All About Snapdragon – History, Meaning, Facts, Care & More

Just before we jump in on the care tips we have listed in relation to Snapdragons, let us learn first how it got its fiery and furious name.

Snapdragon Origin

As its name suggests, this indigenous flower from the Mediterranean region resembles the shape of a dragon. Its tubular forms the dragon ‘jaw’ and that its two-lipped blossom opens and snaps with the right pinch on it.

 

How to Grow Snapdragon

According to our florist expert, A cool weather condition that goes sunny every time is the perfect place to grow snapdragons. So there is a lesser reason to worry about freezing season as it is frost tolerant. Having those weather conditions all that is left to you is to find the soil that organically rich with nutrients and is well-drained. Know that snapdragons continue to bloom from summer to fall. During summer, its buds start to burst open on upright spikes in clusters starting from the bottom. From there on, it blooms throughout the season and continues even during the fall. Another interesting fact about snapdragons is how it produces a fragrant smell loved by many hummingbirds and butterflies. Its blooms come in white, pink, orange, red, purple, and yellow colors. All have brilliant shades and are all in rich hues.

 

Categories

Bell-shape and azalea-shaped blossoms are produced by snapdragons. To identify which is which, snapdragons are categorized into three. Each is based on its height and these are the dwarf, the intermediate-sized, and the tall categories.

 

Dwarf Cultivars

Measuring from 6-15 inches, dwarf snapdragon plants on its early flowering reaches a height of 8 inches. On this stage, snapdragon plants start to produce long-blooming, open-faced blossoms. The irony to its name, dwarf cultivar can actually grow up to 24 inches high. Besides all these, this kind of snapdragon is still known to give the best look in your apartment gardens. Potted plants of this on your window boxes or border fronts are some of the ideal things to do with snapdragon plants.

 

Intermediate-Sized Hybrids

If 15 inches snapdragon plants would sound not enough for your garden, there are snapdragons also that can grow from 15 to 30 inches. One popular hybrid is the ‘Black Prince’. This particular hybrid reaches a height of 18 inches and boasts a deep crimson blossom with bronze foliage on it. There are a series of hybrids also that form a bushy habit and have a high tolerance for wet weather. These are the snapdragons in the Sonnet series. Their blooms come in bronze and burgundy richly hues. This category is preferred to be planted in borders or uses as bedding plants.

 

Tall Snapdragon Varieties

These are the kinds of snapdragon plants that measure from 30 to 48 inches. One tall snapdragon is the ‘Madame Butterfly with azalea blossoms and reaches up to three feet tall. Considering its tall size, these particular snapdragon plants are grown mostly on the back borders of gardens. In addition, it may also require staking so to prevent any breakage.

 

How to Care for Snapdragon Tips

Same as the other plants you can see in every garden, there is a list of things that one must take into account first before planting anything into their own gardens. For snapdragon plants, a few things are notably being given with high attention as one wrong action could disrupt the plant from growing to its full capability.

 

Concerns

Rusty, hot, and dry weather conditions are some of the particular things you should monitor in taking care of snapdragon plants. This is for the sole reason that snapdragons when caught in disease, these conditions accelerate the spreading of it. Rust as one inevitable condition that contacts to your plants, the way you water the plants could further disperse rusts from one plant to another. This is by overhead watering and it is something you should avoid when planting these plants. There is a common fungal disease also that causes the plant to turn black. This is something you do not want to see in your snapdragon plants.

 

Culture

One takeaway for those interested in planting these amazing snapdragon plants is the type of soil one should use. It is suitable for most garden soil as long as it is drained well. Clay soil is something the plant does not want and makes sure to plant them not on it. In watering these plants, newly planted snapdragons require regular watering.

 

Weather

Snapdragons seem to like getting the bests of both worlds. As much as they love cool weather, the same goes as to how much they love getting enough sunlight. However, snapdragons will most likely survive frosty weather rather than hot weather. And because of these things, snapdragons have a higher chance of survival in the wild. This makes it easy for you to plant them in your backyard gardens.

 

Propagation

To germinate a snapdragon seed effectively, no grower must cover the seed with soil. But, seeds should only be pressed into the soil instead. This is for the seeds to get the required light to germinate. This may take 10-14 days. In addition, snapdragons are good at self-seeding also. With a few dead flowers around it, there is a chance that the seeds on it could germinate and grow on its own.

 

Non-Poisonous

Unlike other flowers that bloom beautifully but turns out to be poisonous, this one is safe to place anywhere in your place. Be it in your windows or gardens, your pets and children are safe with these snapdragon plants around them.