How to grow Snapdragon

Where to plant

Grow snapdragons in full sun in fertile, well-drained soil. Their best growth is at about 65°F to 75°F. Heat in late spring and summer stunts them and stops flowering, so time plantings for the cool part of your year.

Snapdragons are short-lived perennials in zones 7 to 11, but they are usually grown as cool-season annuals and replanted each year.

• Florida and the Gulf South: plant from October to February for flowers through winter until about April or May, when the heat ends them.
• Texas, the Desert Southwest and California: plant in fall for winter and spring flowers; in Northern California also in late winter.
• Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic and Southern Plains: plant in early spring for late spring flowers, or in late summer to early fall for fall color that may overwinter.
• Northeast, Midwest, Mountain West, Northern Plains and the Pacific Northwest: start seed indoors in late winter and plant out in early spring around the last frost; they flower from early summer and often again in fall.
• Hawaii: plant in the cooler months. Alaska: plant out in late spring; the cool summer suits them.

Choosing a variety

Choose by height and use. Dwarf types suit edging and pots, intermediate types suit beds, and tall cutting types such as the Rocket series make long stems for the vase. Rust-resistant varieties are worth seeking where rust is a problem.

How to plant

1. Sow the tiny seed on the surface of moist seed-starting mix and press it in without covering; light helps it germinate.
2. Keep the mix moist at a cool room temperature; seedlings appear in one to two weeks.
3. Start seed 8 to 10 weeks before you plan to plant out, or buy transplants.
4. Plant out 6 to 12 inches apart, closer for dwarf types and wider for tall ones.
5. When young plants have a few sets of leaves, pinch out the tip to encourage side shoots and a fuller plant. This delays the first flowers a little.

Watering and feeding

Water regularly at the base so the soil stays lightly moist, and avoid wetting the leaves, which encourages rust and other leaf diseases.

Feed lightly with a balanced fertilizer at planting and every few weeks while flowering.

Pruning and care through the year

• Stake tall varieties or grow them through netting to keep stems straight.
• Cut off faded spikes to encourage new flowering side shoots.
• Space plants for good air flow, which helps keep rust and mildew down.

Cutting flowers

For the vase, cut spikes when the lowest third of the flowers have opened and the rest are still in bud, ideally in the cool of the morning. Strip the leaves below the waterline. Cut flowers last about a week or more. Regular cutting keeps new spikes coming.

Growing in pots

Dwarf and intermediate snapdragons do well in pots and window boxes with a good potting mix. Keep them in full sun and watered, and deadhead regularly.

Propagation and saving seed

Snapdragons often self-seed in mild climates. Saved seed from hybrids will not come true, but seedlings from open-pollinated types are similar to the parent.