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Summer Snapdragon Wikimedia Commons
Plantaginaceae

Summer Snapdragon

Angelonia angustifolia

Heat-proof joy and steady cheer.

Family
Plantaginaceae
Genus
Angelonia
Native to
Mexico, West Indies
Bloom season
Summer, Fall
Type
tender perennial; grown as annual
Height
30–60 cm
Sunlight
full sun
Soil
well-drained, fertile
Water
medium
Hardiness
9–11; annual elsewhere
Lifespan
perennial in warm climates

Did you know

  • Unlike true snapdragons, it loves heat and humidity and blooms unbroken through August in the Deep South.
  • Its flowers smell faintly of apple — most snapdragon relatives have no scent at all.
  • It belongs to the same family as snapdragons but is unrelated to them at the genus level.
  • Bumblebees can pry open the small flowers to reach pollen reserves hidden inside.
  • Modern hybrids have transformed it from a botanical curiosity into one of the top summer bedding plants.

Color meanings

Purple

vivid grace

Pink

playful affection

White

clean clarity

Blue

calm devotion

Uses

  • summer bedding
  • container plantings
  • heat-tolerant borders