From Andalucía to UK, with love

Valentine's Day is here, and if your beloved is not a fan of roses, there are fabulous alternatives: antirrhinum. The Spanish also use that same name of Greek origin, which could be translated as 'nose-like', possibly referring to the capsule of the mature bloom.

In the UK antirrhinums are mostly known as dragon flowers or snapdragons. They are admired for their spikes of colourful blooms during the spring and autumn months. In Andalucía they are fully grown by late winter - just in time for Valentine's Day.

SUR in English visited one of the companies where snapdragons were being prepared to be exported to Britain for 14 February.

Andalucía has always been famous for cultivating flowers. The epicentre of the flower business is located in Chipiona, Cadiz province. In comparison to others, the name of the company we visited is in English - R&B Flowers - highlighting its international origins and production.

This Chipiona company works directly with Holland which sends antirrhinum green shoots to Andalucía for cultivating. Here they are planted in a type of soil which is ideal for these flowers and the local microclimate in winter is perfect for them.

The blooming snapdragons are delivered back to Holland from where they are mostly distributed to Germany and the United Kingdom, one-third of their entire export.

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The letters 'R&B' represent the names of the company owners, Ramón de la Bastida and Blanca Mellado. They started their company in 2014, although they had been in the flower business for about 30 years. Besides working with a large number of farmers, they also own several plots of land in Chipiona.

"We are a young company but with a lot of experience. We are dedicated to the production and marketing of cut flowers, mostly carnations, chrysanthemums, and especially antirrhinum. The garden varieties of them were bred from Antirrhinum majus (dwarf snapdragon), which are native to our Mediterranean region, where they often grow in fissures and walls," Ramón told SUR in English.

Despite their slightly dangerous-sounding name, snapdragons are traditionally loved by women. An old folktale says that hiding a snapdragon on your person would make you appear gracious and fascinating to a male. This could definitely be applicable to a dwarf snapdragon as these flowers are only 15cm to 25cm tall. The snapdragons in the Chipiona fields are about metre high.

"Snapdragons are commercially classified by height. In our business we are supposed to deliver abroad the tallest: 75 - 120cm. It takes more work for our staff to help them grow tall and lush," said Ramón.

"I know that in Victorian times striped snapdragons were the favourites; our flowers bloom in a variety of colours though mostly in trendy white and red," he added.

It is believed that white snapdragons represent purity, innocence and grace while red snapdragons are associated with passion and love. In the run-up to 14 February, therefore, they are very much in demand. On the day of our visit, several people were working hard packaging white and red snapdragons ready for their trip to Holland.

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"The lorry outside is full of flowers and it is going directly to Holland and from there the flowers will continue to Germany and Great Britain. It takes only three days. Fortunately, the delivery so far has not been affected by Brexit. The flowers nevertheless can remain in good condition for about three weeks. So Brits will probably enjoy these snapdragons we're sending now on Valentine's Day," said Ramón, adding that the demand from the UK in the run-up to Valentine's Day is especially high.