Thursday, June 26, 2008

Antirrhinum Majus "Snapdragon"




The half hardy perennial Antirrhinum flowers from late spring through to the late autumn. Snapdragon is a sub-shrub. It carries flowers that range in color from vibrant red and orange through to pale pastel. It is a perfect for cut flower and it very popular in floral arrangement.

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 0.5-1 m tall, rarely up to 2 m. The leaves are spirally arranged, broadly lanceolate, 1-7 cm long and 2-2.5 cm broad. The flowers are produced on a tall spike, each flower is 3.5-4.5 cm long, with two 'lips' closing the corolla tube.

This seed pack contains color mixture of red, pink, yellow, orange, white and bi-color flowers.
The plant is ideal for Bedding, Cut Flower, Edging.

How to grow:
It is best to sow Antirrhinum on the soil surface under cold frames in the late summer. Ideally Snapdragon should be sowed indoors eight or nine weeks before planting out. If growing indoors, seeds should be allowed two to three weeks to germinate; they should then be grown at a temperature of around 13 degrees Celsius. They should then be planted outdoors in the autumn at a spacing of 30cm for larger species. They prosper in full sunlight, though they can also tolerate light shade if it is a necessity. The soil type is not that important but should not be too heavy; snapdragon prefers a richer soil of neutral pH with well-drained.

Snapdragon is easy to look after; ideally they should be pinched back at the five or six leaf stage to facilitate a bushy growth habit. Prior to flowering they require a couple of light feeds. It is important to deadhead plants following flowering to encourage further flowers.

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