Antirrhinum majus Circus Clowns

The bicolour flowers of the Antirrhinum majus or Snapdragon 'Circus Clowns' create a cheerful mix of bright shades, which will bring a lot of brightness and dynamism to the garden. Dense spikes rise on well-branched medium-sized plants from summer to frost. These plants are an ideal choice for borders, natural gardens, and flower pots. Whether annual or perennial depends on the climate and soil they are planted in. It doesn't matter, as they are so floriferous and unique! Familiar in cottage gardens, snapdragons are accommodating plants that will thrive in fertile, well-drained soil and plenty of sunshine.

Known in gardens since 1583, the Antirrhinum majus was a favored plant in monastery and cottage gardens. This plant from the scrophulariaceae family is native to the western Mediterranean Basin, where it grows among rocks on arid slopes in the south of France, including Lozère and Aveyron. There are even plants rooted in the mortar of old walls protecting the gardens. The 'Circus Clowns' variety stands out for its long, vibrant flowering and compact habit. This short-lived perennial forms a clump 45 cm (17.7 in) tall and 30 cm (11.8 in) wide in the year following its sowing, with a well-branched habit. Its upright, branching stems are covered with leaves that are opposite or alternate, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, entire, and glabrous, with a beautiful dark green color. The flowering period extends from May-June to September-October, until the first frost. This variety produces densely covered spikes with large bicolour flowers, each flower combining a pale color with the same color in darker and brighter shades. The flowering is melliferous and nectariferous, slightly and pleasantly scented.

Snapdragons are part of our childhood memories. With their small velvety snouts that emit a fragrance when you bury your nose in the flowers, they are plants accessible to all gardeners, easy to install in borders, beds, or rockeries. North of the Loire and in heavy soil, treat them as annuals, which doesn't matter considering their generosity. Medium-sized varieties like 'Circus Clown' are perfect for flower pots, borders, sunny rockeries, wild gardens, scented gardens, or cottage gardens. For example, pair them with damask daisies, cosmos, or annual poppies.

The Snapdragon gets its vernacular name from the particular shape of its flowers, which, when pinched, resemble jaws.

Attention, seeds reserved for very experienced gardeners accustomed to sowing very fine seeds. These seeds are as fine as dust, barely visible to the naked eye.