Antirrhinum majus Bronze Dragon - Dwarf Snapdragon seeds

Antirrhinum majus 'Bronze Dragon', better known as snapdragon, is an attractive bushy dwarf plant with particularly dark foliage, which is an unprecedented colour among snapdragons! This variety is beautiful, even before the flowering that overwhelms it with bicoloured and contrasting flowers in purple and white. It also shows good rust resistance. It is accessible to all gardeners, and will find its place in every garden, especially in borders or containers. It is also a delightful cut flower. It is either annual or perennial, depending on the climate and soil it is grown in. Familiar in cottage gardens, snapdragons are accommodating plants that thrive in fertile and well-drained soil, with plenty of sunlight.

Known in gardens since 1583, Antirrhinum majus was a favoured plant in monastery and cottage gardens. It belongs to the Plantaginaceae family. The 'Bronze Dragon' variety stands out with its almost black foliage, its stocky and compact habit, and its flowering in contrasting shades. This short-lived perennial forms a 45cm (17.7 in) tall and 35cm (13.8 in) wide clump in the year following its sowing. Its upright, simple or branched stems are covered with leaves that are opposite or alternate, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, entire, and glabrous, with a beautiful dark purple colour approaching black. The flowering extends from May-June to September-October, until the first frost. 'Bronze Dragon' boasts solidly built spikes, densely covered with large pinkish-purple and white tubular flowers. They are slightly fragrant and popular with pollinators. Snapdragons easily self-sow in the garden, in light soil, but not always faithfully compared to the mother plant.

Snapdragons are part of our childhood memories. With their small velvety faces that emit a fragrance when you bury your nose in the flowers, they are accessible to all gardeners. They are easy to plant in borders, flower beds, or rock gardens. In cool regions and in heavy soil, treat them as annuals. Dwarf varieties like 'Bronze Dragon' are perfect for cut flowers, sunny borders, rock gardens, wild gardens, fragrant gardens, or cottage gardens. For example, pair them with damask flowers, cosmos, or annual poppies. Their flower spikes stand out when emerging among bushy perennials (fennel, Senecio viravira, asters) or understory shrubs with subtle colours (wormwoods, euphorbias, Thymus hirsutus).

The snapdragon owes its vernacular name to the distinctive shape of its flowers, which, when pinched, resemble mouths.

Attention: seeds reserved for highly experienced gardeners who are used to sowing delicate seeds. These seeds are as fine as dust, barely visible to the naked eye.