent locations in moist soil in the 
garden on a cloudy afternoon or toward evening, 
and water the plants thoroughly immediately 
after setting. They should be shaded during 
the next few days until they become established. 
Frequent heavy watering toward evening, and 
bi-monthly applications of a good fertilizer 
will contribute in a large measure to the suc- 
cess of a flower garden. Frequent shallow culti- 
vation to keep down weeds, and to loosen the 
surface soil is a very beneficial operation. 
After the flower plants are established in the 
garden, a light mulch of peat moss, oak leaves 
or partially rotted grass clippings over the entire 
soil around the plants will preserve moisture, 
keep the roots cool, and discourage weed growth. 
A complete fertilizer mixture such as pulver- 
ized sheep manure or Vigoro or Vertagreen 
(see page 31), applied lightly every two weeks 
will make thrifty plants which produce an abun- 
dant supply of large attractive flowers through- 
out the season. It is a good plan to apply the 
above indicated materials alternately, using dif- 
ferent materials for successive applications. 
CHEAP SEEDS ARE NOT ECONOMICAL 
It takes the same length of time, fertilizer, 
care and attention to prepare the soil and plant 
poor seeds as it does good seeds. Poor seeds 
can never be depended upon to produce quality 
plants or flowers. The best and most adaptable 
seeds for Florida that one can obtain are the 
only seeds worth planting. Kilgore’s “Bred- 
Rite” flower seeds have been thoroughly tested 
and proven for Florida conditions. For over 40 
years, we have been engaged in furnishing Flor- 
ida flower enthusiasts the choicest and best 
adapted flower seeds. 
Gladiolus Bulbs 
Rainbow Mixed 
Enjoy beautiful cut flowers from your own 
garden. For continuous blooms plant bulbs 
every 10 days to two weeks. In North and 
Central Florida plant from August to October, 
and January to May. In South Florida plant 
from September to May. Set bulbs 4 inches 
deep and 6 inches apart in well-prepared and 
well-drained beds. 
Large, Exhibition size bulbs (2-2% inches). 
Disease-free, well cured, graded extra large 
bulbs of good color assortment. We have ex- 
erted special effort, time and expense to 
furnish you these extra fine bulbs. No finer 
“Glad” bulbs for Florida can be secured any- 
where at any price. 
Gladiolus bulbs (2-2% inches). 
1 dozen Bulbs (Exhibition Size) ....$ .85 postpaid 
25 bulbs (Exhibition Size) ............ 1.50 a 
100 bulbs (Exhibition Size) ......... 4,00 a 
1000 bulbs (Exhibition Size) ............ 35.00 ee 
