SNAPDRAGON
Family SCHROPHULARIACEAE
Antirrhinum majus
Biennial
A native of the Mediterranean region and a firm
favourite in British gardens, where it is treated
often as a biennial although it is, in fact, a
perennial.
The flowers are borne in spikes, are tubular in
shape, with spreading lobes of irregular formation.
The many varieties of garden origin show a considerable
colour range which may extend from white, cream
and shades of yellow to pink, terra-cotta, scarlet
and crimson tones. There are also forms with double
flowers.
There is a considerable variation in height from
dwarf cushion-like plants to others of two or
three feet high.
Snapdragons will grow well in any ordinary soil.
Apart from their value in the border the dwarf
and medium varieties can be grown as ornamental
pot plants.
Propagation may be by seed, under glass in January
to March, to flower from June to October, or in
the open in late summer or early autumn to bloom
the following spring, or by cuttings.
The flowering season extends from spring until
well into autumn.
See Also: Antirrhinum
|
