Growing snapdragon from seeds and when to plant? Snapdragon - instructions for growing an elegant flower bed

Snapdragon (antirrhinum) is a perennial crop. However, in our regions, the flower is bred as an annual in the warm season. The variety of varieties is amazing. They can be tall, up to one meter or more in height, or growing along borders up to twenty centimeters high.

The plant is especially popular among gardeners for its unpretentiousness. During cultivation, it does not cause difficulties. The flower is propagated by seeds, and seedlings are planted in the ground.

Culture has a number of indisputable advantages. The first thing is the duration of flowering: from mid-summer to cold autumn. Flowers are bred in front gardens, flower beds, slides, as well as in flowerpots and hanging pots on balconies.

Snapdragon in landscape design photo

Flowers are ideal for decorating a border. Unusually look in groups on green low lawns. hybrid varieties help to diversify the ordinary interior of houses, apartments, suburban buildings. Ampel varieties admirably adorn hanging planters, pots on balconies, country terraces.

Nasturtiums, marigolds, decorative leafy plants will become good companions in the flower bed for undersized and dwarf varieties. In the front gardens, the flower is combined with chrysanthemums, cosmos, lobularia. Great addition the background will become low coniferous with an aerial part in the form of a ball.

How to grow snapdragon from seeds for seedlings

The flower is bred vegetatively and seed method. Planting material remains in the ground for several years and can germinate. If you live in a warm area, then you can grow a crop from seeds directly in the soil. AT good conditions they will rise in three weeks. However, in areas where heat does not please with its presence, it is better to grow a flower from seeds for seedlings and only then plant snapdragon seedlings in the ground.

Container and soil for planting

To grow seedlings from seeds, you will need any container. You can buy it or make it yourself. It all depends on the number of plants grown.

The substrate is sold in ready-made in flower shops. You can also prepare the soil yourself. Note that the percentage of germination of seedlings is small. Therefore, the finished or prepared mixture for planting must be sieved. To prepare the soil yourself you will need:

• washed sand;
• peat;
• garden land.

When to plant snapdragon seeds for seedlings

In order to get antirrinum seedlings in time, they begin to sow the seed in March.

Planting Antirrinum Seeds

For growing snapdragons, you will need containers with tight-fitting lids. You can plant seeds immediately in glasses, several seeds per glass. If the seedlings are one hundred percent, thinning them is not necessary. They can grow in one container with a bush.

Before sowing, the container is filled with the substrate. It is leveled and watered well. The seeds of the plant are small. For convenience, they are mixed with sand or manipulated in the snow so that they can be clearly seen.

Rules for caring for snapdragon seedlings

After the material has been sown, it is sprinkled with a small layer of soil. Once again watered from a sprayer, covered with cellophane, a lid to create a greenhouse effect. For sprouts to germinate, you need high humidity and temperature 23-25C. It is important to monitor the soil, it should not dry out.

Proper care and seeds will germinate after 10-15 days. Then the young are transferred to a well-lit place. With a lack of light, they will stretch upward. The film is removed a couple of days after spitting the seeds.

At first, young sprouts grow slowly. At this time, the seedlings are watered sparingly. When a black leg appears, the affected plant is removed, and the soil is treated with crushed coal or ash.

picking

When the second pair of true leaves has grown on the seedlings, they begin to dive. In seedlings, the antirrinum grows a strong root system. Therefore, seedlings are transplanted into a large container.

If a Snapdragon grows densely, sometimes the roots are intertwined. In this case, you do not need to separate them, plant several pieces in a glass.

The plant tolerates picking very well. Settles well in the new place. Do not forget, until the seedlings have begun to grow, they are kept in the shade, and transferred to the sun after transplanting a few days later.

Planting snapdragon seedlings in open ground

A flower is planted in the front garden in late spring or early summer. It all depends on climatic conditions, air and land temperatures of the region.

Seedling hardening

In order for the seedlings to endure night cooling, before sending the culture to the ground, it is hardened. This is done by taking containers with future flowers outside two weeks before planting.

Location on site and soil for growing snapdragons

Planting plants in sheltered areas strong wind, draft. It can be darkened slightly or well lit. The best soil composition is a mixture of sand, compost, peat. The substrate is thoroughly watered. Flowers are planted depending on the variety: tall at a distance of 40-50 cm, undersized according to the pattern of 20 * 20 cm, medium-sized at a distance of 25-30 cm.

Antirrinum care after planting in open ground

Further care behind the flower comes down to regular irrigation, fertilizing, weeding and plowing the land.

Snapdragons are fertilized with minerals like nitroammophoska, nitrofoska, ammophoska.

The culture is demanding on moisture. It recovers quickly after generous watering. If you forget about moisturizing, then the flower will not open well or even drop the inflorescences. Do not let the soil dry out. It is best to water in the morning.

It is advisable to water the flower under the spine. If this is done superficially, the buds will accumulate water and begin to slope. Some may even fall.

The plant blooms in waves. Do not worry if there is a sudden delay in flowering. Similar waves continue until the first frost. As soon as the flowers have faded, they are recommended to be removed.

How to harvest snapdragon seeds

In order for the culture to form full-fledged seeds that will bloom beautifully in the front garden next year, the brightest ones are chosen among the flowers in the summer. Their inflorescences are shortened by one third, making it possible to form boxes with seed material in place of large flowers. They bloom at the bottom of the inflorescences.

The inflorescences are cut off without waiting until the boxes open and turn yellow. They are ripened in the house.

Diseases and pests of antirrinum

With the advent of rains and cold weather, red spots form on the leaves of the plant. If this happens, the culture is treated with Zircon according to the manufacturer's instructions. For preventive purposes, the flower is sprayed with the same drug at a lower dosage. Severely affected plants are removed from the garden completely.

Snapdragons are often attacked by a mosaic characterized by mottled leaves. Diseased plants are immediately removed and burned.

Black leg disease affects young growth due to waterlogged soil. Snapdragon stalks will become thin, darken. Affected flowers die. They fight the disease by reducing and normalizing watering. Diseased cultures are destroyed. The soil is treated with potassium permanganate or formalin.

If the flower began to turn yellow and dry, it means that the Fusarium sore attacked it. In this case, the stem rots. They fight the disease by timely removal of plants and disinfection of the soil with special preparations.

Snapdragon varieties with photos and names

Antirrinum was first selected by scientists from Germany in the nineteenth century. Today bred for growing in the garden great amount flower varieties, differing mainly in the height of the culture:

1. Tall or sharp (from 80 cm). These are varieties of snapdragons with large flowers on long pedicels. These include giant, tall varieties.

« Rocket Orchid". Grows up to a meter tall. It is characterized by a rare color of lavender inflorescences.

« Velvet Giant". Elegant and narrow. It has reddish leaves, inflorescences are spectacular dark purple, blackish-red tones.

« TheRose". Flowers of a usual form with smooth, pink inflorescences. They are filled with beauty and sublimity.

1. Medium-sized varieties or universal (40-60 cm). Snapdragon is bred for cutting, grown in front gardens. These flowers combine a small form with voluminous inflorescences.

« wildrose". It grows to a height of 40 cm. Pedicels grow up to 20 cm. They have a loose structure. The flowers are massive with a bright, medium pink color.

« RedChif". Characterized by lush, massive greenery. Pedicels are large, red tones.

« Black Prince". The stems are dark green, appearing black. The color of the inflorescences is dark burgundy. Grows up to half a meter.

1. Undersized, dwarf or casing antirrinums (25-40 cm). This variety of snapdragon differs in the duration of flowering and small size.

« Schneeflocke". It grows up to 25 cm. It is distinguished by elongated leaves, small whitish flowers in lacy inflorescences.

« Tom Tumb". It grows up to 20 cm. It has a spherical shape of a bush with thin stems. Leaves are short and large. Pedicels are dense. The color is rich lemon with dark spots on each individual flower.

« Crown". On average, it grows up to 35 cm tall. Suitable for growing in the foreground of a flower garden. It has a short growing season.

Many gardeners are familiar with the snapdragon plant. Growing from crop seeds is not difficult for flower growers. The plant attracts in that it does not create problems during planting, care. With a minimum of effort, a wonderful flower will appear in a flowerpot in a flower bed, in the front garden and even on the balcony, with a variety of colors and density of buds that delight the eye.

Snapdragons are very beautiful annual flowers that adorn not only flower beds, but balconies, loggias and terraces. Flower growers love this plant for a large number of shades of flowers and leaves. You can grow a "lion cub" from seeds in the southern regions of the country, and in all other regions they use seedling way. Growing snapdragon seedlings is a simple process that anyone can master. We will consider in detail the step-by-step implementation of all the work.

Which option to stay

You might be surprised to know that there are four groups of snapdragon varieties. We will briefly dwell on each of the groups so that you can decide which flowers you will grow. Plants were classified according to their height:

1. Dwarf size - flowers no higher than 15-20 cm. They are ideal for border plantings, carpet flower beds, alpine slide as well as growing in pots.
2. Low-growing flowers have a height of 25-40 cm. They are used for borders and flower beds.
3. Medium-sized plants grow to a size of 40-60 cm. Flower growers most often opt for varieties from this group to decorate flower beds.
4. Tall crops are 60-90 cm. During their growing season, they form pyramid-shaped bushes. Typically they are used landscape designers when creating garden color compositions. Flower growers grow them for cutting. Such a bouquet can stand in a vase for a week or longer.

Now an ampelous snapdragon has appeared, the cultivation of which is possible in hanging containers. flowers on a plant irregular shape. They are two-lipped and really resemble the gaping mouth of a lion. All flowers grow in racemes and are very fragrant. There are varieties with both simple and double petals. The color range of snapdragon is very wide. In addition, there are varieties with two-color and even three-color flowers.

VIDEO: Secrets of growing a flower

Stages of growing seedlings "lion cub"

The plant blooms from June until the first frost. Seedlings can germinate within a month. Those who want to have a snapdragon in a flower bed start growing seedlings from the end of February to the beginning of March. Different containers are suitable for this, but be sure to use drainage. The flower is not very demanding on the ground.

Soil preparation

The seedlings will thrive in the soil nutrient mix you buy from the store. You can opt for a universal primer or for decorative flowers. It is necessary to pour drainage into the container, and on top of the soil, which is a little tamped and moistened with a spray bottle.

To make a soil mixture, you will need the following ingredients:

• garden soil - 3 parts;
• peat - 3 parts;
• sod land - 3 parts;
• sand - 1 part.

For planting flowers and snapdragons, in particular, the land from under coniferous trees. If possible, such earth is collected from the root ring of spruce or pine and mixed with the rest of the ingredients.

Small pebbles or shells can be used as drainage walnuts. Styrofoam or broken glass should not be used, as this adversely affects the roots of the plant.

A few tablespoons must be added to self-prepared soil wood ash to normalize its acidity.

How to sow seeds

For the convenience of sowing, the seeds are mixed with sand and poured onto a sheet of thick paper. Holding a leaf over a container with earth, tap a finger on its edge. In such a simple way, it turns out to evenly sow the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe box. From above, the sown grains are sprinkled with a small amount of the same soil that is poured into the container.

Lightly tapped with fingers upper layer so that when watering, the grooves do not erode and the seeds do not float out.

Watering rules

Carefully water the pot with a spray bottle and cover with glass or film. The optimum temperature for the germination of grains of this culture is 20-23°C. Of course, growing snapdragon seedlings at home causes certain difficulties, and this mainly concerns temperature conditions. It is important that the temperature does not drop below 18°C ​​before germination.

As condensation appears on the glass, it must be turned over. This is done so that excessive moisture does not provoke the appearance of mold. If mold does appear, then you need to carefully remove areas of infected soil. After that, pour the entire soil in the container with a solution of potassium permanganate.

In the event that the earth has dried up on top, then it must be moistened with a spray bottle. The main rule is not to overdo it with watering. After the first shoots have appeared, the glass or film is removed. The container is placed in a well-lit place, but not under direct sunlight.

For lighting, it is best to use phyto-lamps that produce special rays with imitation solar spectrum. In the absence of such lamps, lamps are also suitable daylight. Be sure to last 10 hours daylight hours so that the seedlings have time to get stronger before transshipment.

How to care for seedlings

Experienced flower growers know that it takes about a month to grow seedlings until snapdragon culture dives. All this time, you need to carefully monitor the moisture content of the soil. Excessive moisture can provoke a disease of seedlings with a "black leg". If you find "fallen" seedlings, then they must be removed immediately.

For this, it is convenient to use tweezers. The place where the diseased plant grew is carefully sprinkled with crushed activated charcoal. Sowing is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate or Fitosporin. At the same time, overdried soil can lead to the death of tender flower sprouts. After all, they still have a very small root system.

When the plants have a couple of true leaves (except for the cotyledon leaves), they dive into separate cups or boxes. If you stop at the second option, then the seedlings are planted so that they are at a distance from each other and do not interfere with free development.

VIDEO: How the seedlings of the "lion cub" dive

Seedling boxes are placed on a well-lit windowsill. Remember that the peculiarity of the snapdragon culture is growing seedlings not in direct sunlight. It is necessary to gradually harden the seedlings. To do this, open the window for a short time every day, but make sure that the plants do not stand in a draft.

When the seedlings have developed 4-5 true leaves, the central shoot is pinched. This manipulation leads to the formation of beautiful bushes. Indeed, by pinching the main shoot, we provoke an increase in the tillering of the flower. If you notice that the side shoots of the seedlings have begun to grow actively, then pin them down as well. So you can form nice shape plants.

Planting and care secrets

Experienced flower growers believe that snapdragon cultivation in the open field should begin no earlier than the end of May. As a rule, it is no longer expected spring frosts. First, choose a place for planting seedlings. It can be either a slightly shaded or sunny area, but not in a draft. In the shade, the plants will not bloom so abundantly.

It is very important to plant flowers in cloudy weather. With bright sun, it will be difficult for plants to take root in a new place. Seedlings should be planted at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other.

Young "lion cubs" require regular "feeding" complex fertilizers for flowering annuals. The first top dressing is done after the plant takes root, and the next every 2 weeks.

If you have organic matter and nitrophoska, then the first feeding can be done with them. Then we water the second time with a solution of fertilizers after the buds appear on the bushes. Prepare the following solution:

• water - 10 liters;
• potassium sulfate - 1 tbsp;
• superphosphate - 1 tbsp;
• urea solution - 1 tbsp.

In care, the flower is not picky. It should only be watered during dry periods. After watering, the soil must be loosened and all weeds removed. Withered flowers should be removed regularly so that the plant does not waste its resources on them. To prolong the flowering period, be sure to remove the flower arrow.

After completing all the proposed steps, your eye will delight snapdragons. Good luck!

VIDEO: Snapdragon. How best to sow, how to properly care

Antirrinum, or as it is also called, snapdragon, can often be seen in flowerbeds. This decorative flower adorn not only city parks, but also summer cottages. Because of the unusual shape of the inflorescences, the people dubbed the plant "dog".

It will not be difficult to maintain such a handsome man as snapdragons. Growing from seed, when to plant it outdoors, a few rules of care - all the information you need to implement this plan.

General information about the plant

It is a herbaceous plant with straight, branched stems, it can reach one meter in height. It has long leaves Green colour, which have a dark or light color and are covered with thin villi. Blooming, the flowers take on an unusual shape, similar to the open mouth of a lion or a small dog. Because of this feature, the plant got its name. Terry or glossy flowers exude a pleasant aroma, they gather on the tops of the shoots and form inflorescences in the form of spikelets.

The homeland of antirrinum is the southwestern part of Europe and the Mediterranean countries. Today you can find snapdragons of yellow, white, red and pink color. It begins to bloom in early summer, and ends late autumn with the onset of the first frost.

By its nature, this flower is a perennial, but gardeners grow it as an annual plant and fill the flower bed with new specimens every year. This feature of cultivation is due to the fact that the antirrinum blooms only in the year of planting. At the same time, the fruit-box with seeds ripens.

Types and varieties of snapdragon

There are many various kinds and varieties of antirrinum. Breeders long time engaged in the development of new varieties of this decorative culture. Thanks to such interest and the efforts of specialists from all over the world, about 1 thousand varietal hybrids saw the light. From each other they differ in stem length, color and size of inflorescences. To get an idea of ​​how colorful these flowers can be, just visit any gardening store and look at the assortment of seeds.

Unfortunately, the resulting varieties could not cover the entire color palette, as originally planned, because the antirrinum of blue and blue shades breeders failed to obtain.

Depending on the species, the flower can be either very small or rather tall. On this basis, plants were even divided into the following groups:

Fit Options

Planting is a very important event, which will determine which plants the gardener will receive in the end. One of the most available ways cultivation of such flowers is seed sowing. To obtain young antirrinums, you can go in two ways - plant seeds for seedlings or immediately in open ground.

Flower growers rarely use the second method, since in this case, in order for the antirrinum to bloom in time, it will have to be sown on garden plot in early spring when the earth has not yet had time to completely thaw and warm up.

Therefore, gardeners prefer to plant antirrinums on flower beds in the form of seedlings: if you follow all the simple recommendations for caring for seedlings at home, you can easily get strong and flowering plants.

Of course, you can save yourself extra hassle and buy ready planting material in a shop or market. In this case, before buying, you need to carefully inspect the seedlings, because only high-quality seedlings can produce healthy and beautiful flowers. First of all, pay attention to such signs:

These tips will help you get healthy and strong seedlings. If the grower decided to grow it on his own, the information below will come in handy. She will save you from common mistakes, which are often performed by novice flower growers, and will also allow you to get beautiful plants.

Getting plants from seeds

In order to independently obtain high-quality seedlings, it is necessary not only to take into account the timing of sowing, but also to properly prepare planting material. The unpretentiousness of the plant is a definite plus and greatly facilitates the task of flower growers. Therefore, you do not have to spend time and effort on preparing a nutritious soil mixture, as well as on creating any special conditions for seedlings.

However, do not think that seedlings do not need care at all. Still, you will have to take into account some of the needs of the antirrinum and try to provide it with everything necessary.

Sowing seeds for seedlings should be done in April or early May. First you need to prepare everything necessary materials and tools:

1. Choose a variety and purchase suitable seeds at a flower shop.
2. Land for planting. Suitable light and loose substrate.
3. Container (for example, a box made of wood or plastic).
4. Sieve and spatula.

Now you can start planting seed snapdragon.

Agrotechnics of cultivation

Sowing can be done in separate pots and flowerpots or common wooden box. Choose the option that seems convenient. Having decided on a container for seedlings, you can start planting snapdragon seeds:

If the seeds have sprouted, then everything is done correctly. Now it is enough to provide seedlings with proper care.

seedling care

Small plants need to be watered regularly. Antirrinum loves water very much, so you do not need to take long breaks between soil moisture. Approximately two months later, favorable conditions and at good care Plants will produce their first true leaves. After this, the seedlings should be transplanted according to individual containers. Picking must be done very carefully to avoid damage to the root system.

After picking, the turn of pinching the tops of the plants will come. To do this, wait until they reach 10 centimeters in height. Such a procedure is necessary for the rapid appearance and development of lateral shoots, and this important condition for lush flowering adult antirrinums.

Transplantation in open ground

Transplanting young plants into open ground should be done when warm weather sets in, and the probability of returning night frosts is zero. By this time, the seedlings will grow enough and will look like small bushes.

For a flower bed under the antirrinums, a sunny place is allocated. Also, flowers will feel good in partial shade.

Antirrinums like loose and light earth. Fertile slightly alkaline soil is perfect, other acidity of the soil can lead to the fact that the roots of plants will develop poorly.

The problem of too heavy soil is very easy to solve on your own, for this it is enough to mix it with ash, river sand or dolomite flour. Before planting seedlings in a flower bed, they bring into the ground mineral supplement composed of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.

Small holes are dug under the plants, and then antirrinums are transferred into them by the method of transshipment along with the old ones. earthen clods. Depending on the type of flowers, the following distance is left between the planting pits:

• tall varieties - 45 centimeters;
• medium - 30 cm;
• undersized - 20 centimeters;
• 15 cm will be enough for dwarfs.

After planting, water the plants abundantly and cover the flower bed with peat.

Caring for Adult Antirrinums

Care of plants in open ground does not require special efforts. The bed should be periodically rid of weeds, and then gently loosen the soil. Watering the flowers should be moderate, avoiding both excess moisture and its lack.

During the active growing season, snapdragons need additional fertilizer. The first time top dressing should be applied to the soil 14-17 days after transplanting seedlings into open ground. Then repeat this procedure until autumn, no more than once every 2 weeks. It is best to feed such flowers mineral fertilizers, for example, nitrophos.

In order not to overload the bushes, wilted inflorescences are regularly removed.

Pest and disease control

The result of excessive watering can be damage to the root system by rot. This attack can lead to the death of plants. "Hom" or any other remedy with a similar effect will help save the situation. One teaspoon of the drug is diluted in a liter clean water and process all the flowers in the flower bed, even those that have not yet had time to become infected. For a bed measuring 10 square meters, 1 liter of solution will be enough. You need to have time to carry out the procedure before flowering.

In cool and damp summers, there is a risk that plants will be affected by rust. It covers the foliage with spots of a red hue and leads to the death of flowers. It is possible and necessary to fight this disease, for this they use one percent Bordeaux liquid, preparations containing sulfur or special fungicides.

Among all existing insect pests are dangerous:

• slugs
• gall nematode;
• avocado scab;
• scoop.

To destroy them, all plants and the soil next to them are treated with insecticides. Affected flowers are best dug up from the garden and destroyed.

Snapdragon

Antirrinum- one of the most famous perennial herbaceous plants, a favorite of gardeners and a frequent guest of lush flower beds, who has earned love with bright and beautiful flowers unusual shape with a rich and bright palette of colors.

A flower grower who has planted an antirrinum once will plant it season after season - ease of care and a surprisingly beautiful color are simply captivating. The branched straight shoots of this plant are folded into a dense pyramidal bush, the lower leaves are opposite, and the upper ones are alternate.

The color of antirrinum flowers can be white, pink, yellow, beige, blue, light blue or two-three-color. In total, there are twenty-two species in nature. as you can see pictured, antirrinum the most widely represented species antirrinum large("") and its varieties, which were bred by flower growers more than 1000.

Peculiarities

• Antirrinum buds have a pleasant sour taste: these flowers can be added to salads, ice cream and sorbets, moreover, they contain useful vitamins and add a delicious flavor to any dish.
• In a mild and warm climate, antirrinums are perennial plants, but they do not survive harsh Russian winters, therefore they are used as annual plant, although in greenhouse conditions lives long enough.
• If flower growers are interested in persistent, long and pleasant aroma, then you should pay attention to the yellow antirrinums and plant them.
• Snapdragon is also useful in the pharmaceutical field: it is widely used for the treatment various diseases liver, stomach, eyes, genitourinary system and colds. A decoction of this plant was previously used in the East as an antidote, and was also mixed with lily oil and smeared on the face to improve the color, elasticity and softness of the skin. Despite this, it is extremely dangerous to use it not as prescribed by the doctor - it is very dangerous. poisonous plant life-threatening if dosed incorrectly.
• There are such subspecies of the plant as dwarf varieties (15-20 centimeters), undersized (20-30 centimeters), medium or semi-tall (20-60 centimeters), tall (65-150 centimeters).

Due to its wide distribution around the world, antirrinum seeds have a small price: from 15 to 20 rubles for a small bag of seeds and up to 40 for especially rare varieties.

Also in flower shops, seedlings are sold at a price of 20-30 rubles per plant or cassettes with seedlings of 10, 30 and 50 sprouts costing from 200 rubles for a minimum volume.

Species and varieties

The antirrinum itself is most often represented by the large antirrinum variety, there are about a thousand different varieties snapdragon. There are several popular types of antirrinum: large, ampelous and twinny. There are more than 1000 species in total.

The most famous of them is the large antirrinum, or snapdragon, which received its second name in connection with unusual shape flowers: two-lipped, wide at the bottom and narrower at the bottom, similar to the open lion's mouth.

Large antirrinums have been grown for more than 500 years as ornamentals in flower beds, greenhouses and greenhouses. Antirrinum twinny, or terry antirrinum - a variety of large antirrinum, one of the most common species in floriculture, has large double flowers various colours.

Antirrinum twinny - hybrid, unpretentious and surprisingly beautiful. Antirrinum ampelous, or antirrinum F1-also one of the most popular varieties of large antirrinum.

This is a fairly rare hybrid, designed specifically for growing in balcony boxes and hanging baskets. Unlike other antirrinums, it does not stand, but forms a beautiful “beard” 40-80 cm long.

A lush hanging plant ideal for growing at some height. Due to the variety of species, ease of care and beauty, antirrinum remains one of the undoubted leaders in flower beds and greenhouses.

Places of growth

Antirrinum - Enough unpretentious plant, spreading in the Northern Hemisphere, especially in North America. In particular, the most common antirrinum large. In general, antirrinum tolerates cold well and almost any weather, but does not like drought very much and excess moisture.

Landing

In order to grow an antirrinum, you do not need to make a lot of effort, but your work will bring excellent results: this plant blooms from June until frost, is quite unpretentious and easy to care for. There are two simple ways grow an antirrinum in your own garden.

The first way - planting antirrinum straight into the ground. This method is more suitable experienced flower growers because it requires a lot of attention and experience.
In order to grow healthy and beautiful antirrinums, you will need:

• Antirrinum seeds(you can get them at any flower shop).
• Prepared soil, preferably loamy, thoroughly weeded. Remove all roots of weeds to prevent their germination!

So, in May - early June, when the risk of frost has finally passed, you need to plant seeds mixed with coarse sand on the ground and lightly sprinkle with earth. Cover with a film or agrospan on top and regularly moisten the soil.

This is the easiest way, but it requires a lot of attention and very frequent weeding - with insufficient weeding, the weeds will initially clog the weak and tender antirrinum sprouts.

The seedling method of planting an antirrinum will not be difficult even for a beginner. Start planting seedlings around the end of February to early April, and do not plant until the threat of even minimal frost has completely disappeared.

You will need:
Antirrinum seeds (their price is not high);
Coarse sand (not recommended to use building sand: it contains a lot harmful substances, unsuitable for normal development, if you still decide to use building sand - rinse it thoroughly and ignite it for cleaning and disinfection);
Bowls with a diameter of 10 centimeters or more with drainage holes (they can also be purchased at a flower shop, you can use plastic or ceramic ones with equal success);
High-quality expanded clay or polystyrene broken into large pieces;
Compost land;
Spray bottle with water;
Glass, cling film or packages;
Patience.

To grow you will need:

1. Mix sand with antirrinum seeds for ease of distribution;
2. Pour crushed polystyrene or expanded clay onto the bottom of the pot by about 1/5 of its depth, pour sand on top, then composted earth, thoroughly mixed with sand in a ratio of 3/2;
3. Compact and moisten the soil, gently thin layer scatter seeds on it, sprinkle with water again;
4. Cover the bowls with film, transparent bag or glass, remove the condensation regularly and keep the soil moist, keep the temperature 22-26 degrees.

After about two weeks, the first shoots will appear, then you need to place the bowls in light, but not sunny place, and after 3-4 days, remove the glass completely. Now it is important to take care of the sprouts.

The key to success is regular watering (preferably in the morning) and good lighting without direct sun rays. You can harden off your sprouts by occasionally placing them on a windowsill, but without exposing them to direct drafts.

When 4 or 5 sprouts appear, you need to pinch the central shoot for better flowering and tillering. In mid-May - mid-June, shoots can be relocated to open ground.

flower care

Further care behind the antirrinum simple enough:

Antirrinum loves nutritious and rather light soil. The ideal option there will be a mixture in equal proportions of soil, peat and sand;
Tall varieties of the antirrinum plant require about half a meter of distance between plants, medium-sized ones - about 30 centimeters, undersized ones - 15-20;
Water the antirrinum only during particularly dry periods, or if the soil is very dry;
It is important to carefully weed out the weeds, preventing their growth;
It is not necessary to cover the antirrinum for the time of frost: it tolerates temperatures well enough up to -5 degrees;
You can not plant these plants too close to each other: they get sick with the so-called "gray rot".

In general, this is everything you need to know about growing and caring for a beautiful and fragrant antirrinum plant. it is good for treatment, and in cooking, and, of course, in floriculture. Good luck growing this. beautiful plant!

Flowers snapdragon (lat. Antirrhinum), or antirrinum,- a genus of herbaceous plants of the Plantain family, covering about 50 species of perennials, including climbers, common in the warm zones of the Earth, but mostly in North America. The Russians call this plant "dogs", the British - "snapdragon" (biting dragon), the French - "cleft palate", and the Ukrainians - "mouths". From the Greek language, the name "antirrinum" is translated as "nose-like", "like a nose."

The ancient Greek myth tells about the first feat of Hercules, when he defeated the Nemean lion, famous for its ferocity and invulnerability. The goddess Flora gave Hercules the one she created in honor of his victory. beautiful flower, which she called "snapdragon". Since then, it has become a tradition in Greece to give heroes a snapdragon. In culture, the snapdragon flower has existed for about five hundred years, and breeding work was started by German scientists in the 19th century, and today about 1000 varieties of snapdragon are grown in the gardens of the planet, and most interestingly, a single species served as the basis for this variety of forms and hybrids - Antirrhinum large (Antirrhinum majus).

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Planting and caring for snapdragons (in a nutshell)

• Landing: in warm climates by sowing seeds in the ground in April or before winter. Seedlings are sown for seedlings in mid-March, seedlings are planted in open ground closer to mid-May or early April.
• Bloom: from mid-summer to late autumn.
• Lighting: bright sunlight or partial shade.
• The soil: well-fertilized, breathable, light loamy soils with a pH of 6.0-7.0, cultivated to a depth of 30-40 cm.
• Watering: only in the mornings in the dry season, plentiful.
• Top dressing: 2-3 times before flowering with full mineral fertilizer.
• Reproduction: seeds and cuttings.
• Pests: aphids, gall nematodes, spider mites, scoops, thrips, slugs.
• Diseases: late blight, fusarium, verticillium, black leg, septoria, sclerotinia and peronosporosis.

Read more about the cultivation of snapdragons below.

Snapdragon flower - description

The snapdragon plant is a shrub or herbaceous plants with straight, branched green thinly furrowed stems from 15 cm to one meter in height, forming pyramidal bushes. The upper leaves of the snapdragon are alternate, the lower ones are opposite, they are elongated-oval or lanceolate in shape, the color is from light green to dark green with red veins.

The flowers are fragrant, rather large, irregular, two-lipped, depending on the variety, simple or double, collected in spike-shaped inflorescences, are painted in white, yellow, pink, pale fawn, all shades of red, but there are also two-color and even three-color varieties. The fruit is a two-celled multi-seeded box, in one gram from 5000 to 8000 seeds. Snapdragon bloom usually begins in June and ends with frost.

Most often, perennial snapdragons in nature are grown in horticulture as an annual plant, but with good care and favorable conditions, cold-resistant snapdragons can successfully winter in the garden and bloom on next year better than before. AT garden design antirrinum is grown as border plant, although snapdragons look great both in a flower bed and planted in groups against a green lawn. Often snapdragons are used to decorate balconies and terraces.

Of particular interest to flower growers today are ampelous forms of snapdragons, which can be grown in suspended structures for decorating terraces and galleries.

In the photo: Snapdragon flowering in the garden

Growing snapdragons from seeds

Sowing snapdragon

The snapdragon reproduces in generative and vegetative ways. Snapdragon seeds retain the ability to germinate for several years. If you live in a warm climate, you can grow snapdragons from seeds by sowing them directly into the ground, and they will sprout in two and a half or three weeks, surviving even a slight night cold snap, which is common in spring, but in areas where it is warm without problems comes gradually, it is better to use the seedling method of growing snapdragons. How to grow snapdragons from seeds in a seedling way? This process is neither complicated nor labor intensive.

So, we sow snapdragons: at the beginning of March we pour coarse sand into bowls with a diameter of at least 10 cm with drainage holes, and on top of the sand - compost soil mixed with sand, compact it, level it, sprinkle it with water from a spray bottle and distribute seeds also mixed with sand over its surface, which we then cover from above with a thin layer of the same substrate, moisten it from a fine spray gun and cover the plate with glass sowing.

Every day we remove condensate from the glass, let the crops breathe and, as necessary, moisten the soil from the sprayer. At a temperature of 23 ºC and moderate humidity of the substrate, sprouts will appear in a couple of weeks. As soon as this happens, move the bowl to a bright, non-sunny place so that they do not stretch out, and as soon as the emergence of seedlings becomes massive (in 3-4 days), remove the glass.

In the photo: Growing snapdragons from seeds

snapdragon seedlings

Seedlings will grow slowly at first, and your task during this period is to monitor the proper soil moisture by watering the soil in the morning so that there is enough moisture, but not in excess, as this can lead to seedlings getting sick with a black leg. “Fallen” sprouts must be removed with tweezers, and the place where they grew should be powdered with crushed coal or sprinkled with a small amount of calcined and cooled river sand. After the appearance of a pair of real - not cotyledon - leaves, the seedlings dive into a container or box, arranging them so that they grow freely.

You can plant seedlings in personal pots or, for example, dive three sprouts into larger pots.

Place the picked seedlings in a bright place, protecting them from direct sunlight, and begin to gradually accustom them to the environment and temperature in which they will find themselves after transplanting into open ground: open the window for a while during the day, but make sure that the seedlings are not in a draft. The central shoot of each seedling after the development of 4-5 leaves must be pinched to enhance tillering, but if the side shoots are also growing too actively, pinch them too.

In the photo: Red snapdragon

Snapdragon - landing

When to Plant Snapdragon

In late May - early June, grown, strengthened and hardened seedlings are planted in open ground. And do not be afraid of the last night cold snaps: your young "lion cubs" will survive them calmly. The site for growing snapdragons can be either sunny or slightly shaded, but be sure to be well-drained and protected from strong winds. The soil is required light and nutritious. The best soil for snapdragon- a mixture of sand, compost and peat in approximately equal proportions. The optimal soil pH for snapdragons is pH 6-8.

In the photo: Snapdragon in a flower bed

How to plant a snapdragon

Planting snapdragon flowers is carried out according to the following scheme: tall varieties are planted at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other, medium-sized varieties - at a distance of 30 cm, undersized - after 20 cm, dwarf - after 15 cm. As soon as the snapdragon takes root, it begins to very grow quickly and turn into a lush flowering bush. You should know that snapdragon planting is carried out in well-moistened soil.

Snapdragon - care

How to grow snapdragon

This plant is unpretentious and needs only what anyone needs. garden flower: in watering, loosening the soil, removing weeds and top dressing. You will have to water the plants only in dry times, when there is no rain, but not at night. The next day after watering or on the same day in the evening, it is advisable to loosen the ground and weed out the weeds. It is advisable to tie tall varieties of snapdragon to a support. Withered flowers are best cut off so that the plant does not expend energy on them.

If you want to achieve a snapdragon long flowering, do not let him set the seeds, remove the flower arrow as soon as the last flowers have withered. You need to cut the peduncle under the lowest flower, then new arrows and new flowers will appear.

As soon as the plant takes root in the soil after planting, it needs to be fed with nitrophos and organic matter, the second top dressing is carried out when snapdragons begin to form buds, in which case a solution of urea, potassium sulfate and superphosphate is used at the rate of one tablespoon of each ingredient per 10 liters water.

On the picture: pink flowers antirrinuma

Pests and diseases of snapdragon

Sometimes red spots of rust appear on the plant, snapdragon septoria, black leg, gray or root rot can affect. Sick specimens should be immediately removed and burned, and the soil in the place where they grew should be treated with an antifungal drug (fungicide).

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Of insect pests, scale insects, fly larvae, caterpillars and butterflies that lay eggs are dangerous. It is always easier to take preventive measures than to treat an already existing disease or expel insects that have settled in flowers, so follow the recommendations for plant care, remove diseased or pest-infested specimens in time, do not let plants grow too close to each other, observe moderation in moistening the site, watering the flowers under the root, and not over the leaves, and snapdragons will not be afraid of either disease or insects.

In the photo: Growing snapdragons

Snapdragon after flowering

Snapdragon can bloom until autumn frosts, but when a steady autumn comes, cut the snapdragon, if you grow it as a perennial plant, so short that the rest of the stem rises above the ground 5-8 cm tall, and cover the area with peat with sawdust or dry foliage - mulch will help plants survive the winter. If you are growing an annual snapdragon, then, in order to avoid self-seeding during the entire flowering period, timely pick off faded flowers, and when all the flowers on the arrow have faded, cut the peduncle as low as possible. This must be done in order to prevent the seeds from ripening and waking up on the ground. When deep autumn comes, dig up the area and burn the remains of the plants to destroy the pests that have settled in them.

In the photo: Snapdragon flower

How and when to collect snapdragon seeds

Majority Seeds garden plants harvested when they are fully mature. But snapdragon seeds need to be harvested in the phase of incomplete maturity, in order to then finish them in a dry room with good ventilation. The collection is carried out in a long paper bag, as for a baguette. They start collecting seeds when the fruits ripen on the lower part of the peduncle: upper part the peduncle, on which the fruits are still green, is cut off and thrown away, and a paper bag is put on the rest of the flower arrow, tied with a thread below the fruit and the shoot is cut off below the dressing. The inverted bag is hung in a warm, dry room and they are waiting for the ripened seeds to spill out of the boxes into the bag. Then they are placed in cardboard boxes and stored at a temperature of +3-5 ºC, protected from possible moisture ingress.

In the photo: Antirrinum flower

Types and varieties of snapdragon

Today, in professional floriculture, there are several classifications of snapdragons, and the most common of them is according to plant height. On this basis, varieties are divided into five groups:

gigantic

The height is from 90 to 130 cm. The central shoot in plants of this group is much higher than the shoots of the second order, the shoots of the third order are absent. Varieties: Arthur - cherry-colored, 90-95 cm high, F1 red XL and F1 pink XL 110 cm high, red and pink, respectively.

High

60 to 90 cm grown for cutting or as a vertical accent in mixborders or groups. side shoots much lower than central. Snapdragon tall in the cut is up to a week or longer, the most fragrant varieties are yellow shades. Popular varieties: Anna Herman - soft pink snapdragon, Canary - bright yellow variety, Madama Butterfly mix - double snapdragon different shades other.

Pictured: Yellow snapdragon

tall or medium height

Representatives of the variety reach 40-60 cm in height, universal varieties grown both as a flower bed decoration and for cutting. They have strong branching. characteristic feature varieties of this group is also that the central shoot is slightly higher than the side shoots. Varieties: Golden Monarch - yellow color, Ruby - bright pink, Lipstick silver - pinkish-white shade.

Low

25 to 40 cm tall, grown as flower beds or border flowers. These varieties have many flowering shoots of the second and third order, while the main shoot is at the same level or slightly lower than the shoots of the first order. Varieties: Hobbit, Tip-top, Lampion ampelous hybrid.

In the photo: White snapdragon

Dwarf

15-20 cm in height, flowers for borders, carpet beds, rock gardens and flower beds. Grow them just like potted plant. These varieties are distinguished by strong branching up to shoots of the third and fourth order, the main shoot is usually lower or at the level of shoots of the second order. Varieties: Sakura Blossom is a pinkish-white variety with a spot, Candy Showers is an ampelous snapdragon.

In addition to this classification, there is an equally popular classification by Sanderson and Martin for year-round cut varieties, but it is of interest only to those for whom the cultivation of snapdragons is not a pleasure and not an aesthetic need, but a means of enrichment.