Linaria triornithophora

The Linaria triornitophora is nicknamed by English speakers "Three birds flying", which can be translated as Three birds flying Toadflax. Indeed, this absolutely charming species, perhaps the most spectacular of the toadflaxes, bears on its floral stems clusters of 3 flowers of a beautiful size for the genus, whose silhouette evokes small parakeets in flight. It is an extremely floriferous and truly undemanding plant, able to bloom from spring to autumn. Invite it into your garden, its tenderly exotic flowers will accompany both romantic roses and tough plants for dry soil.

The Linaria triornitophora belongs to the family Plantaginaceae or Scrophulariaceae in the old botanical classifications. It is a cousin of snapdragons to which it bears a resemblance in its flowering. This species, quite rare in cultivation, is native to Spain and Portugal. It is a perennial plant by its root, whose life is relatively short, particularly in clay soils; its roots are sensitive to cold and wet conditions which cause them to rot. In our very rainy climates and heavy soils, it behaves more like a biennial. The toadflax easily self-perpetuates through spontaneous sowing, without becoming invasive. Its tolerance to dry cold, limestone, and summer drought is good.

The Three birds flying Toadflax first forms a tuft of leafy stems with a gracefully upright habit, slightly spreading, quickly reaching between 40 and 60 cm (16 and 24in) in height and 40 cm (16in) in spread at the base. The glaucous cylindrical stems bear small ovate and pointed leaves of a tender green colour. Regularly arranged in whorls around the stem, this foliage is mostly deciduous in winter. The flowering takes place on plants aged 2 years or more. It is renewed for long weeks between April and October if you take care to regularly remove faded inflorescences. In case of a very dry summer, it dries up and resumes in September, with the return of rain. The flowers open at the top of the stems, upright on long peduncles, grouped in 3. These are flowers swollen with 2-lipped varying from violet to purple, with a long spur pointing downwards. The throat is tinged with white and more or less orange-yellow. Of a good size for a toadflax, they measure up to 6 cm (2in) in length. Fruits follow the flowers, which are very visited by pollinating insects. These are capsules containing numerous small seeds that spontaneously self-sow in light soil.

The toadflax brings height and incredible lightness to flower and low shrub beds. It goes well with herbaceous clematis, grasses (Miscanthus, Stipa, Eragrostis, Muhlenbergia capillaris) as well as bush or shrub roses. It also blends with lavenders, catmints, gauras, caryopteris, and shrub salvias in a very airy scene that remains interesting late in the season. In a bed with the appearance of a flowery meadow, associate it with cornflowers, cosmos, poppies, snapdragons, and sainfoin.