Cultivating Antirrhinums

Antirrhinums are Herbaceous Perennials

Although strictly perennials, the florist's antirrhinums are now generally treated as half-hardy annuals or biennials. So great is the improvement in modern strains that most varieties can be relied upon to come almost 100 per cent, true from seed. The three height sections and the wonderful colour range make them invaluable plants for summer bedding. The intermediate varie­ties, reaching about 18 inches in height, are the most generally useful. The Tom Thumbs, which form compact little bushes little more than 6 inches high, are splendid edging plants, while the tall varieties serve a useful purpose as dot plants or for filling in gaps in the mixed border. These reach about 3 feet.

Antirrhinums are not fond of an over-rich soil. Drainage is a much more important point, as they will never thrive in waterlogged land. The ground for them should be deeply dug, and if deficient a good dressing of lime should be given before planting. The middle of May is a good general time for this operation, and once the plants are established no fears may be enter­tained as to drought. They definitely prefer to be kept on the dry side. Spent flowers must be regularly removed throughout the summer months, and as the practice of pinching the plants is not now so generally adopted, great care must be taken to see that the central spike is cut away before seed pods can form. On account of the depreda­tions of antirrhinum rust, and particularly in the southern counties, it is now advisable to spray the plants during June and July with sulphur compounds. If the disease does make its appearance, the only remedy is to burn all infected plants without delay to avoid its spread.

The rock garden antirrhinums such as Antirrhinum Asarina and Antirrhinum glutinosum are perennials. They should be planted in very well-drained places and rather poor soil, as, for example, in the face of a dry wall. In richer soils they grow soft and are apt to die out in winter. You ought to plant in April.

Seed can be sown in a tem­perature of about 60 degrees throughout Janu­ary and February. It must be only very lightly covered, as it will never germinate freely if deeply buried. As soon as the plants are large enough to handle, prick off into boxes 2 inches apart each way and gradually harden off in preparation for planting. Splendid results can also be obtained from a sowing made about the end of July in a cold frame, the plants being wintered in boxes or in a made-up bed in the frame and planted out about the beginning of May. From such a sowing they will naturally be rather earlier and also larger. The rock garden kinds are increased by careful divi­sion at planting time or by firm young cut­tings in a cold frame in August.