This particular flower gives the
appearance of being a delicate, finicky plant, but growing them is really easy.
Angelonia plants are called summer snapdragons because they really produce a
profusion of flowers that resemble small snapdragons all summer, and in warm
climates the flowering continues into fall. Below are the instructions on how
to grow Angelonia in the garden.
Basic facts about
Angelonia Flowers
This flower can grow about eighteen
inches tall, and a lot of people think the fragrant foliage smells like apples.
Angelonia flowers bloom on upright spikes at the tips of the main stems. Some
of the species flowers are bluish-purple and the cultivars are available in
white, blue, light pink and bicolors. This particular plant does not need
deadheading to produce a continuous display of blossoms. You can use Angelonia
as an annual bedding plant in borders or you can plant them in masses where
they make a striking display. Angelonia flowers also grow well in pots and
window boxes. And they also make good cut flowers, and the foliage retains its
fragrance indoors. In United States Department of Agriculture plant hardiness
zones 9 through 11, you can grow them as perennials.
How to care for Angelonia
flowers
Just make sure you choose a site in
full sun or light shade and set out bedding plants in spring 2 or 3 weeks after
the last expected frost. You can space them twelve inches apart in cool
climates and eighteen to twenty-four inches apart in warm regions. When the young
plants are six inches tall you can pinch out the tips of the main stems to
encourage branching and bushiness. Currently the seeds for Angelonia plants are
not readily available, although if you can find them you can sow them directly
outdoors in United States Department of Agriculture zones 9 through 11. You can
start them indoors in cooler zones. In most case the seeds usually take about twenty
days to germinate, but they can take up to 2 months.
This particular plant
prefer moist, well-drained soil but they can withstand brief dry spells, most especially
if the soil is enriched with compost before planting. Make sure you keep the
soil around young seedlings moist. Also make sure you allow the soil to dry out
between watering once the plants are well-established. You can give the plants
a light feeding with 10-5-10 fertilizer once a month, but don’t overdo it. By
peradventure if you give them too much fertilizer, they will produce more
foliage and fewer flowers. You can feed the plants in containers with liquid
fertilizer mixed according to the package instructions. If the plants begin to
sprawl in midsummer, you can cut them back by about half their height. The Angelonia
plant will soon regrow and produce a fresh flush of flowers.
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