Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) — Plotwright

›

›

Snapdragon

Habit (mature) · Donald Hobern / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Limited coverage

Snapdragon

Antirrhinum majus

The classic cottage-garden snapdragon — named for its hinged, two-lipped "dragon-mouth" blooms that snap open when pinched at the sides. A tender perennial native to southwestern Europe, hardy in USDA Zones 7-10 but grown almost everywhere as a cool-season annual, carrying tall spikes of white, yellow, pink, red, orange, peach, or purple flowers from spring to frost. Hummingbirds and butterflies work the blooms, and the cut spikes are a cutting-garden staple.

Review: Source-backed

Climate fit: narrow (38/100)

Border

Container

Pollinator

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate water

Mature size

12-36" tall · 9" apart

Hardy in zones

7a-10b

cold to mild winters

Summer heat range

Cool-Warm

cool to warm summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.

Native in Illinois

No

A documented larval host for the Common buckeye — caterpillars feed on its foliage before becoming the next generation.

Wildlife relationships

Cold hardiness

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Won't grow here

2050

Zone 7b

Plotwright

Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)

Well-suited

In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.

✕→✓

Out of range today, but newly possible by 2050.

Heat tolerance

°C

°F

Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 43 ecoregions — 40 climate-resilient through 2070 · 3 newly possible by 2070. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

Arizona Mountains forests

Atlantic coastal pine barrens

Blue Mountains forests

California coastal sage and chaparral

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

Central Tallgrass prairie

Central-Southern Cascades Forests

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.

Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/snapdragon

Sources for every fact

Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

Botanical research database

Backs 17 fields

Identity

Summary

Plant type

Light

Moisture

Hardiness

Heat zone

Size

Spacing

Habit

Design roles

Seasonal interest

Growth stages

Lifecycle

Regional guidance

Success tips

Designer notes

Wikimedia Commons

Photo · CC BY 2.0

Backs 1 field

Image

Community photos

The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.

Plotwright

Climate-aware plant planning — every plant checked against your zone now and in 2050.

support@arteractive.co

Explore

Reference

Policies

© 2026 Plotwright