GardenTrack
Join the beta

Tender Perennial Flower · zones 7–10 · 25 varieties

Snapdragon

Antirrhinum majus

Plantaginaceae — the only crop in its plant family here.

Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) is a tender perennial flower for USDA zones 7–10. It wants full sun and pH 6.2–7 soil, with about 1–1.5 in of water weekly. It matures in about 70–100 days from sowing, or 45–70 days from setting out a transplant. Watch for aphids and rust. Below: its full sourced profile from 6 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Zones 7–10 — USDA USDA
Sun Full sun
Water Moderate
Matures 45–70 days — from transplantest from transplant
Mature size 0.5–3 ft
Spacing 4–12 in
Soil pH 6.2–7est
Frost Half hardy
When to plant snapdragontypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Germinating
Seedlings
Growing
Flowering

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is started indoors. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing snapdragonevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Hardiness zones
7–10
This is where snapdragons come back on their own. Below zone 7 they are killed by winter and grown as an annual — which is how they are sold and planted nearly everywhere.
Sun
Full sun
Soil pH
6.2–7est
Soil texture
Clay, Loam, Sandy, Well drained
Frost tolerance
Half hardy
Suffers in days above
80 °Fest

No published figure for the temperature frost starts to hurt it and the temperature that would kill it. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.

The plant

Mature height
0.5–3 ft
Mature spread
6–12 in
Growth rate
Moderateest
Spacing in row
4–12 in
Between rows
6–12 inest
Planting depth
0–0.0625 in
Container size
1–2 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
Support
Needs staking or a trellis
Grown from
Transplant, Cutting

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
1–1.5 in/wkest
Critical water
Establishment, Floweringest
Feeding
Moderate

Timing & fruiting

Days to maturity
70–100 days from seed · 45–70 days from transplantest
Harvest cues
First flowers

Planted again for autumn

Set plants out by
early Sep typical · zone 6b

45 days to maturity from setting a plant out — that is what our sources measure for this crop, so this is a date for planting out and not a sowing date, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.

Edible parts per source: flower.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsAphidsSpider mites
DiseasesRustGray moldDowny mildewRoot rotAnthracnoseLeaf spot

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

⚠ Reported toxicityverbatim from cited sources

Different parts differ — the edible part is the flower; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.

PetsNon toxic to cats, Non toxic to dogs, Non toxic to horses

Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).

All 25 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety TypeHabit DaysColorWhat it is known for
Animation Series Animation Upright 45–70 Bicolor NC State Extension records this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Black Prince Heirloom Dwarf 45–70 Red
Chantilly Bronze Chantilly Upright 45–70 Brown
Chantilly Deep Orange Chantilly Upright 45–70 Orange Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Chantilly Light Salmon Chantilly Upright 45–70 Orange Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Chantilly Mix Chantilly Upright 45–70 Bicolor
Chantilly Purple Chantilly Upright 45–70 Purple
Cherry Twist Upright 45–70 Bicolor Select Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Cinderella Mix Semidwarf Dwarf 45–70 Bicolor W. Atlee Burpee & Co. (product copy, hosted via LateSeed.com reseller page) describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Floral Showers Mix F1 Floral Showers Dwarf 45–70 Urban Farmer Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Liberty Classic Mix Liberty Upright 45–70 Bicolor NC State Extension records this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · the flowers are edible · deer usually leave it alone · draws bees and butterflies
Madame Butterfly Mix F1 Madame Butterfly Upright 45–70 Bicolor Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Opus Appleblossom Opus Upright 45–70 Bicolor Ball Seed describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Opus Red Upright 45–70 Red Vis Seed Company describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Opus Yellow Upright 45–70 Yellow The Gardener's Workshop describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Potomac Ivory Upright 45–70 White
Potomac Mix F1 Potomac Upright 45–70 Bicolor Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Potomac Rose F1 Upright 45–70 Pink Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Rocket Bronze Upright 45–70 Brown PanAmerican Seed describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · takes the heat
Rocket Mix F1 Rocket Upright 45–70 Bicolor Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · takes the heat
Rocket Rose Upright 45–70 Pink All-America Selections describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Rocket White Upright 45–70 White PanAmerican Seed describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · takes the heat
Rocket Yellow Upright 45–70 Yellow PanAmerican Seed describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · takes the heat
Solstice Series Solstice Dwarf 45–70 Bicolor Wellgrow Horti Trading describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Tutti Frutti Dwarf 45–70 Bicolor W. Atlee Burpee & Co. (product copy, hosted via LateSeed.com reseller page) describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Sources6 cited · 6 organizations
  • Cornell University High Tunnels (Cornell Cooperative Extension)
  • Johnny's Selected Seeds
  • Mississippi State University Extension Service
  • Missouri Botanical Garden
  • NC State Extension
  • University of Florida IFAS Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 13 of the 21 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

Growing more than snapdragon? Browse all crops, or grab the spacing calculator and frost date lookup. The GardenTrack app (now in beta) remembers what you planted and where, then tells you what to do and when. Join the beta →