Potomac Cherry Rose: kleur en teelt

Choose the height you need

Floral Showers Deep Bronze is a very compact selection with rust-coloured flowers and a yellow throat. Liberty Classic Light Pink grows distinctly taller with soft pink spikes. Royal Bride produces tall white scented stems. The height chosen for a vase differs from a low balcony container, so the illustration helps show both flower and stem.

Sowing needs attention to scale

The seed is small. Sow a limited tray rather than a large quantity you cannot later prick out. Make a label before sowing and water finely so seeds do not wash together. A photo of the young plant is useful when several species share the same windowsill.

An accessible picking patch

Place tall snapdragons beside a maintenance path. Simple supports stop stems falling into walking space. Cut alternately so the border is not stripped at once. Keep dwarf selections forward so their distinctive flower throats remain visible.

Compare the flowers at eye level

Put a low type in a pot beside seating and a tall white selection in the cutting border. Observe the same flower principle in two situations. Note which stood well and how long fresh stems lasted in a clean vase.

Scent, flavour and use

This selection is for ornamental and cut-flower use. No general edibility or cultivar-specific flavour is attributed to the flower.

Care, cutting and harvesting

Sow fine seed early in the year on the surface of seed compost; do not cover it with a thick layer. Give young plants light and avoid prolonged wetness. Prick out when seedlings can be handled safely. Harden off and plant out after frosts in a sunny, well-drained position.

A regular hard prune is unnecessary. Remove faded flower spikes to encourage further flowering. The plant is a short-lived perennial often grown as an annual; surviving a cold or wet winter is not guaranteed. Keep young plants well ventilated to limit losses.

Cut fresh flower stems for a vase and leave enough growing points on the plant. Allow only separately selected spikes to produce ripe seed. Home-saved seed does not always give the same result as the named parent, particularly with mixed or hybrid selections.