Flower Culture 
Letherman’s 
When to Sow... Annuals 
Annual Flowers are usually classified in three 
groups as to hardiness which of course means the 
amount of cold weather or frost they can stand. 
That in turn decides the dates at which it is safe to 
sow in the outdoor garden. 
Of course sowing dates will vary with the 
season, also the location and type of soil. 
Hardy Annuals 
The seeds of these varieties and the plants them- 
selves will stand cold soil and frosts. In fact some 
germinate better when cool. 
Alyssum — Anchusa — Antirrhinum — Calendula 
—Calliopsis—Candytuft—Centaurea Cyanus and 
Gymnocarpa — Clarkia — Cleome — Convolvulus 
— Cosmos — Dianthus — Eschscholtzia — Euphor- 
bia Var.—Four O’Clocks—Gaillardia—Gypso- 
phila — Hunnemania — Kochia — Larkspur — Lu- 
pine — Pansy — Petunia Hyb. — Phlox — Poppy — 
Rudbeckia—Stocks—Sweet Peas. 
Half Hardy Annuals 
These stand some cold though not heavy freezes. 
Ageratum — Asters — Browallia — Carnation — 
Centaurea Imperialis — Cypress Vine — Dimorpho- 
theca — Helichrysum — Marigold — Mignonette 
— Nicotiana — Pprtulaca — Petunia — Sanvitalia 
—Salpiglossis—Salvia Far.—Scabiosa—Sunflower 
—Statice—Torenia—Verbena. 
Tender Annuals 
It is best not to sow the seeds in the outdoor 
garden until the soil is well warmed up and danger 
of frost is past. 
Amaranthus — Balsam — Celosia — Dahlia — 
Chrysanthemum — Gourds — Lobelia — Nasturtium 
— |lpomea — Ricinus — Salvia Splendens — Schi- 
zanthus—Tithonia—Zinnia. 
Starting Seed Indoors 
To prolong the season of bloom many of the types 
that take a comparatively long time to develop are 
started indoors for setting outdoors when weather 
is suitable. Generally speaking the seeds are sown 
6 to 8 weeks before planting outdoors. The time 
of starting depends upon the equipment you have 
to work with. With a small greenhouse you can, of 
course, accomplish more than you can with a few 
boxes in a south window. Some of the long season 
varieties, usually started inside, are Antirrhinum— 
Aster — Dahlia — Annual Carnations — Lobelia — 
Salvia—V erbena. 
22 
Growing Annual 
FLOWERS FROM SEED 
Every home gardener can grow Annuals successfully, most 
kinds with very little difficulty and without special treatment. 
And annuals are very generous in the quantities of flowers they 
provide, both for cutting and for garden display. 
Soil Preparation 
Proper preparation of the seed bed is very im- 
portant as well as the time of sowing. It is difficult 
to germinate seed in heavy clay soil so if you have 
a choice, select locations with sandy loam soil, or 
lighten up the clay by digging in quantities of peat 
moss, strawy manure, sand, or even ashes, all ma- 
terials Which tend to loosen up soil so that it does 
not bake and is much easier to cultivate. 
Peat Moss is of great value in all flower gardens. 
Worked in, it lightens heavy soil and makes sandy 
soil much better able to hold moisture. A 2 or 3 
inch layer of Peat Moss used as a summer mulch will 
result in better flowers and plant growths by hold- 
ing the moisture in the soil during dry spells and 
keeping down weed growth, and it also gives your 
flower beds a neat, clean appearance. 
Hardy Annuals for Fall Sowing 
This is done late in the fall just before the ground 
freezes. The seeds lay dormant over winter making 
a very early start in the spring. Work the soil fine, 
just as you would in the spring, sow the seed and 
after the ground freezes mulch the bed with a layer 
of straw or peat moss simply to prevent alternate 
freezing and thawing during the winter. Right over 
bulb beds is one good place to make fall sowings 
of early flowering annuals. 
Alyssum — Anchusa — Antirrhinum — Balsam — 
Calendula — Calliopsis — Candytuft — Centaurea 
Cyanus — Clarkia — Cosmos — Eschscholtzia — 
Four O'’Clocks — Gaillardia — Gypsophila — 
Kochia — Larkspur — Nigella — Small Flowering 
Petunias—Shirley Poppy—Phlox—Portulaca. 
Annuals for Semi-Shade 
Alyssum — Balsam — Candytuft — Centaurea — 
Clarkia — Coleus — Cynoglossum — Mignonette 
—Nicotiana—Pansy—Petunia—Verbena. 
Three excellent Perennials for semi-shade are 
Aquilegia, Forget-Me-Not and Viola. 
Annuals for Poor Dry Soil 
African Daisy — Balsam — California Poppy — 
Celosia — Calliopsis — Cleome — Four O'’Clocks 
— Gaillardia — Kochia — Marigold — Nasturtium 
—Petunia—Poppy—Portulaca—Sweet Sultan. 
Pick Flowers Frequently 
With Annuals it seems that the more you pick, 
the more flowers are produced. When flowers fade 
and start to go to seed they take the strength out 
of the plants and flower production thereby suffers. 
If you want the flowers for garden display, at least 
snip off wilted blooms. The bed will be more 
profuse and cleaner looking. 
