Growing Snapdragons-Old-Fashioned Fun

If you pluck a flower off a snapdragon and pinch the sides of the blossom, you can make the dragon open it's lips and snap. If you never played with snapdragons in your grandmother's garden, perhaps you have bought them as cut flowers. Snapdragons are a florist's delight and they are also easy and colorful to grow in the home garden.

Snapdragons come in every color of the rainbow, from white to almost black, and in every combination imaginable. Most snapdragons have the familiar pursed-lips look, but some newer varieties have open, funnel-shaped flowers. There are also double-flowered varieties. The flowers grow on spikes and the plants will bloom for a long time if they are prevented from going to seed. The leaves of the snapdragon are long and narrow.

Snapdragons are really short-lived perennials, but in northern areas they are usually grown as annuals. In a protected area or when mulched, some snapdragons will surprise you and return for another year, even in Zone 5.

Growing snapdragons
Snapdragons are easy to grow from seed. You can sow the seed where you want them to grow or you can start plants inside for faster flowers. Sow the fine seed in flats or pots about six weeks before your last frost is expected. The seeds need light to germinate, so they should just be sprinkled on the soil surface and pressed down lightly. Snapdragons started inside should not be put outside until the danger of frost has passed. Most garden centers sell snapdragon plants, but a wider variety is available from seed.

Snapdragons are a cool-weather plant. In the South, Zones 7 and 8, they may be planted in late summer for fall bloom. They will survive light frosts and continue to bloom until hot weather arrives in late spring. In the North, snapdragons will bloom in the spring and early summer. As the weather gets warm, cut them back to a few inches. In fall they should bloom again for a second show. In cool areas, snapdragons may bloom all season.

In the garden, old-fashioned, long-stemmed snapdragon varieties may need to be staked so they don't flop over. These types are the best for cut flowers, so you may want to go to the trouble. Some pieces of brush can be stuck in the ground that the plants can grow up and through, which will help support them. The snapdragon varieties developed for the cut-flower trade do not make good garden choices. Their stems are too long and they easily fall over in the wind. There are shorter, more compact varieties on the market for gardeners and even some dwarf varieties that make colorful bedding plants. There are also trailing varieties for containers and baskets.

Plant snapdragons in full sun in the North. They can handle partial shade in the South. Space plants about eight inches' apart for compact varieties and a little further for long-stemmed types. Snapdragons do best in light soil and suffer in heavy clay soil. Keep them well-watered. Fertilize snapdragons with a slow-release flower fertilizer when you plant them, and if you want a second round of flowers after you cut them back, fertilize them again as new growth starts. Keep the developing seed pods plucked off if you want a long season of bloom. If you do let them go to seed, they will often spread freely.

When selecting snapdragons for cut flowers, use scissors and don't tug on the plant. The plants break off at the base quite easily and you may lose the plant.

Snapdragons may get aphids, which stunt growth and distort the flowers. Look for small, fat-bodied insects that hide in flowers and in leaf joints. The leaves may look yellow and ants may be on the plants to feed on the aphid's secretions. Wash them off with insecticidal soap or use a floral insecticide. Snapdragons can get several fungal diseases, especially in warm, humid areas. Water only at the base of plants if possible, and always early in the day so plants dry quickly. If the problem is severe, cut back the foliage to a few inches and hope conditions have improved when the plants regrow.

If you want to try and overwinter snapdragons in the North, wait until the temperatures are falling to the 20s at night, cut the foliage back to a few inches and mulch heavily.

Remove the mulch when the danger of hard frost is over in the spring. The plants will withstand light frost.

Choosing varieties
The Rocket series produces wonderful snapdragons for cut flowers in the home garden.

Cascadia series produces the trailing snaps for baskets and container planting. Sonnet hybrids have compact, wind-resistant plants. Frosted Sunset offers variegated leaves as well as a range of warm, vibrant colors. Black Prince is an old variety with dark foliage and crimson flowers. One of my favorites is Night and Day, which has deep red-black lips and white outer parts.

Using snapdragons
Snapdragons make excellent cut flowers. Grow a few rows of long-stemmed varieties if you like flower arranging . Snapdragons make colorful bedding plants, and the trailing types make wonderful additions to containers and baskets. Children love snapdragons, and they are the perfect addition to gardens for children.