Snapdragons have long been garden favorites, but today’s varieties offer much more than the familiar flowers many of us remember. Plant breeders are introducing snapdragons with open-faced and double blooms, unusual color combinations, sturdier stems, better branching, and improved performance in gardens and containers.
One of the resources I use to stay informed about flower trends and interesting new plants is Michael Perry, also known as Mr. Plant Geek. I recently read his post about snapdragons, or Antirrhinum, in his “Grow This, Not That” Substack and wanted to share some of his favorites with you.
These selections demonstrate just how diverse snapdragons have become. Some are compact enough for the front of a flower bed or a container, while others produce tall, elegant stems that are perfect for bouquets. Their colors range from rich burgundy and soft lavender to bronze, peach, mango gold, and dramatic bicolors.
Why Grow Snapdragons?
Snapdragons bring height, color, and an unmistakable vertical shape to the garden. They can be used in flower beds, borders, cottage gardens, cutting gardens, and containers, depending on the variety. The flowers generally open from the bottom of the spike upward, helping each stem provide an extended display.
These flowers are especially valuable during the cooler parts of the gardening season. Snapdragons prefer cool conditions and often perform beautifully in spring and fall, when some warm-season annuals are not at their best. In regions with mild winters, gardeners may even be able to enjoy them during the winter months.
Many snapdragons are fragrant, attract pollinators, and make excellent cut flowers. Removing faded flower spikes can encourage the plants to produce additional blooms. Snapdragons grow best in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil with consistent moisture, although they do not like waterlogged conditions. Taller varieties may appreciate some support, particularly in windy locations.
Here are seven beautiful snapdragons that deserve a closer look:
Sonnet Burgundy
Sonnet Burgundy combines rich, dramatic color with a strong and dependable garden habit. Growing approximately 18 to 24 inches tall, it is large enough to make an impact without overpowering neighboring plants.
The plants develop sturdy roots and multiple branches, with numerous flowering spikes surrounding the main stem. This produces a fuller display and helps extend the flowering season. The deep burgundy flowers would be especially attractive alongside pale pink, white, peach, or silver-leaved plants.
Sonnet Burgundy can serve as a focal point in a mixed container, add height to a flower bed, or provide stems for casual homegrown bouquets. Its fragrant blossoms may also attract butterflies and hummingbirds. The Sonnet series is particularly well suited to spring and fall gardens.
Peach DoubleShot™
Peach DoubleShot offers a fresh interpretation of the traditional snapdragon. Instead of the classic closed “dragon mouth,” it produces open-faced double flowers with a soft, ruffled appearance.
The plants grow approximately 20 to 24 inches tall and develop strong stems with generous branching. Their sturdy structure helps the flowers remain upright in windy conditions, making this variety a practical choice for exposed flower beds and containers.
The warm peach coloring is easy to combine with cream, lavender, burgundy, soft yellow, and blue flowers. Peach DoubleShot can be used as a tall accent in a mixed planting or grown in a cutting garden for long-lasting bouquets.
Orange Bicolor DoubleShot™
Orange Bicolor DoubleShot belongs to the same distinctive series, but its changing colors give it a personality all its own. Its open-faced double flowers begin in warm shades of orange and orange-red before softening to dustier tones as they mature. The result is a beautifully blended display with several shades appearing on the plant at once.
This variety was named a 2023 All-America Selections Winner for both garden and container performance. Trial judges were impressed by its strong stems, vigorous branching, and abundant flowers.
Growing approximately 18 to 24 inches tall, DoubleShot Orange Bicolor is an excellent option for flower beds, containers, pollinator gardens, and cutting gardens. It also has a light fragrance that has been compared to bubble gum.
Floral Showers Deep Bronze
Floral Showers Deep Bronze proves that snapdragons do not have to be tall to make a noticeable contribution to the garden. This compact selection generally reaches only about 6 to 10 inches tall, making it ideal for edging flower beds, filling small containers, or planting near the front of a border.
Its warm bronze and rust-colored flowers have golden-yellow touches that complement autumn plantings especially well. Try pairing it with ornamental grasses, violas, pansies, coral bells, or other flowers in shades of gold, purple, cream, and deep red.
Floral Showers is described by its breeder as “day-length neutral.” For home gardeners, that simply means it is less dependent on a particular number of daylight hours to produce flowers. It can bloom reliably during the cooler conditions of both spring and fall. Good side branching also allows a small plant to produce an impressive amount of color.
Chantilly™ Bronze
Chantilly Bronze stands out because of its elegant, open-faced blooms. Its salmon and tangerine flowers look lighter and airier than those of a traditional snapdragon, giving the tall stems a graceful cottage-garden quality.
This is a particularly tall variety, growing approximately 48 to 54 inches. It makes a striking addition to a cutting garden and produces sophisticated stems for floral arrangements. Because of its height, it should be protected from strong winds or given support to help keep the stems upright.
Chantilly Bronze performs best during cool weather and shorter days. Gardeners should plant it for spring or fall flowers rather than expecting its best performance during the longest, hottest days of summer.
The flowers are edible and can be used sparingly as a colorful garnish for salads, desserts, and drinks. Their flavor is floral and slightly bitter. Only eat flowers that have been grown without pesticides or other products not labeled for edible crops.
Seeds are available from Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
Mango Twist
Mango Twist is an eye-catching choice for gardeners who enjoy unusual color combinations. Its tall flower spikes are painted in mango-gold and luxurious maroon, creating a warm, dramatic bicolor effect.
The flowers are reported to have a sweet, candy-shop-like fragrance. They can be grown in beds, borders, containers, and cutting gardens, where their rich colors would be especially attractive in late-summer and fall-inspired arrangements.
Mango Twist flowers are also edible. They can be used sparingly to decorate cakes, add color to salads, or garnish drinks. As with all edible flowers, make sure they have been grown specifically for culinary use and have not been treated with unsuitable garden chemicals.
Seeds are available from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
Opus™ Lavender
Opus Lavender has the classic snapdragon form, with tightly spaced florets arranged along strong, impressively tall stems. The flowers are a soft, dusky lavender-pink rather than a bright purple, giving this variety a romantic, slightly muted appearance.
Depending on growing conditions and the supplier, plants may reach approximately 3 to 5 feet tall. This height makes Opus Lavender a natural choice for the back of a flower border or a dedicated cutting garden. The strong stems and closely arranged flowers are particularly well suited to bouquets and floral designs.
Opus is classified as a Group III/IV snapdragon. This is primarily professional grower terminology indicating that the variety performs best during the longer, warmer days from late spring into early fall. For home gardeners, the important point is that Opus Lavender can extend the snapdragon season beyond the cooler periods preferred by many other varieties.
Discover A New Side Of Snapdragons
These selections reveal how far snapdragons have moved beyond the traditional mixed-color bedding plants commonly found at garden centers. Gardeners can now choose from compact border plants, heavily branched garden varieties, open-faced double flowers, unusual bicolors, and tall professional-quality cutting flowers.
When selecting a snapdragon, consider more than its color. Check its mature height, preferred growing season, and recommended use. A compact Floral Showers snapdragon will play a very different role than a towering Chantilly or Opus variety. By choosing the right type for your garden, you can enjoy snapdragons in containers, borders, pollinator plantings, and beautiful homegrown bouquets.
Disclosure: Some of the snapdragons featured in this article can be purchased from the seed companies linked above. Blooming Secrets does not receive compensation or a commission if you purchase seeds through these links. Photographs are courtesy of the respective plant breeders and seed companies.
