How to Grow Snapdragons From Seeds

If you want a flower that will bring tons of color and personality to the garden, snapdragons are a wonderful choice. These cool-season plants are long-blooming, and as cut flowers, they make a bountiful bouquet. Not to mention, they are a favorite napping spot for sleepy bumblebees.

I started growing snapdragons from seeds three years ago, and they truly are a favorite of mine. From the time I was a young child, I’ve been enchanted with their dramatic blooms with fun snapping jaws. The fluffy blossoms come in a wide array of colors, from white to nearly black. 

Most gardeners grow snapdragons as annuals. However, if you can keep them going through the hottest part of the summer in zones 7-11, they are technically perennials. Here in zone 9, mine don’t survive the hottest part of the summer, so I plant anew every year. Growing them from seeds is simple, with a few pieces of important information. 

Acquire Your Seeds

Snapdragons have tiny seeds, similar to a poppy seed, but even smaller, if you can imagine. The first step in growing them is to get your hands on some of these incredibly small seeds. You’ve got two options: harvest them from existing plants or purchase them.

Purchase

Snapdragons are common enough that the seeds are easy to find. There are a wealth of different, beautiful varieties to choose from, and most reputable retailers carry them. Here are some of my favorite cultivars to grow in my own garden. 

‘Orange Wonder’

	botanical name Antirrhinum majus ‘Orange Wonder’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 30”-36”
	hardiness zones 7-11

‘Orange Wonder’ is a tall variety with blossoms the color of a sunset. Orange, coral, and pink mingle to make this one of the prettiest flowers in the garden. Its long stems are sturdy, making it excellent for the cutting garden and floral arrangements. 

‘Madame Butterfly Dark Red’

	botanical name Antirrhinum majus ‘Madame Butterfly Dark Red’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 30”-36”
	hardiness zones 7-11

The ‘Madame Butterfly’ series contains some truly spectacular cultivars. These are double-petaled or azalea-form flowers, which are extra fancy and fluffy. All the colors are beautiful, but the dark red shade is my favorite. They are so dramatic!

‘Potomac Appleblossom’

	botanical name Antirrhinum majus ‘Potomac Appleblossom’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 32”-46”
	hardiness zones 7-11

‘Potomac Appleblossom’ is as sweet as they come. This extra-tall cultivar has white flowers with a baby pink accent, reminiscent of its namesake. Its height makes it excellent as a mid-ground plant or for floral arrangements.

‘Night and Day’

	botanical name Antirrhinum majus ‘Night and Day’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 18”
	hardiness zones 7-11

‘Night and Day’ is a gorgeous bi-colored variety with a delicious, spicy scent. The blossoms are deep crimson with a pure white throat. The foliage has a red tint, and in cold weather, it turns purple!

Harvest

If you’re already growing some snapdragons and want to try collecting seeds for next year, it’s easy to do. They have interesting seed pods that many gardeners say look like tiny skulls. 

Once you get close to the end of the blooming season, leave a few stems intact and let them dry. When they get to the tiny skull phase, you can break those fun pods loose and shake out the seeds. Be careful. They are tiny and easy to lose if you spill them. 

If you plan to fall sow, don’t worry about storage. If you are waiting until spring, you’ll want to cold-stratify them. Just pop them in the fridge in a plastic bag or envelope and leave them until spring. This mimics the weather they would experience naturally. 

Determine When to Plant

The ideal time for planting these perennials depends on your climate zone and personal preference. For some, fall sowing simplifies the process and gives you a longer blooming season. 

Zones 7 and Higher

Snapdragons are perennials in zones 7 through 11 and exceptionally cold-tolerant. I’m in zone 9, and I start my snaps in October. I like to get them growing a fair bit and to the pinching stage before our first frost. We had a week of temperatures in the 20s (~7°C) this winter and four inches of snow, but my snaps handled it beautifully. I didn’t lose a single plant!

In zone 7, you might have some trouble getting them through the winter this way, but in zones 8-11, this method should work. In zone 7, you can still fall sow; just wait until closer to your first freeze date, so they won’t germinate until spring. Doing this gives them the cold temperatures that help bolster your germination rate. 

Zones 2-6

If you garden farther north, cold stratify your seeds in the refrigerator over the winter. This will keep them just cold enough. Because the seeds are small and need light to germinate, it’s often advantageous to start them indoors. Start about two months ahead of your last frost date. Transplant as soon as you can work the soil.

Sowing Seeds

You can directly sow these, but factors such as seed size and the need for light to germinate make this less effective. The small seeds need to sit on the surface of the soil to get that light. Because of their size, it’s easy for them to blow away or move around before they sprout. 

However, it is still possible, and in some cases, it’s best to sow outdoors. I will cover both methods. 

Starting Indoors

The recommended method of starting snapdragon from seed is in a controlled indoor environment. Their size and need for light make direct sowing tricky. You’ll need a quality seed starting mix or other lightweight potting mix, seed trays, and a grow light. 

1. If you’re starting in the fall, you won’t have time to cold stratify, so your germination rate may be less than stellar, but you’ll still get plenty of plants. You don’t need to soak or scarify these because of their size. 
2. Prepare your seed trays with a moist seed starting mix. Starting out with moist soil makes it easier to keep them moist without the seeds floating away. Pouring water over the soil after it’s in the trays can be messy and ineffective. 
3. Sow your seeds on the surface of the potting mix and lightly press them in. Don’t cover them with soil, as this will affect the germination rate. 
4. Place your trays in a cool, bright location or under grow lights. I like to put my lights on a timer so that I don’t forget and get off schedule. Consistency is most effective. 
5. Keep the soil moist by misting the surface every day or two until you have substantial sprouts. Then, you can gently water them from the top or set your trays in water to water from beneath. 
6. When your seedlings have three or four of their true leaves, it’s time to harden them off. Gradually expose them to more light and outdoor temperatures over a week or two’s time. Once acclimated, transplant them into your prepared bed. You can transplant them several weeks ahead of your last frost date, as they are perfectly happy to see some freezing weather. 

Directly Sowing

If you prefer to sow directly in a cool or warm climate, know that some of your seeds may get washed away with rain or watering. I have done it both ways, and direct sowing typically works just fine, but I don’t get as many seedlings as I would in a controlled environment. 

Nonetheless, you can scatter seeds in the fall in warm climates and let them do what they naturally would. You can do the same in the spring in cooler climates. 

Snapdragons don’t need a ton of nutrients at the start, but adding compost to your soil will give them a long-term boost. Wait until the ground is workable, and simply press seeds into the soil in a bed you’ve prepared. 

Sow a group of three seeds every 12 inches. Water the soil gently until sprouts appear, avoiding dislodging them and sending them floating away. Once your seedlings are a half-inch tall, thin them to one every 12 inches. 

Pinching

If you want to see plenty of blooms, snapdragons grown from seed benefit from pinching. Most flowering plants that branch do, in fact. Pinching encourages branching, and more branches equals more flowers. 

Wait until your seedlings are between four and six inches tall. Then, using your fingers or a pair of small scissors, clip just the top set of leaves off. Make your cut just above the second set of leaves to keep them looking neat and tidy. 

If you’ve started early enough and don’t mind pushing off blooming time, you can pinch again once the branches have a couple of sets of leaves. This will lead to fuller, bushier plants with lots of blooms. I do this with my fall-started plants, as they won’t bloom during the winter, but they will grow. 

Continued Care

Snapdragons like moist soil. Make sure to water them every few days to keep them happy. When you see them begin to form flowers, you can give them a water-soluble fertilizer every two to four weeks until they finish blooming. A balanced formula works, or you can use a bloom-boosting formula with lower nitrogen and higher potassium and phosphorus for stronger flowers.