Antirrhinum majus 'Lucky Lips'
Antirrhinum majus 'Lucky Lips'
Snapdragon
Available for dispatch from May
Organic Antirrhinum majus 'Lucky Lips'
With their fanciful dragon mouth flowers, snapdragons always add a touch of nostalgic charm to the garden. Antirrhinum majus 'Lucky Lips' is an eye-catching cultivar that's sure to delight with its bold bicolours and profuse blooms.
π Flowers
The real showstoppers here are the vibrant, dragon-faced flowers. Each one features rich burgundy "lips" that fade to sunshine yellow and candied orange toward the center. The unique bicolour pattern creates a kaleidoscope effect, especially when the blooms open all along the tall flower spikes.
Appearing in late spring, the novel 2-3 inch flowers keep the colour show going right through autumn if you deadhead regularly. They're excellent for cutting for fresh or dried arrangements too.
πΏ Habit
'Lucky Lips' forms an upright, bushy clump of fresh green foliage topped with the eye-catching flower spikes. It typically reaches 2-3 feet tall, making a bright and cheery addition to annual beds and borders.
The strong, sturdy stems are fantastic for cutting and the plants have a nice branching habit that helps create plenty of blooms without being floppy.
πΊ Versatile Charmers
With their vintage appeal and cheerful blooms, snapdragons blend seamlessly into many garden settings:
- Cottage gardens: Perfect alongside classic bloomers like foxgloves and roses
- Cut flower gardens: Excellent for fresh and dried bouquets
- Annual borders: Brighten up any sunny bed or large container
- Children's gardens: The fun, whimsical shape is perfect for little ones!
π How to Care for Snapdragons
Snapdragons are a classic, low-maintenance annual that's a great choice for beginner gardeners. Here are some tips for keeping them looking their best:
Sun Exposure Snapdragons need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Morning sun is ideal as it allows the flowers to open fully.
Soil Needs These bloomers aren't too fussy about soil type, as long as it is well-drained. Amend clay soils with compost or manure before planting to improve drainage and nutrients.
Water Needs
Keep soil consistently moist throughout the flowering period. Drought stress can cause buds to drop. Apply a 2-3 inch layer of mulch to help retain moisture.
Fertilising For best blooming, fertilise every 4-6 weeks with an organic fertiliser during the growing season.
Support Taller snapdragon varieties may need support, especially when loaded with blooms. Provide low supports, trellises or cages to keep stems upright.
Deadheading To encourage more flower spikes, deadhead snapdragons regularly by pinching or cutting off spent flower stems down to the next set of healthy leaves.
End of Season
Snapdragons are cool season annuals that will peter out once temps get too hot. They may self-sow in some regions, but generally need replanting each spring.
Pests & Diseases Watch for common problems like rust, downy mildew or aphids. Provide good air circulation, avoid overhead watering, and treat issues promptly.
With full sun, consistent moisture, and some simple grooming, these delightfully nostalgic bloomers will keep the colour coming all season long! Their easy-care nature makes them an excellent choice for containers, cutting gardens and annual borders.
Let 'Lucky Lips' bring a touch of joie de vivre to your outdoor space this year. These easy-to-grow, nostalgic favorites are sure to put a smile on your face with their bold bicolours and charming dragon faces!
Plant care guide
Plant care guide
How to Plant Annual Flowers
Annual flowers can be transplanted out after danger of frost has passed.
Dig a hole slightly wider than the rootball or pot, but no deeper. The top of the rootball should be level with the surrounding soil surface.
Water the planting hole, then just pop the woodfibre container straight into the ground and firm the soil gently back in around it ( Do not firm the soil down hard! Roots need air and water and hard compacted soil prevents them from getting both.).
Β There is no need to remove the pot as will degrade quickly in the soil.Β
After plantingΒ water thoroughly and keep the soil moist but not soaked until the plants become established. Mulching with something like woodchips around the plant after watering will help the soil to retain the moisture in hot weather.
When to Plant Annuals
The ideal planting time depends on where you live and your local climate (or even microclimate!), but most annuals can be sown or transplanted after the last spring frost date. Some cool season annuals like snapdragons and sweet peas can go out even earlier.
Warm season annuals like zinnias and marigolds you should wait until nights remain above 10Β°C.
If planting in hot weather, cut the foliage and flowers back. Your new plant will not be taking up much water until established so may struggle if the leaves lose more water than the roots can absorb.
Where to Plant Annuals
Most annuals need at least 6 hours of full sun per day for best flowering - theyβre powerful growers that are literally dying to set seed so let them have the sunpower to get there!
Pay attention to the soil. if it is heavy clay, incorporate organic matter such as compost to the soil before planting your perennial, preferably to the whole flowerbed. This will improve the soil by buffering it's water and nutrient holding ability. It is preferable to not just plonk compost in the bottom of the hole as it will not improve the overall condition of the soil surrounding your new plant. Do not add a layer of gravel or grit to the bottom of the hole as this will merely cause the perched water table to be higher. It will not improve drainage.
Also, remember to consider mature plant size and space accordingly in beds and containers. Taller annuals work well in the back, with smaller types in front.
Caring for Annual Flowers
Keep soil consistently moist through the growing season by watering whenever the top inch becomes dry. Apply a 2-3 inch layer of mulch after planting to conserve moisture.
The vast majority of garden soils contain plenty of nutrients, but if your garden is in a newly built development there is a good chance a thin layer of topsoil has been added on top of infertile subsoil. if that is the case, compost, soil improver or well rotted manure can be spread on the flower bed and dug in, or alternatively for those short of time or energy, organic fertiliser such as our own special organic mix of bone meal, hoof and horn and vinaase that is an organic, sustainable alternative to the John Innes formula, can be sprinkled around the plant with some compost added to the planting hole.
Deadhead spent flowers regularly by pinching or cutting them off. This will encourage more buds and prolong the bloom period.
Pull up annual plants at the end of the growing season and add to the compost pile. Their entire life cycle lasts just one season.
Container grown annuals may need more frequent watering and fertilising than in-ground plants as soil dries out faster.
Delivery Β£5 flat rate or FREE over Β£50 spend.
Delivery Β£5 flat rate or FREE over Β£50 spend.
I charge a flat rate of Β£5 for postage and packaging to all of Britain, including the Highlands and the Isle of Man, with free delivery for orders over Β£50. We are unable to send plants to Northern Ireland.
I use Royal Mail for our deliveries as they have the lowest carbon footprint per parcel delivered in the UK and actually tend to look after parcels rather than just chucking them over the nearest fence! This ensures that your plants will have the best care possible.
Please have a Safe Place set up if possible so your plants are not returned to the sorting office if no one is home to accept the delivery.
I try to dispatch plants twice a week and you will receive updates by text or email. In cases of extreme weather or if Royal Mail has a hiccup the delivery may be delayed but we'll keep you in the loop.
I'm unable to deliver to the Channel Islands or Northern Ireland5
The LAWNMOWER Guarantee
The LAWNMOWER Guarantee
Healthy plants & happy customers
Your plant will only be dispatched if I'm happy it is healthy. The nature of growing the plants in large troughs means that the root system will be trimmed before they are balled in hessian, and therefore, depending on the time of year, the top growth may also be trimmed to make sure the roots are able to supply the water and nutrients your new plant requires.
Pruning encourages new growth and this applies to roots as well so a pruned plant actually results in a stronger plant.
The LAWNMOWER guarantee.
If you're not happy with your plants for any reason, even if you've run them over with your lawnmower, just pop them in a box (the plants, not the mower!) and post them back to us within 1 year for a replacement or refund.
This does not affect your statutory rights.
For full details check out the Refunds and Returns Policy.
Sustainability
Sustainability
Eco-friendly business
Fed up with plants grown in plastic pots which are doused in herbicides and sprayed with synthetic chemicals by big nurseries who merrily burn through finite resources, fly plants in from abroad on jet planes, irresponsibly use peat and coir, kill any insect nearby with non-selective pesticides and generally only think of the bottom line?
So are we!
How we grow plants sustainably
Our plants are started in coldframes or inside our house, grown-on woodfibre pots or in reclaimed wooden troughs which are then carefully harvested and balled and burlapped (hessian wrap securing the rootball), before packing plastic free in a eco cardboard box from a certified B-corp carbon neutral supplier. Some plants are grown in 8cm woodfibre pots.
Sustainable and organic compost & fertiliser
Our Soil Association certified organic compost is bought in bulk without plastic bags from Dalefoot Compost, and consists of sheep wool, bracken and comfrey. This naturally feeds the plants for 12 months. If supplemental feeding is required we only use our own special blend of organic fertilisers (bone meal, hoof & horn and vinaase) which have been processed with solar energy.
Carbon Neutral business
The small amount of electricity we use is from renewable sources and we irrigate our plants with stored water we have harvested. Plus, we are using our house and land for more than one purpose, preventing further land use and utilising the sunk carbon cost of the building rather than creating more.
We have partnered with Carbon Neutral Britain to offset our emissions, and recognise that we are not in control of all parts of the supply chain so have fully offset scopes 1, 2 and 3 to take that in to account - so that's all emissions connected to our business, from the farts coming out of the back of the sheep, to the carbon dioxide from the delivery van outside your door.
We don't just offset and carry on, ALL the decisions we make work to reduce emissions - for instance we use Royal Mail to post our plants as they have by far the lowest carbon footprint per parcel delivered in the UK.
Antirrhinum majus 'Lucky Lips'
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