'Licilia Azure' False Snapdragon Seeds

For all of us who miss our snapdragons during the warmer months, 'Licilia Azure' False Snapdragon comforts us with pea-like blooms in bright colors. These lovely upright stems bring pollinators into the garden and make delightful cut flowers for the vase. 'Licilia Azure' False Snapdragon is an annual we should all be growing, and dwarf Licilia makes it possible to bring it into patio pots and smaller spaces.

Known as False Snapdragon (or by its older, less attractive name of Toadflax), 'Licilia Azure' False Snapdragon is a super quick-growing, open-pollinated annual that will self-sow where it is happy. The seeds are easy to direct sow after all danger of frost, and once they germinate, you will see the first blooms just about 6 weeks later. Why can't everything in the garden be so quick and easy?

These 'Licilia Azure' False Snapdragon flowers are simply gorgeous, a mix of azure-blue and clear white. The long stems are lovely for cutting, and the petals surround sweet nectar beloved of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Expect 'Licilia Azure' False Snapdragon to reach just 18 inches high and up to 12 inches wide, but packed with flowering stems. No wonder it won a 2014 Fleuroselect Award, Europe's highest honor for a flowering seed.

The show begins in late spring in most climates, and will continue all summer if the flowers are promptly cut or deadheaded. In northern, short-summer climates, 'Licilia Azure' False Snapdragon is a plant for full sun; farther south and west, it prefers a bit of afternoon shade, or even a dappled mix all day.

Wonderful for dry or poor soil, 'Licilia Azure' False Snapdragon will reseed itself freely, so you might want to begin with a generous planting in an open area and watch it return for many years. Be sure to leave the seeds on the plant to scatter themselves in your garden for next year.