Get better bunny rabbits

Pinch the waist of a snapdragon flower and the top petal separates from the lower lip like an opening mouth.

- Anne Swithinbank

Q We used to call antirrhinums ‘bunny rabbits’ and they remind me of my grandma’s garden. How do I grow them from seed? Past attempts have died off as seedlings. Jessica Wishall, Crawley, West Sussex

A Bees push the lip down, disappear into the flower and are dusted with pollen by the time they back out. I’m not sure where ‘bunny rabbits’ comes from, but the flowers are cute.

Snapdragons used as bedding plants derive from Antirrhinum majus, native to south-west Europe and Mediterranean regions. Although described as bedding plants and half-hardy annuals, they can be perennial and, in milder areas, will overwinter as plants and self-seed.