August 18, 2005
Snapdragons
This delightful flower comes in every shade under the sun except blue. Its botanical name, antirrhinum majus, means snout-like ("anti" meaning like and "rhinos," snout.) For generations children have loved watching the dragon jaw snap shut when opened up in just the right place. Gardeners love the variety of colors, sizes, hardiness, tendency to re-seed, and beauty for cut bouquets.
Snapdragons will act like short-lived perennials in certain climates and have the additional advantage of being deer-resistant. I have many of them planted in pots under the ponderosa pines by my kitchen door, and my deer and their ravenous fawns pass them right by. Not true of the roses and geraniums, which are the Belgian chocolate of the deer world.
Flower Gardens
My First Garden