Waiting on snapdragons

Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) are popular ornamental flowers known for their unique shape and vibrant colors.

These beauties are great as cut flowers.

Snaps are cool hardy annuals best grown from seed, especially in Zone 8. I’ve never grown snaps before and decided to get seeds from none other than Lisa Mason Ziegler at The Gardener’s Workshop. The seeds arrived in a timely manner and each packet has TONS of useful information. I’m not going to lie, these were the first seeds that made me nervous. I think I didn’t want to waste these precious seeds and have to start over.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting any signs of germination.

I started these on September 24. I used a very light dusting of vermiculite and did not cover with soil. The packet says to allow 3-7 days for germination. I checked on them daily and eight days later there are signs of life! I don’t use a heat mat for my seedling as our house is between 68-73 degrees and my seed station is by a window. I’m sure it would have helped these out to provide more consistent warmth.

You’ll have to look really closely. Zoom in and maybe you’ll see the green specks. I was excited!

I started the Madame Butterfly Mix and White Dragons. They both prefer full sun and transplanting is recommended. The plan is to transplant them around mid/late October when the temps are around 60 ( I hope!) during the day. I have plans to cover and shade them if the temps are still too high or I can wait a bit longer. We shall see what Mother Nature has in store for us…

Pink, red, yellow and white snapdragon flowers