Snapdragon is a popular cut flower that you can grow yourself in the Nordics. Snapdragon is beautiful and durable as a cut flower, with a long blooming period, making it perfect for both gardens and vases. It is easy to grow from seed, and it is an excellent choice for beginner gardeners. Here are the growing instructions.
Pre-cultivation of snapdragon
Start the cultivation indoors in March–April. Sow the small seeds in seed compost, either in a soil blocker, small pots, or another seed container. Lightly cover the seeds with vermiculite – light speeds up germination. Keep the sowing evenly moist; use a spray bottle to mist lightly.
When the seeds have started to germinate, move the plants to light under a grow light, preferably in a slightly cooler place if possible. For pre-cultivation, it’s a good idea to use a grow light in the Nordics to provide sufficient light so the plants don’t grow too tall and weak.
After a couple of weeks, you can start giving the plants fertilizer, but be careful not to overfertilize. If the growing space for the plants starts to get too crowded, transplant the snapdragons into larger pots.
Pinching snapdragons
Cut the top of the snapdragon when it is 10 cm tall. Pinching delays blooming but helps the plant produce more even branches, resulting in more flowers. You can also grow snapdragons without pinching.
Invest in a good pair of garden scissors to make pinching easier. For this purpose, Fiskars’ classic orange garden scissors work well. Even better are the smaller clippers like the Fiskars Solid snip microtip clippers. Flower clippers are the best when it’s time to gather a bouquet for the vase, as they easily cut the stems to the right length without unnecessarily damaging the cut surface.
Transplanting snapdragons
Harden off the plants before transplanting by gradually acclimating them to light and outdoor air. Once the risk of night frost is over, plant them in their growing location. Snapdragons benefit from support. For support, you can use jute twine or a plant grid, for example. A small garden trowel is also a useful tool when moving the plants outdoors.
How to water snapdragons?
Snapdragons should be watered regularly and given maintenance fertilizer. It’s important to maintain consistent soil moisture without overwatering. Remove wilted flowers from the snapdragon plants, as this encourages the formation of new blooms. Snapdragons are excellent cut flowers, and harvesting blooms for a vase does not harm the plant. On the contrary, snapdragons branch out and bloom with new shoots even more after pruning.
There are many different varieties and colors of snapdragons. This year I grew the white Madame Butterfly Ivory snapdragon and the pink Legend Light Pink snapdragon.
Snapdragons are beautiful and easy-care cut flowers that are simple to grow from seed. By carefully following the sowing instructions and ensuring regular watering and fertilizing, you can enjoy the snapdragon’s beautiful blooms all summer long. Read here for other growing tips for cut flowers and the most common cut flowers to grow.
