Linaria purpurea
purple toadflax
plantaginaceae
Purple or pink snapdragonlike flowers;
narrow blue-green leaves
3 ft. high; 1 1/4–1 1/2 ft. wide
Full sun–part shade
Blooms June–October
Zones 5–9
pruning Deadheading can prolong
bloom for most of the season. Linaria
has a tendency to flop onto its neigh-
bors. Although flopping is usually
done gracefully, cutting plants back
after flowering by about half to lateral
flowering branches can help curb this
habit. Pinching or cutting back plants
in early May before flowering can also
produce shorter, more compact plants
with heavier branching but smaller
and, in my opinion, less attractive
flowers. If flowering stems decline, cut
them down to new foliage that
develops at the base of the plant.
Toadflax can seed freely—allowing
some seeding to occur is a good idea to
ensure constancy of this short-lived
perennial in the garden. Excess
seedlings are easily removed.
other maintenance Plants prefer
an infertile, fairly dry soil. Avoid wet
conditions, particularly over the
winter. Allow other plants to support
flopping toadflax, or use light staking
to help maintain the natural grace of
the plant. Doesn’t transplant well.
related plantS Linaria purpurea
‘Canon Went’ is a pink-flowered form.
Seedlings usually come true if parent
plant was not planted along with the
straight species.
Linaria purpurea