Make Florida More Beautifu! with Flowers 
Planting the Florida Flower Garden 
There are two general methods of sowing flow- 
er 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 environment 
may be more easily and better controlled, than 
when sown in the open. The flats must have 
adequate drainage provided by holes in the bot- 
tom to allow the free passage of water. 
If flats are used, use a mixture of rotted ma- 
nure or Terra-Lite (see page 30) and fertile sandy 
loam garden soil, free of root-knot nematodes, 
and fill the flat to within a half 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 seed- 
bed 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. Fre- 
quent heavy watering toward evening, and _ bi- 
monthly applications of a good fertilizer will 
contribute in a large measure to the success of 
a flower garden. Frequent shallow cultivation 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 abundant 
supply of large attractive flowers throughout the 
season. It is a good plan to apply the above in- 
dicated materials alternately, using different ma- 
terials 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 Florida 
flower enthusiasts the choicest and best adapted 
flower seeds. For best results plant Kilgore’s 
Bred-Rite 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 Janu- 
ary to May. In South Florida plant from Sep- 
tember to May. Set bulbs 4 inches deep and 6 
inches apart in well-prepared and well-drained 
beds. 
Large, Exhibition size bulbs (2-214 inches). 
Disease-free, well cured, graded extra large 
bulbs of good color assortment. We have exerted 
special effort, time and expense to furnish you 
these extra fine bulbs. No finer “Glad” bulbs for 
Florida can be secured anywhere at any price. 
Gladiolus bulbs (2-214 inches). 
1 dozen Bulbs (Exhibition Size) ...$ .85 postpaid 
25 bulbs (Exhibition Size) ............ 150s. 
100 bulbs (Exhibition Size) 400 “” 
1000 bulbs (Exhibition Size) 35.005 a 
