Tis the Season - But for Snapdragons?
So, it’s the 17th of December and here in NJ, it’s a balmy 36 degrees in the early afternoon. A little respite from the below freezing - all day, every day - weather we’ve had for the past week. I don’t know about anyone else, but can we just skip winter and mark the first day of spring, instead?
So, I’m feeling a little chipper today with the temps above freezing. Imagine my great surprise, when what to my wondering eyes did appear - no, not two tiny reindeer (they’re in the garden bed under my kitchen window) - but two tiny snapdragons blooming in one of my windowboxes.
The brrrr cold came late - but snuck up on me just the same - didn’t want to take the plants out of my two windowboxes - since they were still blooming - we had purple petunias still blooming in one at Thanksgiving. So, then the deep freeze came and that was the end - or so I thought.
Today, I noticed two snaps blooming in a windowbox. They were peeking at me through the window. No unfortunately, the picture shown is not the actual one - it’s too cold for them to look so magnificient - but in my mind’s eye they were just as beautiful - braving the cold just for my pleasure.
So, on this sunny winter day - I had a smile and a breath of spring - for a few minutes - until I actually went outside and felt how cold it still is. So, all the more reason to appreciate these glorious plants.
Snapdragons - what are they? - well they’re an annual, easily grown from seed -hardy too. They are one of the earliest flowers we can plant around here in early spring, along with pansies and some stock. They come in all colors of the rainbow - whites, creams, yellows, pinks, mauves, purples, oranges, reds and mixed hues too. Dark green foliage, not very significant - but a perfect accompaniment to their beautiful flower heads. They are delicately scented and can be short, medium or tall. Regardless, they are a fantastic flower to include in any planter or bed you have.
What other virtues of a snapdragon can I extol on?, you might ask. Well, they can self seed and they winter over occasionally. When they do, they’re stalks turn a yellow, green and green up nicely as soon as the temperatures start to rise in the spring. Most importantly, they graced my day today - and I’m thrilled about that.
Tell me about your winter surprise today. I’d love to hear!
