Growing Angelonia Flowers
About Angelonia: Love Attention-Grabbing Flowers Like No Other? Grow Gorgeous, Snapdragon-like Blooms!
Angelonia is more popularly known as “summer snapdragon” because of its appearance. It has flower spires that appear like salvia reaching around two feet in height, studded with beautiful snapdragon-like flowers. Angelonia has smooth stems with narrow leaves that have toothed margins and pointed tips.
So if you want an eye-catching focal point in your garden, then angelonia’s white, pink, blue and purple flowers won’t let you down. Moreover, many people say that its foliage smells very similar to apples. Plus, this captivating plant blooms throughout summer.
Most gardeners consider angelonia as an annual but it is a tough perennial in Zones 9 and 10. Angelonia can maintain its flowering even throughout winter when kept indoors at a warm and sunny spot.
The plant grows around 12-18 inches in height with a spread of about 12 inches. There are around 30 species of Angelonia that are native to Mexico and the West Indies. However, most are still not well known and used in cultivation.
The new so-called “angelmist” variety has recently won several awards at different university trial gardens. “Angelmist” comes in six different colors growing about 2 feet in height. The very popular “Alba”, on the other hand, has white flowers while “Blue Pacifica” has two-toned flowers that come with a combination of white and indigo blue.
Because of angelonia’s short stature and colourful blooms that last, they are ideal bedding plants for summer. For a more stunning effect, the plants are best spaced around 9-12 inches apart.
These plants are also great container plants for window boxes and porches. You can also use them as cut flowers.
Angelonia Propagation
Angelonias can be propagated by seed, from tip cuttings or by division. However, most gardeners prefer to do it by seed. For a head start, it can be sowed indoors at around 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit about 6-8 weeks before the last frost in your area. The seeds should be provided with a well-drained germination medium. The seeds require low light in order to germinate. The germination process takes place in about one to two weeks. It will take up to 14 weeks to produce flowers. Take note that the newest “Angelmist” cultivar can only be commercially propagated with a license for propagation from the patent holder.
How to Grow Angelonia
During dry spells, the plant should be watered weekly wetting the soil around an inch deep. Fertilize the plants with a general purpose fertilizer once a week. When the plant already has buds visible, the fertilizer should be reduced by half. Remember to water the soil before and after applying fertilizer in order to prevent root burn.
To encourage bushing, it is advisable to pinch back new growth about 12-14 days after transplanting. Just pinch back enough leaving around three to five nodes. For 4-inch in diameter or bigger containers, pinch back for a second time to around three nodes as soon as new growth appears. About halfway through the growing season, prune the plant removing 50% of the foliage. This will encourage bushiness, hence will result to heavy flowering before the end of the growing season.
