" WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW 
TO PLANT IN SAN ANTONIO 
AND SOUTH TEXAS AREAS 
= 
ZINNIA- 
PEPPERMINT 
STICK! 
Here’s a “MUST” for 
your garden of Zinnias. 
Planted in the middle 
border, Peppermint 
Stick is one variety 
which is sure to please. 
3” candy - striped flow- 
ers in all colors on 18” 
cut and -come-again 
plants. About 70% 
striped. 
Pkt. 10e Oz. $1.95 
THESE CULTURAL 
DIRECTIONS HAVE 
BEEN WRITTEN 
; SPE GRA IEY ga OR 
SAN ANTONIO GARDENERS AND OTHERS WHOSE 
CLIMATE AND SOIL IS SIMILAR TO THAT IN THIS 
AREA. THESE ARE NOT HARD AND FAST RULES, 
HOWEVER. THE SKILL OF THE INDIVIDUAL GAR- 
DENER, THE SOIL AND OTHER FACTORS, WILL 
ULTIMATELY DETERMINE THE SUCCESS OF THE 
GARDEN. GENERALLY SPEAKING, THESE PLANT- 
ING DIRECTIONS WILL’ GUIDE YOU “TO” BIGGER 
AND BETTER FLOWERS... GREENER FOLIAGE . . 
AND LONGER BLOOMING SEASONS. GOOD LUCK 
. . » AND GOOD PLANTING!! 
AFRICAN DAISY. Annual that does well either direct sown or trans- 
planted. Blooms freely if grown under near arid conditions. This 
is a ‘“‘sleeper.”? Flowers close up when cut and they do not re- 
open. Plants short and spreading. Good for borders or rock gar- 
dens. White, buff and orange shades. Plant in Fall or early 
Spring. 
ALYSSUM. Sow seed in the Fall. Alyssum is very hardy and may be 
transplanted to other parts of the garden when plants are ready 
to thin. Cover seed with 1/8 inch of fine soil. When plants are 
about 2 inches tall, thin to 8 inches apart. Does well in ordinary 
garden soil and prefers full sunshine. Does not require much 
watering. Alyssum is extremely fragrant and a very easily grown 
annual. Among the best for edgings. 
ASTER. Can be started indoors in boxes or flats, outdoors in cold 
frames or direct in the garden where plants are to stand. 
Indoors—cover seeds with 1/8 inch of fine soil. Keep soil moist 
until seedlings appear and thereafter, water only when dry. Trans- 
plant to the open garden in late afternoon when ground becomes 
warm. 
Outdoors—sow seed after danger of frost is past, where plants 
are to stand. Or, they can be started a month earlier in cold frames 
for later setting in flower beds. Thin out plants to stand 10 to 
148 inches apart. Need fairly rich soil, moderate amount of water- 
ing. Careful control of thrips, leaf hoppers and aphis is necessary. 
Nicotine and D.D.T. sprays are recommended, though Staffel’s 56% 
Malathion is effective against all the insects that are harmful to 
this plant. To control aster wilt the beds should be rotated yearly. 
Malformed and discolored plants should be pulled and burned or 
else covered in the compost pile. 
SIX 
BACHELOR BUTTON or GOMPHRENA. Sow outdoors as soon as dan- 
ger of hard frost is over. Can be planted in spot that is exposed 
to full sun or in semi-shade. Cover seed 1/8 inch deep in fine 
soil. When 4 inches high, thin to'10 to 12 inches. Water occas- 
ionally by flowing hose. Too rich soil and too frequent watering 
will cause rank growth and late or sparse blooming. Dainty flow- 
ers are excellent for cutting or use in informal beds. Colors in- 
clude rose, white, deep blue and bright crimson. 
CALENDULA. Can be seeded directly in the garden in fall and winter 
so that plants will be in full bloom during the cool months. 
Sow seed 1/4 inch deep in rich heavy soil. Responds well to con- 
siderable water and cool weather. Will stand partial shade. Main 
insect pests are cabbage worms and aphis. Stands up well when 
cut. Effective when used to achieve a mass color effect in beds. 
Good for medium high border (10 to 24 in.). Also grown for cut 
flowers and use in bouquets. Very pleasing orange and yellow 
shades. 
CALIFORNIA POPPY. Sow seed, early in spring, directly in the gar- 
den where plants are to stand. They do best if planted in a light, 
sandy loam. Cover seed to about 1/4 inch deep. Thin to 6 inches 
apart when plants are 2 inches tall. Rows should be 14 ft. apart. 
Full sun and lack of water make plants bloom most freely. Good 
for borders or edgings. Mostly yellow tones. 
CANDYTUFT. Select a spot where there is full sun and plant in fall. 
Cover seed with 1/8 inch of fine soil. Thin to 1 ft. apart when 
plants are 2 inches tall. Good bedder, edger and fair for cutting. 
Main insect pest is cucumber beetle which can be controlled with 
ea poison such as arsenate of lead. Colors are white and 
mixed. ' 
CANTERBURY BELL. Biennial, blooms second year only. Can be 
planted up until mid-summer in sheltered spot and then trans- 
planted in late summer to final location. Seed can be scattered 
on surface and raked in. Choice for cutting. Colors are white, 
pink, light-blue and deep violet. 
CARNATION. Requires long season to reach full bloom. Start indoors 
in boxes, early in spring. Does best in rich soil. Plant seed to a 
depth of about 1/8 inch. Transplant outdoors when danger of a 
frost is past. Set seedlings about 1 ft. apart in sunny location. 
Will stand some frost. Good for either bedding or for cutting 
garden. Colors include red, rose, salmon, yellow, white. 
COLUMBINE. Blooms from second year on. Start seed in spring or 
summer. Give plants some protection for first winter. Will stand 
some shade and cool soii. Flowers very graceful for cutting and 
plants are very neat for border. Cut flower stems off at top of 
plants after blooming is over and plants will remain compact and 
attractive. Mostly pastel shades. May require some arsenate 
dust for control of caterpillars. 
COSMOS. Does best if sown after danger of frost where plants are 
to stand. Plant seed approximately 1/4 inch deep. Thin to 14 
inches apart. Early blooms can be had by avoiding frequent wa- 
tering—late blooms by frequent watering. Will bloom most pro- 
fusely if soil is not overly rich. Cosmos is one of the best annuals 
for backgrounds and is very usefulein the cutting garden. Has 
few insect enemies. Diseases seldom occur. A favorite of the 
gold finch or wild canary after seeds start to ripen. Colors in- 
clude delightful shades of golden or ‘‘butter yellow,” golden 
orange, bright crimson, rose, pink and white. 
HOLLYHOCK. Does best if used as a biennial. Sow seed in late 
spring or summer in well prepared soil. Plant seed to a depth 
of about 1/4 inch. Cover (mulch) with a thin layer of straw 
over winter. Should bloom early the second summer. Provide 
support if plants are exposed to strong winds. Suffers from 
rust. Main insect pest is red spider. Control by using light appli- 
cations of sulphur dust. Useful for background or at back of 
tall borders. Color range complete except for blue. Fully double 
flower types are most compact. 
LARKSPUR. One of the hardy annuals that can be planted in October, 
November and December for top results. Either broadcast seed 
and rake it in or else plant to depth of 1/8 inch in fairly rich 
heavy soil. Plants can stand quite close together 3 to 4 inches) 
or can be spaced out to 10 to 12 inches. Prefers cool weather 
and plenty of moisture. Good for cutting and for tall borders 
or medium backgrounds. Wide range of colors. 
MARIGOLD. This does well under conditions which are favorable for 
zinnias and it should be handled the same way. Marigolds can be 
roughly divided into 3 groups; the African varieties, growing two 
feet or more in height, the small-flowered dwarf French kind, 
and the tall, sinall-flowered French type. Grown for cut flowers 
and used effectively in high edgings or borders (2 to 3 ft.) and 
dwarf edgings (8 to 14 in.). Color range is mostly in yellows, 
orange and red. 
MORNING GLORY. After danger of frost is past, sow seed in 1/8 
inch of fine soil along a fence or by a trellis. Plants should stand 
about 3 or 4 inches apart to make a solid mat of growth for cover. 
Rich soil and some watering will contribute to faster and taller 
growth. Reducing the amount of water will induce greater free- 
dom of bloom. To make a shorter and heavier mat of growth. 
cut off growing tips of vines at a height of 3 to 4 ft. and allow 
side shoots or laterals to grow. One of the most popular vines. 
