Add stunning seasonal color to your Orlando landscape with snapdragons, a lasting favorite with children of all ages.
Snapdragons are known for their distinctive double-sided blossoms, arranged vertically along long stems. When squeezed from the sides, the mouth of the dragon opens, revealing the stamen and pistil tongue within. Snapdragons are available in dozens of solid and variegated colors, ranging from white to yellow and pink to red to almost purple-black.
Snapdragons have light green, bushy foliage. They need slightly cooler nighttime temperatures to thrive, and in Central Florida, they do best in the fall, winter and early spring, although flowers may persist until May or June. The long stems make snapdragons ideal for cutting, and if spent flowers are removed promptly, the plants may bloom a second time.
Snapdragons do best in rich, fertile soils. While they will tolerate some shade, they prefer full sun. They require frequent watering after transplanting, but only weekly watering once established. Actually a short-lived perennial, it’s not unusual for snapdragons to seed out and reappear the following season.
Although they are most often massed in flowerbeds along with other bright annuals including pansies and petunias, the wide variety of snapdragons available makes many uses possible. Tall varieties may grow as much as 2 to 3 feet high and are ideal for creating backdrops for smaller bedding plants. Plant intermediate, short and dwarf varieties together or blend them with a range of other flowering plants to create vivid seas of color in borders and beds.
