My Snapdragons Keep Dying This Year. Can You Tell Me…
Barbara Asked
My snapdragons keep dying this year. Can you tell me what’s going on?
The Gardener’s Answer
Hello, Barbara: Not knowing the growing conditions of your snapdragons, it is hard to say for certain what is happening with them. Are you growing them in the ground or in a container? If they are in a container, make sure it is filled with a loose potting mix for containers and the container itself has a drainage hole. Snapdragons do not like to have “wet feet”: if the soil does not drain well the roots can rot. The soil should be consistently moist but not allowed to go bone dry. These annuals bloom best when they are planted in full to part sun. This means they should receive a minimum of four hours of direct sunlight. During the middle of the summer, they will benefit from shelter from the hot afternoon sun. Snapdragons like the spring and the fall the best in terms of growing conditions. In mid summer, they tend to wilt especially if they get all day sun. These annuals are available in a rainbow of colors and they are great for cut flowers. They will benefit from a well-balanced (10-10-10) slow-release fertilizer for the season or a liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks.
