How to grow flowers

Grow flowers in the manner that Tennyson described in his poem.

’’Flower in the crannied wall,
I pluck you out of the crannies,
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,
Little flower but if I could understand
What you are, root and all, and all and all,
I should know what God and man is “

MOTIVATION to grow flowers

Benefits that may be yours by being able to grow flowers.

1. TABLE DECORATION: You can add beauty to your home interior with attractive cut flowers.
2. FRAGRANT ODORS: Some flowers give a delightful aroma to the air.
3. ATTRACTIVE YARD: The color and beauty of your home surroundings depend upon wise care and growth of flowers.
4. PROFITABLE HOBBY: It provides rich activities for a desired hobby.

DIRECTIONS to follow for growing flowers

Valuable advice or successful flower gardening.

LOCATION

How to select the most favorable places for your flowers.

1. Place flowers requiring most sun on the southwest side of the house.
2. On small properties, plant flowers in front of shrubs or banked in borders around the wall of the house.
3. On spacious grounds, place flower gardens off the living room view and in rear of the house.
4. Place perennials in rear of bed with annuals in front.
5. Select a variety of colors that do not clash.
6. Keep tall flowers toward the rear of the border.

FERTILIZATION

How to make the soil fertile for growing flowers . Determine through soil testing the nature of your soil. Weigh one cubic foot of your soil. One with sufficient humus materials should weigh about seventy pounds. Test for acidity with blue litmus paper. Send a sample of your soil to the nearest soil testing bureau. Add lime or ground limestone if the soil is heavy in acids. Work in well decayed animal manure to add nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and humus. ix in peet moss to add fertility and bulk. Add connnercial fertilizer to provide other needed elements. In heavy sandy soil, work in clay and humus. Improve heavy clay soil with sand, ashes, and decayed organic matter.

PROCUREMENT

How to select good seeds, bulbs, and plants.

• Procure seeds that have been tested.
• Buy plants and seeds from a reliable florist.
• Avoid plants where roots have dried out.
• Secure plants with a healthy root system.
• Select hybrid varieties for better flowering.
• Beware of bargains and cheap collections.

GROWTH of flowers

How to grow flowers from seeds and bulbs.

1. Grow flowering annuals from seeds planted in spring.
2. Plant bulb flowers like tulips, lilies, and gladioli in clumps or massed for best display.
3. A safe depth for planting bulbs is twice the diameter of the bulb.
4. Procure an all-season display with clumps of lilies.
5. Start flats of seedlings indoors for early transplanting.
6. Avoid planting seeds in raw fertilizer or manure.
7. Avoid sowing seeds too thickly.

Grow flowers WITHOUT ROOTS

How to grow flowers from cuttings.

1. Cut branches of plants from perennials like begonias.
2. Place the cutting in a mixture of sand and peat moss.
3. Keep damp to help form roots.
4. Add hormone for fast growth.
5. Re-set in soil after cutting has good root system.

PLANT NUTRITION for growing flowers

How to feed flowers properly for growing flowers.

1. Work in plant food for continuous growth.
2. A peat moss or well decayed compost will prove a valuable plant food.
3. Remember that some flowers like nasturtiums grow best in poor, dry, sandy soil.
4. Feed heavy feeders like roses about every six weeks.
5. Give plenty of water after adding manure.

PEST CONTROL for keeping flowers safe

How to control the plant and animal pests of your growing flowers.

1. Place poison sprays and dust on plants to control chewing and biting insects.
2. Kill sucking insects by contact poisons and dust.
3. Treat soil before planting with a soil fumigant, such as naphthalene, lysol, camphor, or sulphur.
4. Dig out such plant pests as dandelions, burdock, and sheep sorrel by the roots.
5. Burn weeds and roots to prevent regrowth when dug out.
6. Treat soil with ‘Larvacide” disinfectant to sterilize before planting.

CULTIVATION of flowers

How to cultivate your plants to grow flowers.

1. Scratch the soil frequently with a fork or rake.
2. Cut out weeds between rows with a hoe.
3. Loosen the soil after it dries following a heavy rain or watering.
4. Never cultivate your plants when the soil sticks to your gardening implements.
5. A good test is to squeeze some soil in the palm of  your hand. If the soil falls apart easily when you open your hand, it is dry enough to work.
6. Work backward when cultivating to prevent packing.
7. Remove weeds close to plants by hand.

ACTIVITY you should do for growing flowers

Work for you to do in becoming a good flower gardener to grow flowers.

• PLANS: Plan on paper a well arranged, well spaced flower garden.
• SCHOOL GARDEN: Grow a flower garden at your school from seeds, bulbs, and cuttings, and cultivate and care for it one semester.
• HOME FLOWERS: Grow flowers at home. Seek to have a garden with flowers all seasons of the year.