Antirrhinum majus
You can grow Snapdragons in the garden, in containers or hanging baskets, they are also one of the best plants to grow for cut flowers.
It’s the spiky unusual shape that makes Snapdragons so rewarding you with masses of colorful flowers through the cooler months.
With a lots of variety including upright, dwarf and trailing forms the Snapdragon and a huge range of colours this is a versatile performer in the garden
Grow them from seeds or cuttings, the brilliant colourful flowers and they do flower over a long period, the the flowers are long lasting as cut flowers, they are at home in the garden border, in a containers and even hanging baskets, how is that for versatility.
How to grow Snapdragons from seed
Growing from seeds is not tricky if you follow a few rules.
- Keep the seeds in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to plant them. Chilling seeds is called cold stratification and it mimics what would happen in nature. 2 – 4 weeks should be enough.
- The best time to sow the seeds is in mid winter, before the last frosts of spring. They are slow to grow from seed so 2 – 3 months before planting out.
How To Sow the Seeds
- The seeds are small, and are best sown into trays with cells or small pots.
- A seed propagation mix is best, however a fine potting mix will do. Seeds need to be surface sown as they need light to germinate.
- Even though the seeds are small to is best to plant 2 – 3 seeds in each cell. Try using a skewer or a toothpick, dampen the end and pick up individual seed.
- Keep moist and germination will occur within 3 – 4 weeks. Use a cold frame and keep in a sunny position, or simply place the tray or pot in a plastic bag. As the seedlings become large enough to handle transplant into pots.
- Plant outside once they are strong enough to stand up and although they are frost tolerant wait the danger of heavy frosts has passed.
- Once planted out wait until the seedlings have two sets of real leaves and then pinch out the top. This encourages branching and therefore more flowers.
- HOWEVER, if you don’t pinch them out you will get flowers earlier on.
When flowering stops as the weather warms, pinch them back again to 2 sets of leaves and they will be ready to bounce back into flowering mode as soon as things cool down a little.
When to Pick for Cut Flowers
Wait until one of the flowers (florets) on the stem begins to open and them cut the stem back to 2 sets of leaves and do this in the cool of the morning for best results.
You can also buy seedlings in punnets at most good nurseries.
- Plant seeds around 1 cm deep
- Humus rich moist soil
- Prune young plants of taller varieties once when they reack around 20 cm in height to promote a bushy growth habit
Basic Ongoing Care
Best planted in a sunny position, and get them in early, try mid winter, they will flower early on and continue through spring to early summer. A humus rich moist but well drained soil is best.
Water well during dry spells, and if you can provide a little shade in the hot afternoon Snapdragons will reward you with an ongoing display. A general all purpose slow release fertilizer seems to work well.
Yes you can deadhead snapdragons to prolong flowering.
Summary
- Position – Full sun to part shade.
- Height – 30 cm to 1m depending on variety.
- Soil – Humus rich moist
- Flowers – Flowers from winter through spring.
- Flower Colour – White, Yellow Pinks and Red
Types Of Snapdragons
- The taller growing types will reach nearly 1m and come in colours from reds and yellows, through to creams and pink.
Excellent planted in large groups. Deep green foliage which lasts, topped with colourful flowers. And these varieties make good cut flowers as well. - The trailing varieties are great to grow great in a hanging basket, container or planted along a garden wall and left to hang over the edges.
- Dwarf types can be mixed with the trailing types to add a little height or planted in groups on their own.
- For something a little different look for Antirrhinum hispanicum ssp. Roseum also known as the Spanish Snapdragon, excellent as a spreading ground cover plant.
Varieties
- Cherry Twist has tall flower spikes
- Lucky Lips – Tall
- Costa white – Tall
- Costa Apple Blossom – Tall
- Magic Carpet – Low to around 20cm
- Mango Twist – Tall
- Tetra – Tall
- Tom Thumb – Low growing
- Chantilly Bronze – Tall salmon coloured
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Snapdragons are available for sale from the following nurseries
PO Box 7040 Leura NSW 2780
Rare woodland plants, Trilliums Epimediums, Arisaemas, plus much more.www.lynnsrareplants.com.au