MOTE: Snapdragons are colorful, hardy fall-winter annuals
I hope everyone has been enjoying this cool fall weather as much as I have. I love the cool, crisp mornings and warm afternoons.
Before we know it winter will be here, and most of our landscape plants will be dormant. Snapdragons are a great way to bring some color into your winter landscape. Children especially like to squeeze the jaws of the dragon-like flowers and release them and watch them snap shut.
Pansies are by far the most popular hardy annual grown in Georgia. There are many other excellent choices that fit our growing conditions.
The snapdragon is one of the most beautiful plants for fall color, and it thrives right through winter until late spring heat arrives. Snapdragons love those times when night temperatures are in the low 40s and day temperatures reach the low 70s.
Many gardeners don’t realize snapdragons are very cold hardy. Once established in the bed and hardened off, they can take sub-freezing temperatures. Make sure they stay well watered during cold spells, but with a layer of pine straw during extra cold spells, they can last for quite some time.
Snapdragons prefer well-drained, organic-rich beds prepared much like what you do for pansies. You should till 3 to 4 inches of organic matter to a depth of 8-10 inches. While tilling, work in two pounds of a slow release, 12-6-6 fertilizer per 100 square feet of bed space. Colors include red, yellow, pink, burgundy, bronze, orange, white and multiple colors. For the most effective landscape display, mass plantings in a single color.
Don’t forget that as these fragrant spikes get larger, they are also good for cut flowers, particularly the old-fashioned Rockets. The Sonnet and Liberty varieties grow 18-to-24 inches tall and are my favorites, but the Freesong and the Crown series are gaining recognition. The Terra Cotta mix in the crown series may be among the prettiest snapdragons I have ever seen. The colors are rust and orange with a little creamy yellow.
Trailing varieties have really caught on for use in the landscape, baskets and mixed containers. The Chandler and Lampion series have been the most popular, but the Luminaire series under the Ballflora plant label should satisfy a lot of you. As is typical of the large varieties, the trailing types come in several colors.
Miniature varieties have always been popular, in particular the Tahiti, Bells and Floral Showers. These perform well in the landscape but are also super for growing in containers. A new group called Montego is turning heads with its more erect growth habit.
Snapdragons work well in combination with pansies and ornamental kale or cabbage. Try planting them close to beds of spring-flowering daffodils. You can also plant them in front of evergreen shrubs to show off their color.
Snapdragons are not that hard to grow. You should keep water on all fall bedding plants to help them survive the continuing drought. If record cold should threaten, cover snapdragons with pine straw for a few days until the chill has passed.
Source: extension.uga.edu
For more information on any program area, contact Houston County Extension at 478-987-2028 or drop by our office in the old courthouse, downtown Perry, 801 Main St. Office hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Visit our website at www.caes.uga.edu/extension/houston/ for more news about your local Extension office.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Oct.31: Treats & Sweets on downtown streets, Perry 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
Check out the UGA Extension on Oct. 31 during the downtown Perry Treats and Sweets for fun and goodies.
Charlotte Mote is the Houston County agricultural and natural resources agent. Contact her at 478-987-2028 or cmote1@uga.edu.
This story was originally published October 29, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "MOTE: Snapdragons are colorful, hardy fall-winter annuals."