PLANT OF THE WEEK Montego Violet snapdragon

Botanical name: Antirrhinum majus, "Montego Violet."
Attributes: This snapdragon features bright violet flowers on compact plants with good basal branching and excellent cold tolerance. An early flowering variety with superb garden performance, Montego Violet is great for fall flower borders and containers.
Bloom color: Bright violet.
Bloom time: May until November.
Culture: Buy healthy plants with numerous flowers and buds. Plant in beds with good drainage and fertility or in containers with other cold-hardy annuals. Remove spent flower heads and fertilize biweekly with a 10-20-30 fertilizer for continual bloom. If you mulch around plants after freeze-up, plants may survive winter and bloom in early spring.
Landscaping tips: Plant Montego Violet snapdragon with blue pansies or violas, pink linaria and white alyssum to extend color into the fall season.
Cost: $2 to $4, depending on the number of plants or size of container.
Source: Powell Gardens (www.powellgardens.org)