Antirrhinum majus 'Potomac Lavender'
snapdragon
Delivery options
- Seed Packets (only) £2.95
- Position: full sun
- Soil: moderately fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil, or general-purpose compost
- Rate of growth:average
- Flowering period: June to September
- Hardiness: frost tender (will need winter protection)
A delightful snapdragon with soft lavender pink blooms and long cutting stems. This antirrhinum variety, bred for the cut flower market, bears numerous showy flowers on tall spikes that attract butterflies to the garden. While most snapdragons are grown as annuals and die back after frost, they will persist as short-lived perennials in warmer parts of the UK, or under glass in cooler areas. For best results, sow ‘Potomac Lavender’ indoors ten weeks before the expected last spring frost.
Pot up seedlings and grow on under glass until all risk of frost has passed and they can then either be planted outside into a well-prepared bed, or used to fill pots on the patio. Water your bedding plants early in the morning with a weak solution of a potash-rich fertiliser, such as Tomorite. Deadhead the flowers on a regular basis as this will encourage new growth and stop the plants putting all their energy into seed production.
Fill trays with good quality compost and lightly cover the seeds. Water, and place in a cold frame or greenhouse. Pot on when they have put on their first true leaves and then harden off before planting out at 20-30cm intervals, after the frosts have passed. Seeds sown in autumn and overwintered in a cold frame, will produce bigger plants which will flower earlier in the year, than those sown in spring.
- Sow: August to October or March to April