Snapdragon

Few gardens should be without the easy charm of snapdragons. They get their name from the fact that you can gently squeeze the sides of the intricately shaped flower and see the jaws of a dragon head snap closed. The blooms come in some gorgeous colors, including some with beautiful color variations on each flower. Plus, snapdragons are an outstanding cut flower. Gather a dozen or more in a small vase and you'll have one of the prettiest bouquets around.

Snapdragons are especially useful because they're a cool-season annual, coming into their own in early spring when the warm-season annuals, such as marigolds and impatiens, are just getting planted. They're also great for fall color.

Plant snapdragon in early spring, a few weeks before your region's last frost date. Deadhead regularly for best bloom and fertilize regularly. Snapdragons often self-seed in the landscape if not deadheaded, so they come back year after year, though the colors from hybrid plants will often will be muddied looking. In milder regions, the entire plant may overwinter if covered with mulch.

Shown above: Rocket Red snapdragon

Light:

Sun, Part Sun

Plant Type:

Annual

Plant Height:

1-4 feet tall

Plant Width:

6-12 inches wide

Flower Color:

Red, pink, yellow, orange, or white flowers

Bloom Time:

Blooms from spring to fall

Landscape Uses:

Containers, Beds & Borders

Special Features:

Flowers, Cut Flowers, Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

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Butterfly Bronze snapdragon

(Antirrhinum 'Bronze Butterfly') bears open-faced, golden-orange flowers on 3-foot-tall plants.
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Rocket Red snapdragon

(Antirrhinum 'Rocket Red') bears crimson-red flowers on tall, 3-foot stems.
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Solstice Yellow snapdragon

(Antirrhinum 'Solstice Yellow') bears spikes of golden-yellow flowers on 2-foot-tall plants.
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Sonnet Pink snapdragon

(Antirrhinum 'Sonnet Pink') bears soft pink flowers on 2-foot-tall plants.
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