Snapdragon - flower description, planting, disease

Snapdragon - annual and perennial flowering herbaceous plants, previously assigned to the Norichnikovye family, now - Plantain plants. The scientific name of the genus is Antirrinum, it includes about 50 species, including perennial ampelous thermophilic varieties. The main representative of the genus is Snapdragon large (Antirrhinum majus L.). World selection includes hundreds of varieties and hybrids, 10 varieties are included in the state register of the Russian Federation. Snapdragon is called Snapdragon in English.

The origin and appearance of the plant

Perennial flowering forms in the wild were found on the American continent, and then distributed in Europe and Russia.

These are semi-shrubs of a pyramidal shape with simple or double flowers of an irregular shape, collected in cluster inflorescences and located on high peduncles.

A large snapdragon variety is an annual growing in Southern Europe (France, Spain, Malta), North Africa (Libya, Tunisia, Morocco) and East Asia (Turkey, Cyprus). In these countries, the culture is widely used for landscaping parks and city streets.

Snapdragon in street gardening

Snapdragon wild (field)

Wild snapdragon (Wild flax, Common toadflax) is a perennial herb, reaching a height of 60 centimeters, with a straight, simple or slightly branched stem, on which lanceolate-linear leaves are very densely planted.

Stems of various shapes may have grooves on their surface. In this antirrinum, the large apex of the shoots is densely covered with glandular hairs. Flowers do not open at the same time. Usually, the upper flowers in the cluster open when the lower ones have already wilted.

Wildflowers can be yellow, red, blue, purple, mostly with a simple perianth. Fruits are capsules up to 2 cm long with small wrinkled seeds.

The plant is found quite often throughout Russia. It often grows as a weed in abandoned wastelands, fields, slopes, cliffs, along roads, in deciduous and birch forests. It can also be found on personal plots.

Important! Toadflax is considered a poisonous plant, in particular for cattle.

How does snapdragon bloom

Ampel snapdragon - planting and care, cultivation

In early summer, the bushes form strong flower stalks with clusters of buds. In domestic varieties of antirrinum, the buds in the brush, as a rule, open at the same time. One plant can form 20-40 inflorescences - spikelets, on each spikelet from 5 to 50 or more flowers, depending on the cultivar.

Note! The more flowering shoots a plant has, the shorter they are and there are fewer buds in them, and vice versa - tall bushes have few long peduncles with a large number of flowers.

The flowers have one axis of symmetry (zygomorphic), 2 to 5 cm long.From below, a tube of various lengths is distinguished, ending in open petals. The short petals are called the "upper lip", the longer ones are called the "lower lip". The antirrinum has a large number of stamens - 4. The petals can have a simple or corrugated edge, one-color or non-uniform color, have spots of various shapes. Flowers have a delicate aroma.

Snapdragon flower

When snapdragons bloom

Spathiphyllum - types of flower, description of what they look like

Varieties and hybrids are classified according to flowering periods:

early - bloom 60-70 days after the beginning of the growing season - dwarf antirrinums, varieties Makhaon, Sakura Blossom;
medium - bloom 70-90 days after the beginning of the growing season - most tall varieties;
late - their flowering is observed more than 90 days after the beginning of the growing season.

The duration of flowering is individual for each variety and varies greatly even among varieties from the same varietal groups. Therefore, during the design period of flower beds and mixborders, it is necessary to carefully study the description of the varieties of snapdragons and related plants. By the duration of flowering, antirrinums are subdivided into:

varieties with a short flowering period - up to 50 days (Cinderella hyacinthous);
varieties with an average flowering period - from 50 to 100 days (Phoenix);
varieties with a long flowering period - from 100 to 150 days (Arthur, Makhaon);
varieties with a very long flowering period - over 150 days (dwarf forms and perennials).

Antirrinum dwarf in combination with Lobelia and Petunias

Snapdragon belongs to cold-resistant plants, however, annuals are selected so that their growing season ends before the onset of stable frosts, otherwise the plants will look unaesthetic with wilted peduncles. Perennial forms should be grown in a container culture and transferred indoors when cold weather sets in.

Snapdragon: plant height

Plant lamb - types of flower, planting and care

Depending on the height of the ornamental culture, the following varieties of snapdragons are distinguished:

dwarf (compact) - plant height 20-35 cm, diameter 20-30 cm, best suited for growing in pots, combined with all flower crops;
medium - the height of the bushes is from 35 to 60 cm, the diameter is 25-40 cm, in park beds they are a solo crop;
high - bushes 60-80 cm high, 25-40 cm in diameter;
gigantic - above 80 cm, in park compositions they appear in the background or in the form of a hedge.

Antirrhinums in the background

Types and varieties of perennial snapdragons

Perennial varieties are in high demand among amateur gardeners. Let's consider the most popular ones.

Snapdragon Twinie

The Twinny cultivar belongs to compact terry forms with a plant height of up to 30 cm. These are hybrids of the first generation F1 - beautifully colored plants, suitable for growing in borders and pots:

Twinie Roses F1

dark pink - Violet;
delicate white and pink - Roses;
peach - Peach;
orange - Bronze Shades.

Twin Bronze Shades F1

Snapdragon terry

Terry dwarf variety - Floral showers is a multi-colored mix of hybrid one-, two- and three-color forms.

Flower rain

Snapdragon Yellow

In the variety Flower rain, the yellow variety with the same name stands out. This hybrid can be easily combined with other plants of all types and colors. It begins to bloom 55-60 days after sowing and is distinguished by long flowering until frost.

Seed companies such as Aelita, Altai Seeds and others offer a series of tall annuals "Brazilian Carnival". These plants are easy to grow, the flower stalks are dense, suitable for cutting into bouquets.

Brazilian Carnival

Planting the snapdragon outdoors

The success of outdoor cultivation of snapdragons lies in the correct preparation of the soil mixture. What other tricks do experienced gardeners use when growing a crop? This will be discussed further.

Note! In relation to environmental factors in open ground, snapdragon places high demands on soil fertility and moisture.

Growing snapdragon from seed

The earliest varieties start flowering no earlier than 55-60 days after germination. Therefore, it is advisable to grow them by seedling method. When determining the timing of sowing seeds for seedlings, they are guided by the timing of planting tomatoes in the region. The age of the seedlings and the preferences of antirrinum and tomatoes in terms of air temperature during planting also coincide.

For sowing, take shallow containers or plastic greenhouses with a transparent lid. The bottom of the container must necessarily have perforations to drain excess irrigation water. A universal soil is selected with a fine-grained structure, poured into a container with a layer of 3.5-4 cm, and moistened with a spray bottle.

The seeds are carefully laid out on the surface, without burying them in the ground. Since they are very small, the movement of the hands during seeding is similar to sprinkling salt. The container is covered with glass or cellophane film and left in the light at a temperature of 18-22 ° C. Germination duration is 7-10 days. When the first shoots appear, the film is removed.

Important! Snapdragon seeds should not be buried - they will not break through the soil.

The sprouts stretch out quickly, at this moment they need to be lightly sprinkled with loose soil and watered, avoiding waterlogging of the soil. When young shoots reach a length of 4-5 cm, they begin to dive the seedlings. Compact varieties are planted in boxes at a distance of 5 × 5 cm, and tall and gigantic varieties - in individual pots 8 × 8 or 10 × 10 cm.

Planting in open ground with seedlings

Before planting flowers in flower beds, the seedlings are hardened for 10-14 days in a permanent place. The boxes are left right there in the openwork shade of trees, first for 30-40 minutes, for three to four days, bringing the exposure to a full day.

The soil in the flowerbed is prepared in the fall. Deep digging is carried out, many organic components are introduced: crushed plant residues to the bottom, closer to the surface of humus, peat. The soil is filled with complex mineral fertilizer at the rate of 40-60 g / m².

Plants are planted in flower beds at a distance of 30 cm from each other, watered and mulched the soil with needles or cut grass.

Snapdragon: propagation by cuttings

Cuttings are vegetative propagation methods. You can resort to it if you need to quickly propagate a plant you like.

Cuttings are cut 1 cm below the internode, kept for 1-3 hours in Kornevin's solution and placed in water for rooting, which lasts 2-3 weeks.

Note! When roots appear, they are transplanted into a container or open ground.

How to grow a plant on a site

After planting seedlings, caring for the snapdragon consists of regular watering, weeding and light loosening of the soil. As the peduncles age, they are cut as low as possible to the ground with a pruner.

During the summer, plants will need 3-4 feeding, especially varieties with a long flowering period.

Choosing the best place

In regions with hot summers, antirrinums can be planted in partial shade. A good planting option is next to a lawn that is watered using sprinkler irrigation. This measure increases the humidity of the air.

In the Central Region and further north, snapdragons will feel better in the sun. The soil on the site must be well drained.

Top dressing for snapdragons

A signal for feeding may be that the plants stop forming new peduncles, the color of the flowers becomes pale, the leaves turn yellow.

In this case, 40 g of urea is diluted in 10 liters of water and the flowerbed is watered. At the end of the season, fertilizing with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers will be needed: 20 g of superphosphate and potassium sulfate are dissolved in 10 liters of water and the bushes are watered with this solution.

Do I need to pinch the snapdragon and when

Pinching tall varieties will allow you to get more strong flower stalks. It is carried out at a height of a young plant of 10-15 cm.Climbing and dwarf varieties can be pinched several times over the summer - this measure contributes to the formation of lush bushes.

How to harvest snapdragon seeds at home

To collect the seeds, the peduncles should be allowed to mature well.

If rainy and cool weather sets in at the end of summer or early fall, the flowers are unlikely to ripen on the flower bed. In this case, the plant is carefully dug up by the root, freed from the ground and suspended in a dry room, such as a drying shed.

Note! Dry flowers are rubbed between the palms, having previously spread paper to collect seeds, packed and signed.

Preparing for winter

Despite the cold resistance, perennial and long-flowering forms are transferred to the house in advance of the onset of cool weather. Otherwise, some of the flowers will lose their aesthetic appearance. Bushes of annual varieties are laid in compost pits.

Growing snapdragon on the balcony

The iridescent mixture of flowers in the pots will be a great decoration for any balcony or loggia. Such a plant can definitely surprise neighbors, guests, and casual spectators. The subtleties of growing snapdragon in hanging containers are described below.

Snapdragon Flower Shower Planter

Snapdragon: dwarf undersized varieties

For cultivation in pots, it is advisable to plant several varieties of the Flower Rain variety at once to obtain a mixture of flower colors. For example, monochromatic hybrids look great together: bright red Crimson, Yellow and white-pink Sakura.

For more exotic mixtures, flowers with an unusual combination of colors are selected.

The Agronomist's Secret! The mixture of varieties must be planted in a pots with a thickening, at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other.

How to sow seeds for potted growing

Sowing seeds is no different from sowing seedlings for open ground. The difference is that when grown in pots, the seedlings are dived directly into a permanent container. At the time of transplantation, the tops of the shoots and the tips of the root are pinched to the plants in order to restrain the growth of the root system in conditions of a highly thickened planting.

During the growing season, the soil in the pots is fertilized with humate complexes every 10-12 days. With overcrowding of plants, the development of fungal diseases is possible on them. For prevention, they are sprayed with Topaz. A bright flowerpot on the balcony will not leave anyone indifferent if properly looked after.

The amazing beauty of the snapdragon flower is the main reason why it should be planted on your site or nearby in a pot. Experience shows that gardeners who begin to grow antirrinums can no longer but plant this flower, experimenting with new varieties and hybrids every year.