About this variety
White upper petals cut sharply against a saturated magenta lip, on strong upright stems at 60cm. It won the Fleuroselect Novelty Award, which the European seed trade gives only to a variety that brings something genuinely new, and in this case it was the consistency of the bicolour. Most bicolour strains scatter. This one holds the pattern across nearly every plant.
The more useful thing about it is that it is open-pollinated rather than an F1. Save seed from your best plants and it comes near enough true the following year, which over a few seasons makes a packet look like very good value beside the hybrid doubles.
At 60cm it is among the taller snapdragons and stands without staking, flowering from June through to October. It is a strong single stem for a bouquet and it wants treating that way. In a border a lone plant disappears, and it needs three or five together to register. Rust can take hold in a humid summer, particularly where plants are crowded, so give them room and air.
