Snapdragons

 

I've loved snapdragons ever since I was a little girl exploring my backyard garden.  These colourful end of Summer flowers are made for children's imaginations and games.  Do you remember pinching the sides of the base of a flower, so that it's mouth would open like a fire breathing dragon?  If you were lucky, you could get a dozen good roars out of single blossom, before it turned limp, and withered in your fingers.  Dragon slayers!

Even big kids love 'em.  When I showed my Brazilian friends why the flowers are called snapdragons, their looks of astonished joy were priceless.  For the next few minutes, these grown men became little boys again.  Priceless! 

The botanical name for snapdragon is Antirrhinum, from the Greek, "anti" for like, and "rhin" for nose.  In other words, they look snout like.  They are believed to have originated in Italy and Spain, and have spread to North Africa, Europe and North America. 

Spread they do...they are a self seeding plant.  Leave them alone in the garden, and they'll come back year after year.  They may not come back in the same original colour.  Many snapdragons are hybrids, and their seeds take on the traits of both "parents".  If you have a red snapdragon, and a white snapdragon, their "offspring" may be pink the following year.  Snapdragons come in every colour, except pure blue. Real dragons come in blue!

    

  

Photographs Copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.