Antirrhinum majus Sweet Duet Rose Shades - Muflier des Jardins, Muflier à grandes fleurs, Gueule de loup

The Snapdragon 'Sweet Duet Rose Shades' captivates as much for the brilliance of its flowers as for their sweet, sugary fragrance. Sown early in the year, this compact Snapdragon produces clusters of large double flowers all summer long, in a vibrant, deep pink. Highly decorative, they attract pollinators, thus promoting biodiversity in the garden. Perfect in a flowerbed alongside other flowering plants, this Snapdragon can also be grown in containers. It enjoys full sun and light, fertile, well-drained soils.

Formerly classified in the Scrophulariaceae family, the Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) has been transferred to the Plantaginaceae family, now keeping company with other flowering champions like Angelonia or the graceful Penstemon. There are about twenty species of Antirrhinum, mostly perennials from cliffs and rocky soils of the southwestern Mediterranean region, and also a few species, most often annuals, originating from western North America. Antirrhinum majus, nicknamed Common snapdragon, or garden snapdragon, grows naturally in France in the arid rocks and hillsides of the Midi, up to Lozère and Aveyron, naturalising on old walls. Flowering from May to September, the species forms a perennial plant 30 to 80 cm tall which is relatively cold-hardy. Nevertheless, through horticultural forms, it is generally cultivated as an annual, as its flowering tends to degenerate quickly over time.
The Sweet Duet horticultural range has several remarkable characteristics, which are large, semi-double to double, very fragrant flowers, produced by relatively compact and well-branched plants. It comes in different colours: white, lemon, peach, pink, red, etc. The Snapdragon 'Sweet Duet Rose Shades' is the vibrant pink variant of the series. Early sowing at the start of the year allows for young plants 40 cm tall with a 35 cm spread, which form dense clumps with dark green foliage, ideal for highlighting the lighter flowering. This begins in June, sometimes even May, and stretches until August, or even September. The almost double flowers measure 4 to 5 cm long, grouped in clusters clearly visible above the dark vegetation that serves as their setting. In a beautiful vibrant pink, the flowering is particularly attractive and very fragrant. When you pinch a flower on each side, it opens like a mouth, hence its vernacular name of snapdragon. The tubular corolla is bilabiate, with rounded lobes; the upper and lower parts are uniformly pink. Bumblebees and other butterflies appreciate this plant which, in addition to being particularly ornamental, is therefore also useful for wildlife.

A plant once inseparable from cottage gardens, the Snapdragon is breaking free with new varieties like 'Sweet Duet Rose Shades', which proves attractive in more ways than one. You can thus grow it in a container if you wish to adorn your terrace, or plant it in a flowerbed alongside other flowering plants to create a beautiful summer scene. Sharing the same needs, Tickseed will pair very well with snapdragon: with their compound flowers in numerous colours, they will allow you to create a brilliant scene all summer long. In the background, a clump of White Gaura will find its place naturally, with its graceful flowers swaying in the wind like a colony of small butterflies. Also consider playing with foliage colours by interspersing some grey Artemisias, as well as with the contrasts in form that ornamental grasses can offer, such as Stipa pennata which fine silver spikes float gracefully in the wind.

Caution: 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.