How to Grow Antirrhinum
'Lucky Lips' from Seed
The Fleuroselect award-winning bicolour snapdragon — crisp white with a bold purple-magenta lip, on tall 60cm stems perfect for cutting, flowering from June until the first autumn frosts
There are single-colour snapdragons, and then there is 'Lucky Lips' — a bicolour of such clean, crisp contrast that it stops you in your tracks. The flowers are white — a pure, brilliant white, exactly the white you would want in a summer vase — and the lower lip (technically called the palate) is an intense, glowing purple-magenta, as if each flower has applied a vivid shade of lipstick. The contrast between the white upper petals and the saturated magenta lip is startling and beautiful, and it is precisely this contrast that won the variety a Fleuroselect Novelty Award — an international prize given only to varieties that introduce something genuinely new.
Beyond the striking bicolour, 'Lucky Lips' is a genuinely excellent cutting snapdragon on its own terms. At 60cm it is among the taller varieties available from seed, producing long, straight, strong stems that look professional in any arrangement. It is open-pollinated — unlike F1 hybrids, you can save seed from it — and it retains the traditional closed snap-mouth mechanism that makes the bumblebee visits so entertaining to watch. An outstanding variety by any measure, and one of the most immediately distinctive flowers in the cutting garden.
Quick Facts at a Glance
Plant Type
Half-Hardy Annual
Sowing Time
Jan–Mar indoors · Aug–Sep for spring
Flowering Months
June – October
Position
Full sun
Height & Spread
60cm · 25cm
Difficulty Rating
3 out of 5 — Moderate
Understanding the Plant
'Lucky Lips' is an open-pollinated Antirrhinum majus variety — meaning it was developed through selective breeding over generations rather than by commercial hybrid crossing. This has two practical implications: the bicolour pattern is remarkably consistent across plants (the variety has been so finely selected that it comes virtually true from seed), and seed saved from your own plants can be sown the following year with reasonable confidence of producing the same striking bicolour. This makes 'Lucky Lips' unusual among high-performance modern snapdragons.
At 60cm, it is one of the taller snapdragons in the range — taller than Crown Mixed (35–45cm) and slightly taller than DoubleShot Peach (45–50cm) — which makes it ideal for cutting and for mid-border planting where height is needed. The stems are upright and strong, the branching is good following pinching, and the flowering season with regular cutting extends from June through to October in a typical UK season.
The Fleuroselect Novelty Award
The Fleuroselect Novelty Award is an international prize given by the European seed industry only to varieties that introduce a genuinely new characteristic — not simply an improved version of an existing flower but something that represents a real departure. 'Lucky Lips' won this award for its strikingly consistent bicolour pattern: the clean division between the white upper petals and the saturated magenta-purple lip, maintained with exceptional uniformity across individual plants from seed. This consistency is the achievement — bicolour flowers often show significant variation between plants, but 'Lucky Lips' delivers the same bold contrast on every bloom.
The Geotropic Stem — The Essential Cutting Tip
Antirrhinum stems are geotropic — they respond to gravity. If a cut stem is laid horizontally after harvesting, the flower spike will begin curving upward within an hour, driven by the stem's attempt to point toward the light. By the time it has been in a car boot or lying on a table for two hours, the curve is permanent and cannot be straightened. Always carry cut antirrhinum stems upright in a bucket of water, from garden to workroom. This is not a suggestion but an absolute requirement for straight, professional cutting stems — it applies to all snapdragons but matters most for the tall varieties like 'Lucky Lips.'
When & How to Sow
The sowing requirements for 'Lucky Lips' are the same as all antirrhinum: surface sow at 20–22°C with light access. The sowing window starts in January for the earliest flowers, and autumn sowing in August or September produces the finest and most impressive plants of all.
Autumn Sowing — The Best Route for Lucky Lips
Sowing 'Lucky Lips' in August or September and overwintering young plants in a cold frame or cool greenhouse consistently produces plants significantly superior to spring-sown ones — taller, more branched, earlier-flowering, with longer, stronger cutting stems. They come into flower from April or May rather than June or July, giving an extended season that makes the investment of a little winter greenhouse space very worthwhile. If you have the facility to overwinter, the autumn sowing is strongly recommended for this tall cutting variety.
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Surface sow in pots or modules at 20–22°C. Do not cover — light is required for germination. Press seed gently onto moist compost surface. A fine layer of vermiculite (1–2mm) is permissible if it helps moisture retention. A heated propagator significantly improves germination speed and reliability.
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Germination in 10–14 days. Keep moist and warm throughout. Move to maximum light as soon as seedlings are visible — tall cutting varieties like 'Lucky Lips' draw particularly quickly in low light and early intervention prevents the legginess that makes them hard to manage later.
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Pinch out at 10cm — this is non-negotiable for cutting garden use. A single-stemmed Lucky Lips plant produces one cutting stem. A pinched plant produces five to six. Pinch the growing tip out cleanly between finger and thumb. The plant will produce multiple side shoots from the nodes below the pinch within ten to fourteen days.
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Pot on promptly as roots fill the module. 'Lucky Lips' is vigorous and grows quickly — pot into 9–10cm pots before plants become rootbound. Continue growing on in cool (12–15°C), bright conditions to produce sturdy, compact plants rather than warm, drawn ones.
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Harden off and plant out from late April. 'Lucky Lips' tolerates light frost better than most half-hardy annuals once it is beyond the very young seedling stage — established plants can cope with temperatures down to around -2°C briefly. Space 25cm apart in full sun and well-drained, reasonably fertile soil.
Growing On Tips
Full Sun for Best Bicolour
The white-and-magenta bicolour contrast is most vivid in full sun. In shade the white becomes less pure and the magenta less saturated. A minimum of six hours direct sun daily maintains the clean, crisp contrast that makes this variety exceptional. South or west-facing positions are ideal.
Keep Stems Vertical
This cannot be emphasised enough for a tall cutting variety: always carry and store cut stems upright in water. Antirrhinum stems are geotropic — they curve upward toward light within an hour of being laid horizontal. A bucket of water is the only acceptable transport vessel for cut Lucky Lips stems. Laid stems become permanently curved.
Seed Saving
Unlike F1 hybrids, 'Lucky Lips' is open-pollinated and can be saved from seed. Allow a few of the best-performing plants to set seed fully at the end of the season. Collect seed when the capsules begin to dry and open. Store in a cool, dry, dark place and sow the following January or February. The resulting plants come reasonably true to the bicolour — expect most to show the white-and-magenta pattern, with occasional variation.
Deadheading & Cutting
Remove spent flower spikes promptly by cutting back to a visible side shoot. For cutting garden use, cutting regularly for the vase serves as the most effective deadheading — each stem removed back to a side shoot junction triggers a new flowering stem from that point. The more consistently you cut, the more consistently the plant produces.
Cold Tolerance
'Lucky Lips' is described as tolerating light frost once established — a useful quality for the tall cutting variety that may go out earlier than more tender annuals. In mild UK autumns, plants often survive the first one or two light frosts and continue producing stems into November, giving an extended season that makes the most of the tall, productive habit.
Support in Exposed Positions
At 60cm, 'Lucky Lips' is the tallest of the three snapdragon varieties in this range. In exposed or windy positions, place discreet twiggy supports or net supports before stems reach 30cm. In sheltered gardens with well-drained soil, the strong stems are generally self-supporting, particularly in plants that have been pinched out properly.
Common Problems & How to Fix Them
| Problem | Likely Cause | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| No germination | Seed covered or insufficient warmth | Surface sow without covering at 20–22°C with good light. A heated propagator is strongly recommended for January and February sowings when natural light is limited and windowsill temperatures vary. |
| Bicolour pattern inconsistent | Natural variation or plant stress | 'Lucky Lips' is selected for pattern consistency but some variation is natural in an open-pollinated variety. Stress from cold, drought or root restriction may reduce pattern intensity. Plants grown in ideal conditions produce the cleanest, most consistent bicolour. Select the best-patterned plants for seed saving to gradually improve consistency. |
| Curved, bent stems after cutting | Geotropic response — stems laid horizontal | Always carry cut stems upright in a bucket of water from the moment they are cut. Never lay them horizontally — not in a trug, not in a car, not on a table. Once the curve has set, which takes as little as an hour in warm conditions, it is permanent. Conditioning upright in a cool, dark place for several hours before arranging prevents any curl. |
| Rust (orange spots on leaves) | Snapdragon rust fungus | Remove affected leaves immediately. Ensure adequate spacing (25cm) for airflow. Avoid overhead watering. Remove badly affected plants entirely. A copper-based fungicide spray applied preventively in mid-July helps in conditions favourable to rust development. |
| Floppy, weak stems | Insufficient sun, rich soil, or no pinching | Ensure full sun. Avoid high-nitrogen feeding. Pinch at 10cm to build a branching, well-supported structure from the base. In exposed positions, add support before stems reach 30cm. Well-pinched, well-grown plants in full sun are generally self-supporting at 60cm. |
When to Expect Flowers
From a January or February indoor sowing, 'Lucky Lips' comes into flower in June or July. From an August or September sowing overwintered in a cold frame, flowers begin in April or May — six to eight weeks earlier than spring-sown plants and with noticeably stronger, taller stems. With regular cutting, the season continues until the first hard frosts arrive, typically October or November in most UK locations.
Sow indoors from January, or in August for a cold frame, for the longest possible season — autumn-sown plants flower from April and produce the finest, tallest cutting stems of all.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
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| 🌱 Sow Indoors |
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| 🪴 Plant Out |
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| 💜 Flowering |
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Plant Specifications
The bicolour that wins awards and turns heads
Antirrhinum 'Lucky Lips' is the snapdragon for gardeners who want something that makes people look twice — the Fleuroselect-winning white-and-magenta bicolour that is as striking in a summer border as it is in a vase, on tall 60cm stems that give you the cutting length you need for proper arrangements. Sow in January for June flowers, pinch at 10cm for multiple stems, and always — always — keep cut stems upright in water. Do these three things and you will be cutting some of the most distinctive stems in your cutting garden all summer long.
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