Snapdragon, Tutti Frutti

How to Sow

START INDOORS in a warm, well-lighted area about 12 weeks before last frost. Sow seed thinly and barely press into seed-starting formula. Keep moist.

How to Grow

Seedlings emerge in 8-14 days at 65°F. Before transfer to garden, accustom to outdoor conditions by moving to a sheltered area outside for a week. To encourage better branching, pinch the tops off when the seedlings reach 3-4" tall. Before transfer to garden, accustom to outdoor conditions by moving to a sheltered place outside for a week. Transplant hardened-off seedlings to the garden after the last heavy frost. Snapdragons bloom best in well-drained, moist soil, in cool late-spring or early-summer temperatures. They can tolerate light shade but bloom much better in full sun. Smapdragons tend to stop producing flowers when hot weather arrives, but they will usually rebloom when the weather cools off in late summer if you cut back the spent flower stalks. Taller cultivars need staking.

Harvesting

Snapdragons are available in a broad range of heights, so they can be used in many ways in the garden. Small cultivars work well as an annual groundcover, as an edging, or in pots or window boxes. The spiky form of taller cultivars adds an attractive accent to annual and mixed borders. (Deadheading is particularly important in these spots, to keep the plants flowering.) Tall snapdragon cultivars also make remarkably long-lived cut flowers.