They really look just like goldfish! Let the cute and colorful goldfish swim in the wind!
Misha: This time it’s a snapdragon.
Hachibee: People say it looks like a goldfish, but in what way?
Misha: The petals look just like goldfish.
Hachibee: I had a feeling that it might be like that, but I guess it really is.
Misha: That’s the end of the story when I explain it in words, but I want you to actually take a close look at the flower. The petals flutter like a goldfish’s tail fins as they sway in the wind, it’s really fun, it looks like a goldfish swimming.
Hachibee: All right, let’s see how they swim!
Snapdragon “almost weekly” cultivation report
9/17 Planting
Hachibee: Wow! Snapdragon seeds are so tiny! They’re like sand grains.
Misha: Yes, but their reproductive and growth abilities are incredible.
9/24 Sprouting has begun!
Hachibee: It’s already here! But the leaves are really tiny.
10/1 Germinated in large quantities
Hachibee: Woahhh! That’s a huge amount!
10/8 More leaves
Hachibee: And the third and fourth leaves have already started to appear, even though it’s so tiny!
Misha: Right, they have incredible reproductive powers, right?
10/15 More leaves
Hachibee: It has covered the ground like moss.
10/22 Leaves start to grow
Hachibee: The leaves are getting wider little by little.
Misha: The line down the middle of the leaf, which is a characteristic of snapdragon leaves, is becoming more clearly visible.
10/29 More leaves
Hachibee: Whoa! And a sixth leaf has appeared. It started out as just a tiny grain, but it has amazing growth power.
11/5 Stems begin to form
Hachibee: It even has a stem! Even though it’s so small, it’s already getting things done!
11/12 The stem becomes strong and thick
Hachibee: It’s starting to take on a pretty solid shape.
Misha: The color of the stems has calmed down a bit and they look sturdier.
11/19 The leaves grow and thicken
Hachibee: It’s started to grow really thick all over.
Misha: Looks like they’re rushing to get plenty of sunshine before winter arrives.
11/26 Take a break
Hachibee: Oh dear? It was growing so rapidly and adding leaves, but it’s stopped growing a bit.
Misha: With December approaching, are they preparing for the cold?
12/3 Take a break
Hachibee: It’s stopped, it’s stopped.
12/10 Still a little break
Hachibee: I guess even snapdragons can tell when the cold season is coming.
12/17 One more break
Hachibee: Are we going to go into hibernation now?
Misha: Hehe, from here.
12/24 New leaves start to appear
Hachibee: Hey! It’s almost Christmas, and yet the leaves are starting to grow!
Misha: It’s finally growing again.
12/31 The leaves begin to grow
Hachibee: Does the cold not affect snapdragons? The leaves are now thicker and sturdier than before.
1/7 The leaves are firm and long.
Hachibee: The color of the leaves seems to be turning a deeper green…
Misha: Yes. And the thick leaves that are rolled up inwards seem to have good cold resistance.
1/14 More leaves growing
Hachibee: It’s the coldest time of the year, but the cold doesn’t seem to bother the snapdragons.
Misha: Goldfish are like the wind, they’re lively creatures.
1/21 The leaves start to grow
Hachibei: The leaves are big! Even though it’s the middle of winter, the leaves are still so green.
1/28 Take a break
Hachibee: Oh? He’s taking another break?
Misha: I wonder if he’s starting to gather his strength for spring? Anyway, he’s doing things at his own pace.
2/4 Take a break
Hachibee: Is it really cold?
Misha: When I see them collecting the faint midwinter sunlight like a parabolic antenna, I can really sense their determination to survive.
2/11 Charging
Hachibee: This shape certainly looks like a parabolic antenna or a mega solar power plant. It looks like it’s trying to soak up all the sunlight without letting it spill out!
2/18 Growth resumes!
Hachibee: Here it comes, here it comes!
Misha: As soon as the days start to get a little warmer, they react immediately.
2/25 The leaves start to grow
Hachibee: The new leaves are light green, which makes me feel like spring is here.
3/3 More leaves
Hachibee: Leaves are gushing out like a fountain!
3/10 More and more leaves
Hachibee: Amazing! The leaves are becoming very dense!
3/17 Starts to grow upwards
Hachibee: The stems are growing and the leaves are coming out higher and higher, just like a fountain!
Misha: That’s a very good point.
3/24 Extends upwards
Hachibee: Before I knew it, it had grown into a pretty sturdy plant.
4/7 Buds appear
Hachibee: Oh! There it is!
Misha: It’s like we were waiting for April.
The clusters of buds separate and begin to swell.
Hachibee: Snapdragon buds grow in clusters and produce lots of them.
Misha: At this point you can start to get a sense of the color of the flowers.
4/21 The flower clusters grow and become larger.
Hachibee: Oh! They’re finally blooming!
4/28 Blooming!
Hachibee: It’s blooming!
Misha: It’s so colorful!
5/5 Full bloom
Hachibee: Looking at them, they do look just like goldfish. They look like the goldfish in a fairy tale.
Misha: When the big petals dance in the wind, they look like goldfish swimming with their tails moving. I don’t think there’s any other flower that’s as fun to look at.
5/12 Seed bunches are formed
Hachibee: When the goldfish flowers fall, they leave behind clusters that look like they have horns growing out of them.
5/19 The end of the flowers is near
Hachibee: The seed clusters hidden in the shadow of the flowers are growing well.
Misha: The leaves are still healthy. The real seed production is just beginning.
5/26 The seed clusters begin to ripen
Hachibee: The seed clusters are slowly turning from green to brown.
6/2 Seed clusters mature
Hachibee: It’s quite stylish that the colour of the seed clusters varies depending on the colour of the flowers.
6/9 Holes begin to form in the seed clusters
Hachibee: A hole is starting to appear in the seed cluster.
Misha: Rather than opening up and scattering the seeds, snapdragon seed clusters break open and the seeds inside come out.
6/16 The seeds start to fall
Hachibee: The seed clusters have completely dried up and the seeds inside are falling out.
Misha: It seems like the seeds fall from a high place, so even though the seed clusters have dried up, the leaves and stems are still green and alive.
5/30 Seed harvesting ~ the end
Hachibee: Finally the leaves and stems have withered. Let’s cut them down and harvest the seeds!
Misha: There are lots of those sand-like seeds growing inside the seed clusters! Let’s meet these cute goldfish again next year!
~A word! Tips on growing snapdragons~
Cultivation difficulty：★☆☆☆☆
When you look at the seeds, which are like grains of sand,
it looks a little difficult to grow,
but it grows rapidly with vigorous growth.
The lush leaves continue to grow even in the middle of winter,
and in spring, they all bloom at once with lots of cute goldfish-shaped flowers.
A flower recommended for beginners.
