Unpretentious flowers of the original form with a long flowering period are the most welcome guests in the garden and outdoor flower beds. It is these qualities, as well as an amazing variety of colors, that have made snapdragon one of the most popular plants used for landscaping various areas. In this article, we'll talk about planting, propagating, caring for this plant.
Legend
The snapdragon flower (antirrhinum) has been known since ancient times. The mention of him can be found in the myths of Ancient Greece - in the cycle that tells about the exploits of Hercules. The myth tells how he defeated the terrible Nemean lion, who lived near the city of Nemea, kidnapped children and animals. Admiring the feat of Hercules and in memory of this event, the goddess Flora created a flower that looked like a lion's mouth, called the snapdragon. The goddess Flora gave this flower to Hercules. Since then, it has been customary in Greece to give warrior heroes this particular flower.
Distribution
In the wildthis plant can be found in Europe, on the North American continent. It grows a lot in the Mediterranean. Currently, more than 50 species of wild antirrinum are known. In our country, on the territory of Siberia and in the middle lane, you can often see wild flaxseed - a kind of snapdragon. For the first time it appeared in gardens in the 16th century, in 1587 in books there is a mention of antirrinum large as the only cultivated plant species.
History
Gardeners in Germany were the first to become interested in this plant, and they began to conduct breeding work. They were later joined by their colleagues from other European countries. To date, there are more than one thousand varieties of antirrinum.
Description
Antirrhinum should be attributed to perennial herbaceous plants belonging to the Plantain family. But in countries with frosty winters, it is grown as an annual. A strongly branching plant has a pyramidal shape, can be found in the form of a single bush. The leaves are usually lanceolate green in different shades (from light to dark). The flowers have very long inflorescences that can range from 5 to 60 centimeters. In a number of varieties, they have the shape of a pyramid. At the beginning of flowering, the lowest pair of flowers blooms, gradually it moves up. Each subsequent pair blooms a week after the previous one. Each pair continues to bloom for two weeks, and the flowering period of the whole plant is 3-4 months. The fruit of the plant is a multi-seeded box, where there are from 500 to 800 seeds.
Snapdragon flowers can be double and simple, with an open or closed corolla, they resemble the open mouth of a lion. Flowering time is very long, lasts from early summer to late autumn. The coloration of the antirrinum is diverse. There are almost all colors and shades, except for black and blue. Petals are bicolor and tricolor.
Types of antirrinum
All varieties of snapdragon are divided into four groups, which are subdivided according to the size of the stem. The variety of varieties and colors offers gardeners a huge selection of flowers in the right size and the right color. Their size can be from twenty centimeters to one meter.
Dwarf
Antirrhinum of this species grows no more than 25 centimeters. Used for growing in pots, flowerpots and on balconies. Gardeners often plant compact bright bushes in rockeries, they also look good as borders.
Short and Medium
Snapdragons of these species are most often grown to decorate flower beds, to create flower arrangements with other flowers. The growth of a short plant is 40, and the average is 40-60 centimeters.
Tall and giant
A tall plant grows at least 60 centimeters. The giant type of antirrinum has a height of at least 80 centimeters. A feature of these species is that they practically do not branch, they need to make a support.
Ampelous
Antirrhinum of the ampel variety is verywill look spectacular in the garden, which has buildings with columns. He can decorate them with extraordinarily beautiful falling down flower garlands.
Like all flowers, antirrinum has different ripening periods:
- early flowering - from June;
- medium - early July;
- late - by early August.
Snapdragon: growing from seed, when to plant
Antirrhinum is propagated by seeds and cuttings. Seeds can be sown in open ground (in warm climates) and through seedlings. In the latter case, seeds are sown in March.
The plant does not like to grow on peat and clay soils. For growing seedlings, it is preferable to use a mixture of fertile soil (you can use compost) and river sand on a one-to-one basis.
Snapdragon planting and care
It is very convenient to use plastic containers with a lid for sowing. You can take disposable plastic cups and sow a few seeds in them (no more than 2-3). When shoots appear, the seedlings are not thinned out, but left to grow as a bush.
Before sowing, the container is filled with suitable soil, well moistened. Antirrinum seeds are very small, so when sowing, you can use the following methods:
- Snow is poured on the surface of the substrate with a thin layer and sowing is carried out on it.
- Combine the seeds with fine sand, which also simplifies the process.
Seedling care
After sowing the seeds, they are sprinkled on top with a thin layer of earth (you can use a sieve) and moistened withsprayer help. Top with a lid or cover with a film. Seeds during germination need high humidity and a temperature of 23-25 ° C. The soil must be kept moist and not allowed to dry out.
With proper care, snapdragon sprouts when grown from seeds appear 10-15 days after sowing. As soon as sprouts appear, the container must be moved to a more lit place, otherwise the seedlings may stretch out. The film should be removed a few days after shoots appear.
The plants grow quite slowly at first, but don't worry. Watering at this time should be very moderate. If a black leg is found in a plant, it should be removed immediately, and it is recommended to sprinkle the soil with crushed activated carbon or wood ash. For any type of rot, you should use the Fitosporin preparation in the amount of 10 drops per liter of water.
Picking
When the seedlings snapdragon (pictured) the second pair of true leaves, it's time to start diving. This procedure should be carried out with extreme caution so as not to damage the delicate roots. For a plant, containers with a diameter of no more than 10 cm are chosen, focusing on the variety; it is not advisable to use spacious pots. Before planting (per day), the soil is not moistened, this is necessary for easier extraction of seedlings with a good earthen clod. The seedling is first laid out on a flat surface, a depression is made in the pot and the seedling is placed in it.
Experts advise to carry out two snapdragon picks. The first - in the phase of the second pair of true leaves, and the second - after 30 days. When the plants reach 10 centimeters, experienced flower growers recommend pinching the top. This encourages new side shoots to emerge, resulting in more stems and a fuller flower.
In the event that ready-made seedlings are purchased, it is necessary to pay attention to its following qualities: the leaves should be juicy green, not too thin a stem. But it is especially important that the plant has a developed root system.
Ground landing
Consider the features of planting and care snapdragons (with photo) in the ground. It is necessary to be aware that when breeding different varieties and planting them close to each other, cross-pollination is possible, in which new plants for the next year (when collecting and planting these seeds) will differ significantly from their parents. Snapdragons should be planted in the ground when the threat of spring frost has passed. Depending on the region, landing is carried out from the first days of May to mid-June.
The most suitable soil for antirrinum is loam and sandy soil with good water and air permeability. If you want to get a more lush and long flowering, then add to the soil:
- complex fertilizer for flowers (tbsp), or nitrophoska;
- peat (1 kg per square meter);
- humus (3-4kg);
- wood ash (1 tbsp per square meter).
The soil is well dug up and loosened. In the garden for planting a snapdragon flower, the brightest place is chosen, the dark one does not fit at all - the plants will not bloom. In partial shade, less lush, poor flowering is observed.
It is best to transplant in the evening or cloudy weather. For different varieties, when planting, different intervals between plants are provided:
- dwarf varieties - 15x15 cm;
- low grades - 20x20 cm;
- medium - 30x30 cm;
- high - from 40 centimeters.
The plants from the pot are released into the wells prepared in advance along with the earthy clod. Deepen the flower should be to the cotyledon leaves. The earth around the plants is lightly tamped with the help of the palms and watered.
Care for flowers in summertime
To maintain moisture in the soil and better flowering, antirrinum bushes must be mulched. As a covering material, it is best to use straw, sand, sawdust. The flower does not like drought, but with excess moisture it starts to hurt. Therefore, watering should be regular, but moderate. It is better to water the plant under the root in the morning: this will help to avoid diseases associated with improper watering.
After 25-30 days after the snapdragon flower has been planted in the ground, it must be fed with a complex fertilizer for annual garden flowers. Top dressing must be done regularly, throughout the summer. The interval between themshould be 2-3 weeks.
When planting on heavy soil, in order to achieve good plant growth, not only timely top dressing should be carried out, but also loosening, tying high species. Loosening protects the root system from diseases and leaching. Tying up can prevent the death of tall bushes in windy weather.
If you pinch the main and side shoots of the second order, the splendor of the bush will increase significantly. If the antirrinum does not bloom, it is necessary to cut off the longest shoots and its flowering will resume. To make it longer, the buds that have already faded must be removed.
Cold resistance
Snapdragon is able to withstand small sub-zero temperatures (up to -4), then acquiring its original appearance. Therefore, you can admire the luxurious flowering until the very frost.
Cutting
To use cut flowers, remove them before they bloom. In this case, a bouquet of snapdragons at home can be preserved for a long time.
Healing properties
Antirrhinum is a very ornamental plant, but its flowers are also used successfully in folk medicine. An infusion of its flowers is used for bloating, some liver diseases. During the recovery period after hepatitis, it is good to use a mixture of immortelle flowers, snapdragons and corn stigmas. An infusion of antirrinum is used for shortness of breath, dropsy and severe headaches. Externally, an infusion of this flower is used for hemorrhoids, boils, open sores on the skin.
Popularvarieties of antirrinum
Breeders have bred a huge number of varieties of snapdragons. Photos of flowers and a description of the most famous of them are presented below:
- Madama Butterfly. Medium-sized variety, inflorescences are large, terry, unusually bright, of all existing shades, collected in high dense brushes.
- Rainbow. Grows up to 40 centimeters. Differs in a large abundance of flowers of various shades.
- Scarlett. Bush up to 60 centimeters high. Inflorescences of red juicy color, collected in tall pyramidal brushes. The variety is frost-resistant, goes well with perennials in flower arrangements.
- Tom Tamb. Refers to the dwarf species. An original variety with pastel bud colors and shades.
- Russian size. The variety is intended for cutting, reaches 160 centimeters. The flowers are large, usually two or three shades, with dense inflorescences.
- Lampion F1. A completely unique variety of ampelous species. Used for hanging planters, grown on balconies and loggias. The leaves are dark in color with a silver tint.
- Black Leaf. Small neat bushes. The inflorescences have a variety of colors of flowers, the leaves are dark, almost black.
Various mixes (a set of seeds with different colors) are popular. Most varieties of snapdragon (photo) have several color options. You can buy them in the form of mixes or separately.
Collection of seed material
Collecting snapdragon seeds needexercise while they are not yet fully ripe. To collect, you need to prepare a long paper bag. They choose the desired specimen, cut off the top of it, where the fruits have just begun to ripen. A paper bag is put on the remaining stem, which is tied up below the fruit, and then the stem is cut off. The paper bag is turned over and stored in a dry, ventilated area until the seeds ripen. As soon as the seeds ripen, they will be poured from the seed box into the bag. After that, they are laid out in boxes or bags and stored in a cool room with an air temperature of 5-10 ° C.
Diseases and pests
Antirrhinum is prone to the following diseases: gray rot, rust, septoria, black leg. Treatment of a plant for these diseases is complex and time consuming. Flowering during this period completely stops and the flower does not have time to fully bloom again. Therefore, diseased plants should be pulled out of the soil and burned. Infected soil is treated with a fungicide.
Insects that can lay eggs in flowers or leaf axils are dangerous for flowers. It can be various flies, scale insects, caterpillars and butterflies. To prevent this, a number of rules should be observed:
- do not plant seedlings close to each other;
- immediately remove damaged plants;
- avoid waterlogging of the soil;
- water under the root, avoiding water on the leaves.
After flowering is over, all plants are harvested andburn to remove possible pests, dig up the site.
