Antirrhinum (Snapdragon)

Snapdragons, planted in masses, make colorful oasis in our summer gardens. Their delicate flowers look like the mouth of a dragon and that’s how they got their name. 

They are suitable for sunny spots as they can stand full sun even on the hottest summer days and their height varies depending on the specific variety. 

They are very easy to grow, tall varieties make beautiful cut flowers while shrub varieties will fill with color any sunny spot of your garden or your balcony. The flowers grow along a long stem, with colors ranging from red to white, available in all tones in between, while lately bicolor varieties are also available.

Care

Fill a shallow tray with soil and spread the seeds on the surface. Cover them barely with light soil and water carefully or rather mist the flat so that the seeds do not come on top of the soil. 

When the seedlings reach the 4-leaves stage, transplant them in the garden or in pots. Snapdragons are better planted in masses in the garden or together with other plants in pots. If this is the first time you bought snapdragon seeds check the instructions on the packaging so that you know the height of the specific variety in order to plan where to place them.

When the weather gets cooler, your snapdragons will die back and you will have to uproot them. Gather the seeds and store them until next spring in a dry and cool location. The seed pot is oval shaped, at the size of one flower and has two or more tiny holes on its surface. Each pot contains numerous tiny black seeds, you will have to break the seed pot in order to get the seeds.