These were a particular favourite of my mum's as well and wherever we lived over the years she would usually plant a bed of these beauties. They are always popular with the bees and, unless I am mistaken, this snap dragon is being visited by a bumble bee. I have only ever seen one bumble bee in my lifetime and that was in a garden in New Zealand. It certainly to me looks like the rear end of a bumble bee.
I remember as a child I used to love to squeeze a flower and watch it's 'mouth' open and close thus making the dragon 'snap'.
Antirrhinums are a genus plant commonly known as dragon flowers or snapdragons because of the flower's fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed. They are native to the rocky areas of Europe, the United States, and North Africa.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteI adore these Mimise - great project!!! Hugs, YAM xx
It would be hard not to love these flowers. Hope I can up with more favourites. xx
DeleteThey are stunning flowers. I used to always plant them, but water restrictions have meant I haven't for a few years. I miss them. Perhaps this year I will try again.
ReplyDeleteWater restrictions seem to be the reason we see so few annuals being grown in Perth these days; on top of which so many couples work which leaves little time for that type of gardening. More trees and shrubs these days.
DeleteI love snapdragons. I've never had any in any of my gardens, but there's always some somewhere to be seen, in older gardens mostly where the owner has gone for the cottage garden style. I remember playing with some as a child, with my friend Elaine, or maybe it was Jenny, we'd squeeze to open the "mouth" and pretend they were snapping our fingers off.
ReplyDeleteThey really were so much fun weren't they? I don't think we broke the flower from the stalk but left them intact. A great novelty for children (and elders too).
DeleteBeautiful pictures! I am a bit surprised that you've only encountered one bumblebee. We get a few here in California when the lavender blooms. I like your A-Z-favorite-flowers idea and look forward to further posts.
ReplyDeleteThanks Geo. Hope I can find a few more favourites. We don't have bumble bees at all in Western Australia altho' I think they are perhaps in our eastern states. The one I saw was when on holiday in New Zealand.
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