Linaria

There are around 100 species of Linaria, both annual and perennial, around 20 of which may be found grown as ornamentals in UK gardens. The tallest cultivated forms stand up to a metre in height. The best known of these are Linaria purpurea and its varieties with soft-coloured willowy stems, the slender tapering top is packed with tiny flowers in shades of white and purple. The smallest are prostrate forms such as Linaria alpina, a delicate looking mauve-flowered beauty for the rock garden. Occasionally the distinctive, exotic-looking Linaria triornithophora may be found, with snapdragon lookalike flowers that have been likened to tiny budgerigars and coloured in shades from pink to lavender. Brighter colours are found in the perky yellow flowered Linaria vulgaris, the common toadflax. The annual Linaria maroccana and its forms have spurred flowers in shades of red, purple, blue, white and yellow, standing between 20cm and 40cm. All these plants enjoy dry sunny conditions in light soil, and some will self-seed if happy.