This is Linaria or Toadflax. You seem to have the taller type with snapdragon like flowers. They are perrenials but tend to be short lived.

i dont know Pam, it's a bit of a strange one, the stems are very red, very sturdy and almost horizontal and none of the linarias seem to grow like that.
the seed heads are in a crown around the stem and hard and sharp like thistles.
but i agree , its the closest i had come to.
Unless i am totally on the wrong track and it is actually a cultivated plant, i had only been thinking wild flowers.
thanks for your answer.

:)