Annual / color · North Texas care guide
Antirrhinum majus
Nursery Pro tip: Plant in fall for a huge spring show. Sonnet and Rocket for height.
Spikes of pouched flowers in nearly every color, on plants from 8 in to 30 in tall. Here they're a cool-season annual — planted in fall they bloom through mild winter spells and explode in March and April, giving cut flowers just as everything else wakes up.
Full sun; well-drained bed with compost. Space 8–12 in apart. Tall varieties may want staking or a neighbor to lean on.
October and November for the big spring show, or February for a shorter one. Amend the bed, plant at the same depth, Root Stimulator, mulch.
Weekly through the cool months, at the base rather than overhead.
At planting and every three or four weeks — they're heavier feeders than pansies.
Cut the spent spikes right back to a leaf joint and side shoots push new flowers; that one habit doubles the season. Cut freely for vases — it only makes more.
Rust (orange pustules under the leaves) in a wet spring — space them for airflow and water at the base. They fade fast once June heat arrives; pull them then.
Height behind pansies and violas; classic in a cutting bed with dianthus and larkspur.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.