Sep 1 • Seasonal Growing/Weather Woes
🍂 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 – 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟏 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥-𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧! 🐲🌸
Yesterday we started adding color to our Second Spring garden with pansies and violas.
Today we're going... 𝐔𝐏! ⬆️🌸
Because one of the tricks to creating a beautiful container is having plants at different heights.
And today's flower can give us exactly that.
Meet the wonderfully colorful...
🌸 𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐏𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍!
Snapdragons produce tall spikes covered with flowers in shades of:
❤️ Red
🩷 Pink
💛 Yellow
🧡 Orange
🤍 White
💜 Purple
🌸 And all sorts of beautiful combinations in between.
But before we talk about growing them...
We need to answer the question every child—and quite a few adults—eventually asks:
🐲 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐏𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍?
😂 𝐆𝐨 𝐀𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝...𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫!
Take an individual snapdragon flower and gently squeeze the sides near its base.
If you find just the right spot...
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫'𝐬 "𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡" 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬!
Release it... and the mouth closes again.
It looks a little like a tiny dragon opening and closing its jaws.
Hence: 𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐏 + 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍. 🐲🌸
If you have grandchildren nearby, you now have approximately 15 minutes of free entertainment.
You're welcome. 😂
🍂 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫
Here's why they belong in our Second Spring garden.
Snapdragons are 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐥-𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬.
They often struggle or slow down during intense summer heat, particularly in warmer climates.
But when temperatures begin cooling?
They can put on a beautiful show.
That's why you may see garden centers filling back up with snapdragons as fall approaches.
While some summer flowers are preparing to call it quits...
Snapdragons may be saying: "𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲. 𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧." 🌸
❄️ 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤
Those flowers look delicate.
The plants aren't nearly as fragile as they appear.
Established snapdragons can tolerate chilly temperatures and light frost.
Exactly how long they'll continue blooming depends on your climate, variety, and weather conditions.
In mild climates, they can perform for a surprisingly long time.
In colder climates, they'll eventually encounter temperatures that are simply too severe.
But either way... They can extend the flower season considerably beyond many heat-loving annuals.
🤯 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠...
Snapdragons aren't always annuals!
They're actually short-lived perennials in some warmer climates.
In colder regions, they're commonly grown as annuals because they don't reliably survive harsh winters.
And this is one of those reminders that we've talked about throughout Second Spring:
𝐀 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧.
That's why two PGS members can grow the exact same plant and have completely different experiences.
One gardener says: "𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘!"
Another says: "𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑁𝑂𝑇." 😂
Both may be right.
🪴 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬
Here's where things get really fun.
Snapdragons come in different sizes.
Depending on the variety, you may find:
🌸 𝐃𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐟 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 – wonderful near the front of containers
🌸 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 - great all-purpose container plants
🌸 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 – dramatic vertical accents and excellent cut flowers
So before you buy...
𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐋!
That adorable six-inch plant at the garden center might eventually become considerably taller than you expected.
Plants are sneaky that way. 😂
🪴 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐞?
For a small group of snapdragons, look for a container roughly:
𝟖–𝟏𝟐 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞, depending on the mature size of the variety and how many plants you're growing.
Larger and taller varieties will appreciate more root space and a wider, heavier container that won't tip easily.
As always:
✔️ Use quality potting mix.
✔️ Make sure there are drainage holes.
✔️ Give each plant enough room to mature.
Don't cram twelve plants into a container because they're cute and tiny today.
Remember...
𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄.
☀️ 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞
Snapdragons generally bloom best with plenty of light.
Aim for:
☀️ 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝟔+ 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐧
During lingering hot weather, some afternoon protection can help.
As fall temperatures become cooler, a sunny location becomes ideal.
💧 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭
Snapdragons prefer reasonably consistent moisture while actively growing.
Don't let the container repeatedly become bone dry.
But... You already know what's coming.
𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐈𝐓 𝐒𝐎𝐆𝐆𝐘 𝐄𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑. 😂
Good drainage remains one of the most important rules of container gardening.
Water the soil rather than constantly soaking the foliage, and give plants enough air circulation around them.
✂️ 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬?
Then don't be afraid to remove the old ones.
As a flower spike begins fading, cutting it back can encourage the plant to put energy into additional growth and blooms rather than seed production.
So add snapdragons to our:
✂️ 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓!
Pansies.
Violas.
Snapdragons.
A few minutes spent removing tired blooms can help keep your fall flower containers looking fresh.
💐 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐬𝐞!
Tall snapdragons make wonderful cut flowers.
If you've grown a taller variety, bring a few stems inside.
One of the wonderful things about growing flowers in containers is that you don't need a huge cutting garden to enjoy homegrown bouquets.
A few tall snapdragons...
Some greenery...
Maybe another flower or two...
And suddenly you've got a little bouquet from your patio.
𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐬𝐞. 🌸💐
🐝 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬?
Here's another fascinating thing about those unusual flowers.
Because the flower has that closed "mouth," not every pollinator can easily get inside.
Strong pollinators—especially bumblebees—are particularly good at pushing their way into snapdragon flowers to reach the nectar and pollen.
Imagine watching a big fuzzy bumblebee forcing its way inside that little dragon mouth.
The flower practically has a:
"𝐁𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘" 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. 😂🐝
Keep an eye on your plants and see who visits.
🎨 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍 𝐚 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫!
Remember yesterday when we talked about combining edible plants and flowers?
Today we're adding another design principle: 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇T.
Try this combination:
🌸 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐎𝐓
Toward the back or center: 🌸 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
In the middle: 🥬 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐤𝐚𝐥𝐞
Around the front: 🌸 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐬
Now look what we've created:
⬆️ Height
🌿 Texture
🌈 Color
🥬 Edible foliage
🌸 Flowers
Instead of everything sitting at exactly the same level, your eye moves through the entire arrangement.
That's one of the secrets behind those beautiful containers you see at garden centers.
🌸 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑, 𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 & 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑
You may have heard this container-design formula before:
🌟 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑
Something taller and dramatic.
Hello, snapdragons! 👋🌸
🌿 𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑
Plants that fill the middle of the container.
Maybe kale, parsley, or another compact flower.
🌱 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑
Something that trails over the edge.
We'll talk more about possibilities for this as we continue our flower series.
But suddenly we're not just planting things in pots.
We're actually...
𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐒.
That's a whole different level of fun.
📋 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬
🪴 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡: About 8–12+ inches depending on variety
☀️ 𝐒𝐮𝐧: Approximately 6+ hours
💧𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫: Consistent moisture with good drainage
🌸 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧: Best during cooler weather
✂️ 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: Deadhead faded flower spikes to encourage continued blooming
📏 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Varies dramatically—always check the variety
❄️ 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: Handles chilly weather and light frost
💐 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬: Taller varieties make excellent cut flowers
🐝 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: Particularly attractive to bumblebees
🌟 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐢𝐩: 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐁𝐮𝐲
I can't emphasize this one enough.
Don't buy a snapdragon simply because you like the flower color.
Turn the tag over.
Look for:
📏 Mature height
☀️ Light requirements
↔️ Mature spread
Some snapdragons stay compact.
Others can become several feet tall.
Neither one is better.
But they serve completely different purposes in a container.
Choose the plant for the JOB you want it to do.
🌱 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞
We're going to play container designer today!
Choose one pot you already have.
Now imagine THREE levels:
⬆️ 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥
🌿 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦
⬇️ 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞
You don't have to plant it today.
Just start thinking about your containers in layers rather than individual plants.
And if you've already created a Thriller-Filler-Spiller container...
⬆️𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐔𝐒! 📸
I have a feeling there are some beautiful ones hiding in this community.
💬 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘
First...
🐲 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬?
And more importantly...
𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬? 😂
But here's today's bigger question:
🌸 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫?
🩷 Pink
❤️ Red
💛 Yellow
🧡 Orange
🤍 White
💜 Purple
🌈 Give me ALL the colors!
And if you've grown snapdragons before, tell our newer gardeners:
𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫, 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥?
Don't forget to tell us roughly what part of the country or world you garden in.
It'll be interesting to see how different our experiences are!
🌱 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐩
Beautiful containers don't necessarily require exotic plants or complicated designs.
Sometimes all that's missing is: 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓.
If every plant in your container grows six inches tall, your eye sees one flat layer.
Add something vertical and suddenly the entire arrangement changes.
So when you're planning your next container, don't just ask:
"𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞?"
Also ask:
"𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐉𝐎𝐁 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐨?"
Something tall.
Something full.
Something low.
Something trailing.
And before you know it...
You're not filling flowerpots anymore.
𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. 🌸🪴💚
🍂 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠...
Tomorrow's flower may look sweet and delicate..
But don't underestimate it.
It's fragrant.
It's colorful.
It's wonderful in containers.
And depending on the variety, it may stick around longer than you expect.
🌸 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐔𝐒!
But there's something else interesting about this flower.
Lean in and smell one.
You may detect a fragrance you weren't expecting from a flower... 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐒! 😲🌸
Tomorrow we'll find out why dianthus has been charming gardeners for generations.
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🍂 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 – 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟏 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥-𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧! 🐲🌸
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