When to sow snapdragons?
Snapdragons usually plant in May when you take seedlings in pots that you will easily find in garden centers.
Which varieties to choose?
There is an impressive number of snapdragons, since there are about 1,000 varieties, although they are not necessarily differentiated when they are marketed. The most common are:
The "Tom Thumb" (Antirrhinum majus) : it is a dwarf variety that is not more than 20 cm high, but has pretty flowers with very different shades.
The "Black Prince" (Antirrhinum majus) it is a little higher since it culminates to about forty centimeters. Its bronze green foliage is characteristic, its flowers on the other hand are of a pretty red.
The "Madame Butterfly" (Antirrhinum majus) : it is a rather high variety since it can go up to 80 cm. Its flowers are large and double and it can present different bright colors.
The "Precursor Race" (Antirrhinum majus) It is particularly remarkable for its very large flowers, which are usually pink or white. It has a height of 80 cm.
The "Great Wolf" (Antirrhinum majus) : it is particularly vigorous and high since it rises to 1 meter 20. The colors of its flowers are variable and they embellish your garden.
What to do before sowing the snapdragons?
Before installing your snapdragons, prepare your soil by digging it properly. The earth must be loose. Do not add fertilizer or compost to the risk if you do not want to weaken your plants.
How to sow them?
Plant snapdragons
You bought seedlings that will have to be planted.
- If the plants are a little high, it is advisable to pinch them to allow the plant to branch out.
- Planting distances may vary depending on the variety, usually between 10 and 30 cm.
To plant them in pots : put a draining substrate that will consist of 20% river sand and 80% potting soil.
- Make a hole larger than the root ball.
- Place your plant, then reload the hole with the soil.
- Tamp the soil slightly.
- Water sparingly.
Sowing snapdragons
The snapdragon is an annual plant, and grown in areas where it freezes at -5 ° C or higher.
- You sow the snapdragon in box and under cover in January and February.
- As soon as the first leaves appear, you can gently take the root ball and transplant it into a bucket.
- Wait until May to put it in the ground, tamping the soil around and basting regularly.
It is also possible if you live in a mild climate to sow this plant directly in the ground, alone or by mixing it with other annuals. Flowering can simply be a little later.
Stop the snapdragon
You can cut the snapdragon herbaceous as early as May. However, it is simpler to do this in September to keep frost-free seedlings in place by the following spring.
Take some shoots and put them in small pots. You then fill them with a substrate composed of a mix of potting soil and sand for drainage. They will be placed in a place where the temperature is between 20 and 25 ° C. This place must be bright. You can then plant them in the ground in the spring.
Where to plant snapdragons?
The snapdragon is easy, because little require on the nature of the soil, it is necessary just that it is draining and it warms up quickly in the spring. It can even settle for a limestone earth.
He likes situations of half-shades to sunny. It is a plant that is perfectly resistant to drought.
It can easily be integrated in rock gardens, clumps with other perennials, but also in pots or planters on a terrace or balcony. You then choose the varieties for their height.
You can also plant them in vegetable gardens or orchards, because they are appreciated by pollinating insects and thus participate in biodiversity.
How to maintain them?
Do not add fertilizerit would make the plant susceptible to the disease.
In summer, you have to water regularly, but sparingly, it boosts flowering.
You will take care to remove the faded flowers as and to maintain a regular flowering and abundant. Be aware, however, that the snapdragon gives less during periods of heat.
For fairly tall varieties and if necessary, you will put in place tutors to support the stems.
If you grow pot-snapdragons, water them more frequently and shelter them in the winter. This way, you will keep more perennial plants that will restart quickly and easily in the spring after being turned down.
How to water snapdragons?
You will water these plants during the summer if the drought and heat continue. Remember to do this without exaggerating because this plant likes drought. In pots, snapdragons are watered more regularly until the soil is dry.
Harvest snapdragons: when and how?
The leaves and snapdragon flowers are edible. They can be used in cooking where they are appreciated for their slightly bitter and pungent flavor.
To harvest the seeds : wait until the fruits are ripe and small holes appear at the top. Then turn the stem over a sheet of white paper and shake gently. The seeds should normally fall. You keep them in a paper envelope.
The diseases of snapdragons and what to do?
Mildew and slugs are the main threats to the snapdragon.
Mildew can be recognized by the white foliage that appears on the leaves in autumn, especially when the nights are wetter. At this season, the benefit is that you do not have to deal with it.
Also watch out for slugs that are fond of seedlings. To keep them away, use the beer trap method, remove them regularly. You can also make a protective barrier with very fine pozzolana.
Plant other flowers:
