The Snapdragon: 
By Abraham Wynne, Connecticut 
AFTER many years of lack of appreciation the 
snapdragon (Antirrhinum) has at last come into 
its own. It has most always had a place in the 
garden of the amateurs but it is only of recent years 
that it has been found in the greenhouses. Unlike some 
of the more aristocratic flowers, it is for everyone and 
can be grown successfully in the window garden in 
an ordinary pot. The long spikes of flowers in pure 
white, light and dark reds, deep wines, yellow and 
wonderful pinks, are among our most beautiful 
riowers. One great point in its favor is that each spike 
stays in bloom a long time, the individual flowers open- 
ing out in succession, like 
the gladiolus. They seem 
to stand almost any kind of 
abuse. I have had old 
plants that had been aban- 
doned to their fate and 
thrown under a bench, 
come to life again in the 
spring and vie with the 
new plants in size and num- 
ber of blooms. 
Naturally considerable 
hvbridizing has been done 
by growers who have not 
been satisfied with the va- 
rieties at hand, and, as a 
result, several greatly im- 
proved species are now in 
cultivation, many of which 
are valued principally for 
their winter flowering qual- 
ities. \''irginia, Nelrose, 
Phelps' White, Silver Pink 
and Salmon Queen are 
among the best of the 
forcing varieties. The fa- 
vorite color, I think, is 
pink. Nearly all pink vari- 
eties have yellow throats, 
but Virginia is an excep- 
tion ; it is pure pink. It is 
quickly forced, and flowers 
in abundance may be cut in 
January. This variety is 
propagated wholly by cut- 
tings. 
Nelrose is an excellent 
pink variety, one of the best, in fact, that has 
yet been shown. Silver pink in preferred by manv, 
but it has one fault, that is, it often comes 
with a soft tip. Probably Phelp's \\'hite is the best 
of its color for winter forcing. All the Antirrhi- 
nums so far discussed may be grown by any one having a 
small greenhouse. They are better grown from cuttings. 
A variety must be very well established indeed to come 
even fairly true from seed. Many growers start with the 
seeds of well known varieties and then single out the 
best plants from which to make cuttings and so originate 
a variety, or at least a "strain" by selection. 
The best varieties that can be grown from seed and 
which will flower well in the garden are Black Prince, 
Salmon Queen, Double White, Orange, Scarlet \'ictoria 
and Pink Queen. Black Prince is an intermediate variety 
•Read before the Stanifoirl, Corn , Horticultural Society. 
Antirrhinum "Xctrosc' 
which is widely distributed and well suited for bedding 
])urposes. The color is a very deep crimson and the 
leaves are exceptionally dark. Probably this variety 
comes more uniformally true than any other red. 
The quickest and most satisfactory way to grow 
Antirrhinums from seed is to sow the seed indoors during 
March or April. After transplanting into flats, then into 
four inch pots, and place the plants in cold frames to 
harden off preparatory to bedding out. Those who have 
no way of raising the seedlings indoors may sow the 
seed outside as soon as the weather and soil conditions 
will permit. These plants, of course, will flower some- 
what later than the others 
but will nevertheless afford 
a pleasing display. 
Pretty border effects may 
be created by planting the 
tall growing varieties to- 
ward the rear and the dwarf 
plants along the front of 
the border. For this pur- 
pose when buying the seed 
the heights of the plants 
should be carefully noted 
and indicated on the label 
bearing the variety. In 
planting, the distance apart 
must be governed by the 
height of the plant — over- 
crowding being deleterious. 
Fifteen to eighteen inches 
apart may be regarded as 
alDout right. Seeds should 
be sown very thinly in out- 
door patches and later 
thinned out as desired. 
When winter flowering 
plants are desired, cuttings 
should be made in April 
or May, or seed sown in 
July. Insert the cuttings 
in a bed of sand in a cold 
frame, water carefully 
and shade from sunlight. 
Keep the frame closed, ven- 
tilating only during the 
day when the temperature 
is high, or when moisture 
condenses excessively on 
on the inner surface of the frame, 
transfer the plants into two and 
one half inch pots, and, when they are well established 
in the pots, transfer them to the benches from ten to 
twelve inches apart. Any good garden soil will be sat- 
isfactory, but the finest flowers are grown when the soil 
is light and enriched with old manure. Nourishment 
should be given as needed in the form of bone meal, 
sheep manure or decayed cow manure. Of course, no 
flowers must be allowed to form during the summer and 
the young plants must be kept growing steadily. 
Snapdragons are excellent flowers for growing in the 
private greenhouses as they are easy to handle and give 
(|uick results. Few flowers are better for cutting as they 
last a long time and lend themselves admirably to all 
sorts of decorative schemes. The temperature required 
for carnations — from fifty to fifty-five degrees — at night 
is about right for snapdragons. 
the plant and 
When rooted, 
371 
