Snapdragons offer a splash of color to containers and garden beds, but are they perennial or annual plants?
Are snapdragonsperennial or annual?
And if not, will snapdragons self-seed or will you gotta get new seeds?
Credit:BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova
What Is a Snapdragon?
These snapdragons are technically tender perennials, meaning they dont tolerate much cold.
That’s why they are most often grown as annuals.
They will bloom the first year after planting, whether from transplants or seeds.
So will snapdragons come back after winter?
In colder regions, snapdragons wont survive the winter but may self-seed.
However, that should be viewed more as a bonus than a guarantee.
I grow several hundred snapdragons yearly, and I rarely get “volunteers.”
Hybrid snapdragons that self seed will have different colors and shapes than the parent plants.
Open-pollinated snapdragons will have the same color patterns and size.
Look for packets or plants labeled OP if you want open-pollinated snapdragons.Heirloom varietiesare also open-pollinated.
Use the botanical name to be sure you are getting the right plant.
Its flower spikes are covered with snaps the color of buttered popcorn from summer into fall.
This snapdragon is hardy to Zone 5 and warmer.
Spanish Snapdragon
Antirrhinum hispanicumis commonly known as the Spanish snapdragon.
Usually found in blooms of pink and yellow, it is shorter in height at about a foot tall.
It does well in heat and drier conditions.
Spanish snapdragons are hardy in Zones 5-8 and are an excellent choice forrock gardens.
Silver Snapdragon
Silver snapdragon (Antirrhinum sempervirens) is another native of the Mediterranean region.
As you might guess by the name, the foliage is silvery-green.
In bloom, this perennial is covered in white or pale pink flowers.
Silver snapdragons are hardy in Zones 5-8 and reach about 12-16 inches tall.
Silver snapdragon is tolerant of drier sites once established.
But snapdragons should be pinched when about four inches tall and have about 6 sets of true leaves.
If you live in a warmer climate where snapdragons will overwinter, they usually live for about three years.
Snapdragons are definitely cut-and-come-again flowers.
In fact, it encourages them.
Keepharvesting those blooms for bouquetsall the way until the frost.
Pick the flowers in the morning if you might, and get them in water immediately.
