Linaria purpurea

PURPLE PERENNIAL TOADFLAX

Linaria purpurea
PURPLE PERENNIAL TOADFLAX

Linaria purpurea is so tough and easy that gardening snobs may ignore it.

Cant be beaten for flower power & hardiness & low maintenance

But for sheer flower power, hardiness, and low maintenance – it can’t be beaten.

Haze of tiny purple snapdragons

Linaria purpurea makes many slender spires of tiny purple snapdragon-like flowers.
So it gives such a pretty haze, even in the most contemporary and sophisticated designs.

Upright & tall – all up & little out

It is a tall and upright plant – so it is all up, and little out.
Small, narrow blue-grey leaves complete the soft hazy colour and airy look
(Scroll down to “Growing” section for plant details, how / where to grow)

Masses of flowers in a small space

Each plant has many stems, and each stem bears a myriad of the tiny purple snapdragons.

Soft & hazy effect

So the whole effect is tall, soft and hazy, but without taking up much ground space.

For those with little space, little water & little time

Making Linaria purpurea excellent value for gardeners with little space, little water, tough conditions or little time.

Will bloom even in dry shade

Our driveway is shaded and a dry, difficult spot – due to beautiful big, old trees.
So it is a difficult place to plant for flower colour and plants that will reliably survive the tough conditions.
Purple Perennial Toadflax – does the job beautifully.

Also tolerates summer humidity

Making them suitable for sub-tropical climates such as Sydney etc.

Long blooming 

Toadflax begins to bloom in late spring, and then there is no stopping them over summer.
You can keep them blooming into autumn, and with even more enthusiasm, if you give them a chop back by about 1/3 in late summer. This promotes a whole new flock of the tiny purple snapdragons.

Neglect proof & water-wise

Linaria can manage on a sniff of the watering can – they have a low water need.

Dry & heat hardy

So they are resistant to heat and dry.

Frost hardy & drought resistant

And can tolerate periods of drought, as well as hard frosts.
They are very un-fussy about soil, and do not need lots of fertilizer, work or attention.

Tough in Sun or shade

Likewise they will grow in anything from Full Sun to quite a lot of Shade, and not even seem to notice.

Excellent cut flowers

Despite their dainty and juicy look, Linaria purpurea stems make excellent cut flowers, lasting well in the vase.
And there are SO many stems on each plant – you can cut armloads for vases, and the plant will just thank you and then make some more.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY

Sow seed in punnets indoors at any time when suitable temperatures are available OR
Scatter directly in the garden in spring or autumn.

Sow indoors for optimum number & quickest plants: Sow on surface of good quality seed raising mix. Press gently into surface of mix. Cover seeds only thinly with fine sieved mix.

Thoroughly moisten the punnet by standing in a shallow water bath and allowing the moisture to percolate up to the surface of the mix from below.

Keep punnet moist in a warm, well-lit place, or on a heat bed covered with a clear plastic cover.

And keep consistently moist by misting from a spray water bottle.

Temperatures of 18-20°C approx. are optimum for rapid germination.

Seeds begin to germinate in 5-21 days approx.

Once seedlings have their first set of true leaves – prick out and pot on into larger pots and grow on ready to plant out into garden.

Sow directly into the garden: Scatter seeds in a weeded and prepared spot.
This hardy, clump forming perennial suits a wide range of sites. Growing between 60 to 90cm tall, with a spread of around 30cm, they bloom from December and continue all Summer. They are long-lived and quite drought resistant.

Seed Count: 150 seeds per pack.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count and give a generous serve).

HOW TO GROW: Linarea purpurea – Purple Perennial Toadflax

– Height with flowers: Spires of purple mini snapdragon flowers to 75-90cm. approx.
– Width: An upright, slender, tall plant to a diameter of approx. 45cm.
– Position: Linaria purpurea is very adaptable and easy going. They seem to grow and flower happily in anything from open Full Sun, to woodland conditions with Partial Shade and Dappled Light. I even have some in near Full Shade conditions, and they soldier on. They will try hard in Dry Shade.
They are also able to tolerate summer humidity, and so can be recommended for gardeners in sub-tropical areas like Sydney.

Tough & easy

– Water-wise: Linaria can manage on a sniff of the watering can – they have a low water need.
So they are resistant to heat and dry, and can tolerate periods of drought.
– Soil: Right at home in dry, well-drained soil, and prefers not to be richly fed. So it is happy in a range of soils from sandy, gravel, and stony soils, to average garden loam. However it may struggle in heavy clay.
– Growth: Evergreen perennial. However Linaria purpurea is such a prolific and long bloomer, it sees to exhaust itself in 3-4 years. But fear not, it also sets seed each year which germinate easily in the garden (no special sowing required). So you will always have a new crop coming along. If they volunteer in the wrong place – they are easy to weed out.
– Frost: Linaria purpurea are very frost hardy and can withstand even hard frost to at least -20C, 

Very low maintenance

– Care: Linaria purpurea is a very low maintenance plant, and it is hard to find any work to do. If you need to be busy, then a chop back by about 1/3 at the end of summer will promote more autumn blooms. The only other work is to chop off the parent plant when it finally flowers itself to death after a few years, and select or weed out the volunteer babies.
It is largely untroubled by any pests or diseases.
– Fragrance: Sadly none
– Beneficial for wildlife: The flowers of Linaria purpurea may be small, but they are rich in pollen and nectar, and there are so many of them for so long. This is all heaven for bees, moths, butterflies and many other useful pollinators.
– Deer & Rabbit resistant: Whilst they would probably eat Linaria purpurea if they were desperate, it seems to be low on their menu selection.
– Origin: Linaria purpurea hails originally from southern Italy, but you can see it blooming so attractively all over Italy and Greece, from the heat of Crete to the Italian Alps. So perfect evidence of just how hardy and adaptable it is.

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