09S FOr 
Hequnaers 
To get an early start, sow seeds indoors in a shallow box. Place pieces of 
broken clay pots over drainage cracks to prevent clogging, then spread some 
soil lumps over the bottom before you fill the box with a mixture of equal parts 
of sand, soil and peat moss. Pile high in the box, then press down firmly on 
the sides with your hands. Scrape off surplus soil with a board or tamper 
and firm loose soil until it is spread evenly about °4 inch below the top of the 
seed box. Then, mark off straight rows about 2 inches apart. Sow the seeds 
uniformly thick, just so they don’t touch. Use an old kitchen sieve to screen 
soil over the top after the seeds are sown. Do not cover with more than 4 
inch of soil. Use the tamper to firm the soil over the seeds. Water soil after 
firming. Place a strip of burlap over the box and pour water over it. 
The first step in planning your 
flower garden is to make a rough 
sketch and mark in the varieties 
you want to use, being careful to 
check height, blooming time, length 
of bloom, shape of plant, etc., all of 
which can be found in the Planting 
Guide on page 18. 
Prepare your soil by spading every 
square inch to the depth of the 
spade, work fertilizer well into the 
soil and rake thoroughly. 
If you are sowing seed directly to 
the ground, where it is to remain, 
sow it thinly and evenly to the exact 
depth shown on the seed packet. 
Then tamp well and water gently 
either with a mist sprayer or water 
through a newspaper, so that the 
water will not wash the seed away. 
The ideal weather for transplanting 
your seedlings to the garden is a 
cloudy day after a long rain. If 
there has been no rain, water the 
ground thoroughly and transplant 
after the sun has gone down. 
Make a hole large enough to accom- 
modate the roots, and set the plant 
firmly, with its crown at the ground 
level. Plant with as little root dis- 
turbance as possible. To be certain 
that the roots are in contact with 
the soil, use your fingers to press 
down around the plant, but not too 
close to the stem. The final step is 
to water the seedlings, for even 
when carefully and speedily plant- 
ed, they will be thirsty. 
Good gardening habits start early 
a 
e 
Soils 
Soils range in texture and moisture retention, so if you 
cannot overcome these deficiencies, it’s best to check and 
plant only adaptable flowers. 
Wet: Anemone, Balsam, Nemophila, Columbine to name a few. 
Dry: Sunflower, Statice, Iceland Poppy, Portulaca, Zinnia, 
Rich; Phlox, Campanula, Sweet Pea, Chrysanthemum. 
Poor: Alyssum saxatile, Arabis, Dianthus, Petunia, Morning Glory. 
Plant Size 
Always keep in mind the growing habit of the flowers 
you plant in order not to overshadow small plants with 
the tall, and allow enough growing room for the spready, 
bushy types. The handy guide below will show you, for 
instance, that Ageratum is a small bushy plant, and 
Balsam, Annual Poppy, etc., are erect. 
ERECT 
Centaurea Hollyhock 
BRANCHING 
Mig ionette Tithonia 
MEDIUM BUSHY 
Calendula 
Stocks 
SMALL SPREADING 
Arabis Aubrietia 
SMALL BUSHY 
Candytuft 
Ageratum 
