Antirrhinum

I have some bright gold antirrhinums and one gallant little lobelia appearing from a crack between a tarmac drive and a brick wall.

Most gardeners want to replace summer annuals with spring bedding so few antirrhinums get the chance.

Sow slow-maturing bedding plants like antirrhinums and African marigolds.

For containers and flower beds or borders, my favourite plants are Ageratum (fluffy mauve-blue flowers on short stems), Antirrhinums (snap-dragons for children - dead head for the best performance), Begonia semperflorens (summer long masses of red, white and pink flowers), Cleome (the spider flower to give height to a display), Dianthus (choose a good one to add scent to the display), Gaillardia (for those really hot, sunny patios), Bedding Pelargoniums (sold as Geraniums - superb flower colours), Lobelia (huge variety of flower colours to act as a background to other bolder plants, Bedding Nemesia (annuals that flower their heads off), Nicotiana (scented flowers in their thousands).

Grow English marigolds, antirrhinums, ten-week stocks, godetia and nemesia.

Nemesia, antirrhinums (snap dragons to you and me) goditia, mesembryanthemums, salvia, marigold, candy tuft and stocks so scented I can smell them down the years.

Then, you can plant antirrhinums, begonias, calceolarias, dahlias in pots and half-hardy bedding plants when the threat of frosts has passed.

Do not sow antirrhinums too thickly - an excess of seedlings often leads to damping off.

In the greenhouse sow half-hardy annuals including antirrhinums, begonias and salvias

This is a fungus that can devastate Antirrhinums (Snapdragons), especially in wet weather as the spores have the best conditions to germinate and spread the disease.

We are planting a pink and lavender colour scheme this time, using begonias, antirrhinums, fuchsias and verbena.

Choose from showy petunias, lobelias and busy lizzies or less common kinds like scaevola with violet blue `half flowers', trailing antirrhinums in white or red, felicia daisies with sky-blue petals, bright yellow bidens, white bacopa or osteospermums, which are really perennials but grow well as annuals.

Transfer to the cold frames the more hardy subjects, such as geraniums and antirrhinums.

Illuminated waterfalls and walls will provide the backdrop for spectacular floral displays of salpiglossis, schizanthes, antirrhinums, gloxinias and poinsettias.

SOW antirrhinums in pots in the greenhouse - they are slow to grow and will benefit from an early start.