The Varieties of Snapdragons

Tall Varieties

• Snapdragons have flowers that are two-lipped and tubular, and open in sequence, starting at the bottom of upright stems. Their colors are numerous, with true blue being the only unavailable color. Tall varieties are generally 2 to 3 feet in height and work well in the rear of a border or along a foundation. A mixed collection called "Rocket" includes pink, red, rose, gold and white flowers that appear nonstop from spring through summer when the plants receive at least six hours of sun daily. Another 2- to 3-foot tall variety called "Madame Butterfly" has especially showy flowers that face outward and come in red, pink, purple, orange and yellow.

Intermediate Types

• Intermediate varieties of snapdragons are generally between 1 and 2 feet in height. The mixture called "Monarch" is a good example, producing especially disease-resistant plants that have flowers in amber, coral, red or orange. Another variety called "Black Prince" is about 18 inches tall and has crimson-to-black flowers and bronze-colored foliage. "Rembrandt" is another intermediate-sized snapdragon that has unusual, bicolor flowers in intense red mixed with yellow. Like all varieties, these do well in any type of well-drained garden soil and need only an average amount of moisture.

Short Plants

• Snapdragons are also available in short varieties that are 9 to 12 inches tall, and dwarf varieties, 4 to 9 inches in height. Short varieties include "Floral Carpet," a mixture of 8- to 10-inch tall plants with pink, yellow, red or white flowers on extra-bushy plants, and "Tom Thumb," which has flowers in yellow, orange, pink or bicolor blends on 9-inch-tall plants that spread during the season. Even shorter, fully dwarfed varieties include a mixture called "Magic Carpet," which has red, white, yellow or pink flowers on tiny, 4- to 6-inch tall plants, and "Floral Showers," with flowers in 12 different colors on 5-inch-tall plants.

Summer Snapdragons

• In addition to the common, annual snapdragon, another type of plant called the summer snapdragon (Angelonia angustifolia), or sometimes angelonia, grows as a perennial in USDA zones 9 through 11 and as an annual in colder regions. Although a member of a different genus, summer snapdragon has typical, two-lipped tubular flowers that can be bluish-lavender, pink, purple or white, depending on the cultivar. It grows about 12 to 18 inches in height, blooms throughout the summer and has aromatic, 3-inch long leaves. An easy-to-grow plant that does best in full sun, the plant is especially tolerant of summer heat and humidity.