Antirrhinum (Snap Dragon) - how long do they last?

meoldchina, Oct 10, 11:57am
I have a lovely display of Antirrhinum and they obviously like the spot where I planted them in the autumn. They seem to be going from strength-to-strength. Is there any chance they'll keep flowering through the summer?
docsportello, Oct 10, 12:22pm
They're annuals, so once they flower the clock is ticking. Probably into Summer, but unlikely all the way through. But you never know. raised from seed at the right time, planted at the right time and happy growing where planted, they will certainly last longer than a potted colour version from Mitre Ten.
meoldchina, Oct 10, 1:27pm
Thank you. I will hold back and resist pulling them out for as long as possible. I just didn't want to be put in the situation that they die in December/January and the replacement bedding plants will look pathetic during the holiday season when we have lots of visitors. Call me "vain"!
kitaki, Oct 10, 2:11pm
I have not planted Antirrhinums in my garden for over 12+ years - yet every year they pop up everywhere. They seem to keep self seeding themselves in the ground and also in pots - so leave the seed heads on and see what happens. ;-)
meoldchina, Oct 10, 3:32pm
It occurs to me that there aren't many words with two 'r's in the middle!
mlarkin, Oct 10, 3:40pm
To avoid the sudden "decline" the Antirrhinums just when visitors are set to arrive you could "backfill" around them with new seedlings and then if they look scruffy, pull selected ones. I have done this to avoid trying to get new seedlings thriving right at the onset of the drier weather. Capricorngirl
maclad, Oct 10, 4:14pm
They can go for quite a long time particularly if the scruffy bits are trimmed off, but in the summer may succumb to rust.
colin433, Oct 13, 7:30pm
I've found that if you cut the flowering stems, they will often send up more shoots, even when they are nearing their end. I even transplanted a couple that were in the way, self-seeded, and not wanted where they thought they'd like to grow. They never even knew they'd been shifted,although I did take a good amount of soil with them (or potting mix in our case)
meoldchina, Mar 7, 3:51pm
Thank you all. I am going to keep them in situ, give the spent stems a snip and "backfill" to keep the display going for as long as possible.
I am a frugal gardener!