Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Snapdragons

Q. Are snapdragons annuals or perennials? They seem to grow every year!

A. Snapdragons are an annual. They set seed freely in the late summer and will spill it out onto the soil. Many times these seeds will overwinter, especially if your climate is mild, and germinate in the spring. This gives the appearance that they are indeed perennials. But it is not so.

If you like, do as I have done with many of my beloved annuals each fall. Collect the dried blossoms before they split and remove the seeds. Place in an envelope, label what they are, store in a dry, dark place, as a drawer, and germinate them in the spring. You can start them inside in trays while the winter/spring is still cold, and plant outside after your frost date. Or, you can sow them directly into the garden beds the next spring.

They mature in the envelope and are ready for planting after about two months.