Linaria purpurea

The Linaria purpurea, also known as Purple Toadflax, is a charming perennial plant that should be seen more often in gardens. It blooms throughout the summer, with long, slender spikes of pale purple, creating an airy and colourful effect in wildflower borders or, more unexpectedly, mixed with roses. It is a very robust and water-efficient plant that only requires a sunny exposure to thrive. Although it only lives for a few years, the toadflax self-seeds quite easily in the garden.

The Linaria purpurea (synonym Antirrhinum purpureum) belongs to the Plantaginaceae or Scrophulariaceae family in the old botanical classifications. It is a cousin of snapdragons, to which it bears a resemblance in its flowering. It is native to southern Europe (Italy) and the Balkans. It is a perennial plant with a relatively short life, especially in heavy and clayey soils that are very wet in winter: its roots are sensitive to damp cold, which causes them to rot. In our very rainy climates and heavy soil, it can behave like a biennial. Purple toadflax easily persists through spontaneous sowing, without becoming invasive. It has good tolerance to dry cold, limestone, and summer drought.

The toadflax first forms a clump of leafy stems with a gracefully upright habit, slightly spreading, quickly reaching about 80 cm (32in) in height with a base spread of 40 cm (16in). The cylindrical, green, and very sturdy stems bear elongated leaves that can resemble those of flax in shape (hence its name, toadflax). Regularly distributed around the stem, this bluish-green foliage persists more or less through winter. Flowering occurs on plants aged 2 years or older. It continues for several weeks in summer if faded inflorescences are regularly removed. It consists of long, slender spikes packed with small, light purple flowers with a curved spur of bright white. The flowers measure 25 mm (1in). After the flowers, which are highly visited by pollinating insects, come the fruits. These are capsules containing numerous small seeds that spontaneously sow in light soil.

Toadflax adds height and lightness to flower and low shrub borders. It pairs well with herbaceous clematis, grasses (Miscanthus, Stipa, Eragrostis) as well as bush roses. It also blends with lavenders, catmints, gauras, bluebeards, and shrubby salvias in an airy scene that remains interesting late in the season. In a border with a meadow-like appearance, associate it with cornflowers, cosmos, poppies, snapdragons, and sainfoin.