Snapdragon Potomac™ Bright Orange F1 | Group 3–4 | Antirrhinum majus

Potomac™ Bright Orange F1 is a professional cut-flower snapdragon with vivid, bright orange flowers and tall, strong stems. The clear, energetic orange colour makes it an excellent choice for colourful summer bouquets, warm seasonal arrangements and bold floral combinations.

The Potomac™ series was developed especially for high light, long days and warm growing conditions. Plants produce tall, strong stems and long flower spikes with excellent flower quality, making this series particularly valuable for summer cut-flower production.

The breeder's current GrowerFacts classifies the Potomac series primarily as Group 4, with stems reaching approximately 99–152 cm.

Plant Information

• Scientific Name: Antirrhinum majus
• Common Name: Snapdragon
• Variety: Potomac™ Bright Orange F1
• Series: Potomac™
• Group: Group 3–4
• Life Cycle: Annual
• Hybrid: F1
• Flower Colour: Bright orange
• Plant Habit: Upright
• Stem Length: 99–152 cm
• Days to Maturity: Approximately 110–120 days
• Best For: Greenhouse, high tunnel and field-grown cut flowers
• Vase Life: 7–10 days
• Seed Form: Raw seed

Potomac is especially suited to warm-season production, when days are long and light levels are high. PanAmerican Seed describes Group 4 Potomac as performing best at temperatures above 16°C.

How to Start from Seed

For the best results, start Potomac™ Bright Orange indoors and transplant the young plants.

Sow one seed per cell onto the surface of a fine, moist seed-starting mix. Cover the seed very lightly.

Keep the temperature at approximately 18–21°C during the first stage. As the seedlings develop, temperatures can be gradually reduced to around 16–18°C.

Young plant production takes approximately 4–5 weeks.

After germination, provide plenty of light and good air circulation. Keep the growing medium evenly moist, but avoid excessive moisture.

Growing

Plant in a sunny position in fertile, moist but well-drained soil.

Potomac™ is especially suitable for periods with high light, long days and warm temperatures. This makes it a particularly good snapdragon series for summer cut-flower production.

Because the plants develop very tall stems, support netting is required for professional production. The breeder recommends at least two support nets, with three preferred as the stems grow taller.

Under the breeder's greenhouse and tunnel schedule, plants are grown at approximately 24–29°C during the day and 16°C at night, with a crop time of around 8–12 weeks after the young-plant stage.

To Pinch or Not to Pinch?

For one long, premium-quality cut flower stem, grow the plants without pinching.

This encourages the plant to put its energy into producing a single tall, straight flowering stem – ideal for professional cut-flower production.

If plants are pinched, they will produce more side shoots, but the individual flowering stems will generally be shorter and flowering will be later.

Harvest

Harvest when approximately 5–6 florets have opened on the flower spike.

After cutting, keep snapdragon stems upright. Snapdragon stems naturally respond to gravity and can curve if stored horizontally.

Vase life: approximately 7–10 days.

What Does Group 3–4 Mean?

Cut-flower snapdragons are divided into groups according to the light, daylength and temperature conditions in which they perform best.

Potomac™ is primarily a warm-season Group 4 series, developed for periods with long days, high light levels and warmer temperatures. The breeder recommends Group 4 finishing temperatures above 16°C at night and above 18°C during the day.

This makes Potomac™ especially valuable for late spring and summer production, when cooler-season snapdragon groups may no longer produce their best stem quality.

Why Choose Potomac™ Bright Orange?

Potomac™ Bright Orange combines a vivid, clear orange colour with tall, strong stems and long, elegant flower spikes. It is an excellent choice for bright summer bouquets, warm orange and yellow colour palettes, seasonal arrangements and professional cut-flower production.

Most importantly, Potomac™ is designed to perform when light levels are high, days are long and temperatures are warm, making it an excellent complement to cooler-season snapdragon series.