Snapdragons: The Perfect Addition to the Pollinator-Friendly Garden - Beyond Behnkes (2024)

FAQs

Are snapdragons pollinator friendly? ›

Snapdragons are a pollinator's paradise. Children can observe bees and butterflies in action, gaining insights into the vital role these insects play in our ecosystem.

Do snapdragons come back every year? Snapdragons are short-lived garden plants. They don't return in cool areas where the plants are grown as annuals. Even those grown as perennials in warmer regions don't reliably return, although you might see them for another season.

Some great options include nasturtium, cosmos, zinnias, and calendula, which all grow well with Snapdragons and bloom all summer long. Snapdragons can also be combined with tropical annuals like sweet potato vine, petunia, and annual phlox for a more refined and tamed display from spring until fall.

Your snapdragons will bloom most profusely in full sun to partial shade. Once the temperature heats up, they may stop blooming altogether. Planting them in part shade and keeping them well watered will help them make it through the summer and they will likely bloom again in fall.

Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus): Snapdragons are a favorite among gardeners for their tall spikes of tubular flowers that come in a variety of colors. These plants are particularly attractive to hummingbirds due to the rich nectar content of their flowers.

Answer and Explanation: If two hybrids are crossed, meaning two heterozygous pink flowers, the chances that the offspring will have pink flowers is 50%. There will also be a 25% chance of a hom*ozygous dominant red flower. Any 25% chance of a hom*ozygous recessive white flower.

Snapdragons do best in rich, well-draining soil in a sunny location, though they will tolerate part shade. Pinching off the stem tips on young plants will make them thicker and bushier, and deadheading the spent flowers will extend the bloom season, often right into the first frost of the late fall or early winter.

Because snapdragons attract butterflies and especially bees, they are a perfect addition to the pollinator-friendly garden. They also make wonderful cut flowers and may last up to 10 days in a vase.

It is the time of the year in the cut-flower garden that you can grow both snapdragons and zinnias. The snapdragons are the main winter annual, and the zinnias are the main summer annual. If you have the space, you can grow them both now for a short time.

Should you deadhead snapdragons? ›

Deadheading will help keep your snapdragons blooming throughout the summer. Remove the faded flowers just below the flower stem and above a set of healthy leaves. This will keep the new blooms coming. If the plant becomes leggy (long stems and few leaves) prune back further along the stem.

Do snapdragons spread? Snapdragons seed readily, keeping a continuous supply of new flowers. They also cross-pollinate easily so new flowers may not look like the parent flowers. To keep them from spreading, deadhead any spent flowers before they go to seed.

Snapdragons are a cool-season annual that butterflies are attracted to. If you are looking for a plant to start your garden early with, these flowers are perfect. They prefer the cooler weather in Spring and Fall, but tend to fade when the heat of summer hits.

A wide range of sap-sucking insects love snapdragons. Aphids, mites, mealybugs, and whiteflies are common sights in stands of snapdragons. These pests can cause disfigured leaves and flowers if they feed on buds; otherwise, you may notice stippling on leaves or a general lack of vigor as populations rise.

In nature, snapdragons can only be cross pollinated by large bumblebees which have the strength to squeeze between snapdragon's two protective lips. Many varieties of snapdragon are monoecious, meaning their flowers contain both male and female parts. This does not mean that they can't be cross pollinated.