Snapdragon, a superb annual flower

Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) runs from eight-inch dwarfs for beds, boxes and pots to forty-inch stems cut for bouquets, in pink, yellow, purple, violet, white and orange from early summer right into mid-autumn. Give it a sun-filled spot and well-drained soil, and it will re-sow itself spontaneously year after year.

Snapdragon at a glance

Name	Antirrhinum majus
Family	Scrophulariaceae
Type	annual
Height	6 to 48 inches (15 to 120 cm)
Exposure	sun
Soil	rather rich, well drained
Flowering	early summer to early autumn/mid-autumn

Planting and sowing snapdragon

Snapdragon is a plant that self-sows year after year, and this will explain how to get the cycle launched at the start.

How to plant snapdragon

If you intend to directly purchase your snapdragon in nursery pots, it is best to plant it in spring, towards late spring, for it to bloom in summer.

Whether the plant is in a container or in the ground, select a sun-filled spot for maximum blooming.

• Snapdragon likes well-drained ground.
• Always maintain sufficient moisture in the soil, from the planting all the way up to the blooming.

In pots, simply make sure drainage is very good (holes at the bottom of the pot) for excess water to drain away. Here, pink snapdragon is paired with potted lavender.

Sowing snapdragon

If you’re looking to sow snapdragon seeds, get started at the end of winter and transplant in spring.

• Sow under cover or in a nursery in early spring or mid-spring.
• Transplant to the ground in late spring, ideally when the last frosts are past.

Caring for snapdragon

Snapdragon is a plant that only calls for very little attention.

• To enhance flower-bearing, remove wilted flowers regularly.
• During spells of high temperatures, feel free to water in the evening to avoid having your snapdragon dry out.
• Adding liquid fertilizer during the blooming will generate more numerous flowers and make their colors more dazzling.

Simply leaving your snapdragons be without disturbing them will ensure they re-sow spontaneously year after year.

• Stake tall varieties such as Madame Butterfly before the spikes lean over.
• Pinch out the growing tip of young snapdragons once they have a few pairs of leaves, and they will branch into several flower spikes instead of one.
• Snapdragon is prone to rust, which shows as brown pustules under the leaves, so water at the base and keep the foliage dry.

Snapdragon in winter

Even though it is an annual plant, snapdragon can perfectly withstand mild winters and sow seeds again and again.

It can hold to temperatures down to about 23°F (-5°C).

If you live in an area where the winter is very cold, try to protect your snapdragon with a thick cover of dried leaves, hoping to see the seeds sprout in the following spring.

• Snapdragons are prone to crown and root rot in soggy, poorly drained winter soil, so gardeners overwintering them should provide sharp drainage as well as protection from hard freezes.
• Keep the leaf cover loose and lift it as soon as growth restarts, since a dense, long-left mulch can trap moisture and shade the seedlings, increasing the risk of rot or etiolation.
• Pots, especially small or thin-walled ones, can freeze right through in hard frosts, so stand them against a sheltered wall and raise them on feet so water drains away freely.

All there is to know about snapdragon

There are several different snapdragon varieties. Some are quite tall and are marvelous in flower bouquets, others are dwarf and semi-dwarf varieties that are perfectly suited to flower beds and to garden boxes and pots.

Snapdragon varieties

The taller varieties are best represented by the ‘Madame Butterfly’ which grows about 40 inches (100 cm), and ‘Grand loup’ or ‘Race precurseur’ which grow even taller.

Dwarf and semi dwarf varieties are cute with the ‘Tom Pouce’ at 8 inches (20 cm), ‘Black Prince’ at 16 inches (40 cm), ‘Goupil’ at 20 inches (50 cm) and ‘Race Sonnet’ at 24 inches (60 cm).

Many colors are available. Snapdragon flowers range from pink to yellow and include purple, violet, white and orange.

Your snapdragon may actually change colors in the course of time, this is perfectly normal.

Since these flowers regenerate from seed every year, each generation can vary and have a different appearance.

Which snapdragon variety to choose

Snapdragon varieties differ above all in height, and height is what decides where they belong in the garden. Tall types are grown for cutting, dwarf and semi-dwarf ones for beds, boxes and pots.

Whatever the variety, expect colours to shift from one generation to the next, since each new plant comes from seed.

Snapdragon in the kitchen

Snapdragon is also used in cooking where it shines with very interesting culinary properties.

Although the base taste is bitter and sometimes a bit spicy, it is very ornamental. If you like the taste of endive, you’ll find it quite similar.

• Eat only blooms you know are pesticide-free, such as untreated home-grown flowers or ones sold as food, since ornamental snapdragons from nurseries are often treated with chemicals not approved for edible crops.
• Sources disagree about snapdragon flowers: some call them edible but bitter, others advise against eating them, so treat them as decorative rather than food unless a reliable source confirms they are safe.

---