Snapdragons are iconic . They have to be one of the most placeable types of flowers out there . Who has n’t walked past a patch and longed to give the little jaws a pinch ?
But when we tattle about snapdragons ( Antirrhinumspp . ) , it ’s easy to become lost in the slang . What is a butterfly stroke snapdragon ? Or a Group II works ? How does an intermediate differ from a summer eccentric ? And what the heck is a series ? !
Do n’t worry , we ’ve draw your back . This guidebook will make everything a scrap more clean so you ’ll be able to march confidently into the stock and request their prettiest Group IV , double - flowered , multicolored series on offering .
Ready to start your snapdragon pedagogy ? Here ’s what you may anticipate , coming up in this guide :
Understanding Snapdragon Types
Flower Type
Group Classification
Height and Growth Habit
Series and Cultivars
Before you wade into the weeds , you might require to familiarise yourself with oursnapdragon growing pathfinder . Prep your vases and take off woolgather about your perfect cottage garden , because we ’re about to climb up in .
There are two types of snapdragon flowers .
The first is the familiar undivided - flower case , with the hinged jaw that afford like a mouth . The 2nd eccentric is the three-fold flower , also known as a butterfly or azalea snapdragon .
Double snapdragon efflorescence look a bit likeazaleas , with more abundant , flatter petal . Some the great unwashed say they resemble butterflies , hence the other coarse name . The twofold - heyday types quell in bloom longer than exclusive - flower types .
Flowers in the Aroma serial are classical examples of exclusive - bloom types while Bright Butterflies is a pop double - flower series .
These heyday are often classified according to their ideal mature time of year and the unfolding period based on the temperature and number of uncommitted day hours .
This is n’t an official botanical scheme , but more of a way to separate the available works grant to the metre of yr during which they really fall , for commercial growers as well as home gardeners .
Group I: Winter
Snapdragons in this group do well in the weaker light and during the shorter days of wintertime in Zone 7 , or Zone 6 with some tribute .
They are shorter and have small flower heads , but they explicate and start flowering quickly , early in the season . These can be mature in tunnels or under frost cloth when they ’re youthful , and they also do well in glasshouse .
flower in the Admiral , Chantilly , and Alaska serial publication are all Group I typecast .
Group II: Early Spring
Plants in this group need brighter light and long days than winter type , but less than summertime types .
They tend to be medium in height with medium - sized flowers . you could start these in tunnel or under frost cloth ahead of time in the year .
Group II serial publication and cultivar include Cinderella , Costa , and ‘ Little Darling . ’
Group III: Late Fall
This group is like to early spring type and there can be some convergence . They grow best during the fall and tend to flower later in the originate season .
Group III includes Animation and Apollo series plant .
Group IV: Summer
Plants in this Group need the most light and the tenacious daylight of all the cultivar . They ’re marvellous and need a retentive time to ripen , and flower later in the year .
Do n’t seek to extend your growing season by using tunnels or Robert Frost textile .
These block the variety of promising , acute summer light that these types thrive in . If you do n’t have a long enough growing season for a summer case , grow one of the other option alternatively .
Group IV includes Rocket and Opus series flowers .
Filling your garden withAntirrhinumtypes from dissimilar groups will provide an on-going show of semblance from one season to the next , provided you have the veracious growing conditions uncommitted .
snapdragon are also sometimes group fit in to their mature height . You ’ll see the fall out groupings in industrial plant descriptions :
For the tall eccentric , it can help to provide cages or supports if you want to harvest the stalks for cut - efflorescence display . The Admiral , Chantilly , and Liberty serial are all improbable types .
gnome varieties are excellent for use in containers , and you will also sometimes see these referred to as illumination . Popular series include Tahiti , Bells , Floral Showers , and Montego .
While most type have an erect , erect growth habit , tail type are also available . These include Chandelier , Lampion , and Luminaire series plants .
Many cultivars are brandmark and sold in what are anticipate “ serial publication , ” which in the showcase of this type of plant are mathematical group of very flowers that vary only in coloring . Otherwise , they reach the same height and have the same growing requirements .
Do n’t confuse the terminus serial with the botanical appellative , which is a arm of a genus . It ’s usually just a name that the breeder or trafficker hold a group of snapdragons with similar characteristics and varying color .
A extensive selection of serial are usable , and the list continues to grow . Some democratic serial that you may have heard of include those already mentioned above , as well as Floral Carpet , Princess , Double Azalea , Opus , and Chimes .
“ Series ” is also a term used in botanical classification , to announce a genus subdivision that ’s below plane section and above species . But in this eccentric , it ’s purely a term used in marketing .
You ’ll also see heirloom and hybrid cultivars that are not part of a serial publication . ‘ Black Prince ’ is a popular heirloom cultivar with cryptical purple blossom and dour greenish leaf .
For more details about our favourite series and cultivar and information on where to grease one’s palms them , read our roundup of thebest snapdragon series and cultivars to arise at house .
There Are More to Snapdragons Than Meets the Eye
Most masses have no idea how various snapdragons really are . We ’re so familiar with the modified colors and sizes that you typically see at the big box stores .
But there are so many variations , whether you require something weep and multicolored , or virtually calamitous and extremely upright .
I hope this guide helped you to make sensation of the wonderful macrocosm ofsnapdragons . If so , you might be concerned in some of our other guides next :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally publish March 25th , 2022 . Last update May 3rd , 2025 . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
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Kristine Lofgren
