One of those plants that seem to reseed everywhere but never are a problem. I could use a few more like them.

Boy, no kiddin. I'm going to make an effort to save more seeds this year and see where else I can get them to fill in. They haven't grown into the mulch. I don't know if they just like crevices or what.

I love snapdragons! They actually winter over most of them time here, so I wait until mid spring before I pull any of last years out to make sure they aren't coming back. I have 3 large pink ones that have been growing like crazy for the past 3 years and several others here and there. Gotta love plants that they sell as annuals that will winter over or self sow well. Among my favorite annual "perennials" are white allysum, dianthus, poppies, bachelor buttons and cosmos.
Has anyone else found annuals that come back well for them?

Pam

I had an embarrasment of larkspur that self sowed from last years planting. I get annual coreopsis that have self sowed the last few years. Columbines don't seem to live more than a few years here but self sow. There was another post about gomphrena. I planted some in the rock garden. We'll see if they self sow next spring. I've had good luck with dianthus (Sweet William type) & bachelors buttons also.

Ok, I finally got around to taking a few pictures of these little darlins. Go here if you'd like to see them.

http://homepage.mac.com/wilmawildcat/PhotoAlbum3.html

wow! those reseeded with a vengence lol

My dianthus, bachelor buttons and cosmos have all surprised me and come back like crazy. I wish I had snapdragons, those pics are awesome! Right now I live under a condo association and the lawn service people tend to cut down my flowers when they are trimming, which does NOT make me happy, but the ones I mentioned above as well as my Mexican shell flowers seem to not mind at all.

Larkspur, annual coreopsis, columbines, gomphrena, dianthus, bachelor buttons and cosmos. Thanks for the tips folks. I have been so pleased with all my free flowers, I'll keep those in mind, too. Some of them, I don't know what they look like. Isn't it nice, getting those little unexpected gifts?

Carrera, I used to live in Tucson, Arizona, but I don't think I remember Mexican shell flowers. We had a lot of the same plants as the state of Sonora, being like 45 miles away.

(Duh, I finally figured out I should use the link box to make it easy. Sorry about that.)

Here is a link that might be useful: our crazy snapdragons

Here's a link to the shell flowers. Unfortunately, each flower only lasts one day, but they are a real treat. So far I've gotten yellow, red, orange and white. We sold the house and part of the contract was to leave behind all vegetation. It's a shame, but I'm looking forward to starting fresh. I just hope the new owner is prepared to take care of my babies!

I definitely want snapdragons so I'm glad to hear they're happy in our area. There's a funeral home by me with the most gorgeous garden and I hope to use theirs as a guide.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1052271}}

Carerra, oh, that must be hard, leaving your plant babies behind. I would miss mine. Good luck at the new place. Thank you for the shell flower link. It's really quite exotic! It reminds me of ...something... Like something I saw in an Attenborough film.

(I met him and got his "Private Life of Plants" book signed when he was at the Field Museum a few years back. He said he'd never grown anything himself, except for a real exotic carniverous plant, I think, he said.)

Osweigian -- WOW! I am so jealous. I adore snapdragons and they have never reseeded for me... Yours look absolutely gorgeous in those cracks...

I may have to try sprinkling some seeds in the cracks in my brick patio this year!

Emily

To heck with the patio, let it spread! LOL :D

It's amazing, but how on earth are you going to enjoy this space without risking squishing them?

I've had the same experience with things seeding in my flagstone!!! I don't understand it either! I have all this fabulous soil and the seeds grow in the cracks instead. I used to lift the flagstone and save the little babies, but it's so much work that it has to be a r-e-a-l-l-y special plant for me to save it anymore. Your snapdragons are really cute! But I bet it's hard to walk on your patio.

Oswegian,

That's beautiful! What kind of snapdragon is that? I would love to have something like in my garden.

Yes, the flagstones will hold moisture under them, so the roots of the snapdragons will be cool and happy. But snapdragons are very hardy anyway.

Well, the snapdragons are back again this year. There are a jillion of them out there already. The late freeze did not kill them, and their seedlings were up and started quite a while before that. I will try to get a picture, but so far they are just teeny tiny. I'm not going to thin them. I didn't do a thing to them last year; but they are so numerous, they look like moss between the cracks or something. I do have moss started there, too, and some sedum, but they grow a lot slower.

"fearlessemily" and "Sheri" and "chuckr30," I found out that snapdragons are in the toadflax family, and at least out in where I used to live in Arizona, toadflax loves poor soil and dry conditions in the mountain areas. They are common as dirt almost. So, I guess that basically soilless, ground-up limestone between the flagstones was just perfect. They don't like it too rich, I guess.

"smom40," we did have to watch where we were walking a little bit, but they had the good grace to grow under and behind the chairs and tables last year. I don't know about this year. They seem to have set out to sea for the mint and junipers and sedum. We haven't set the patio furniture out yet.

"bellarosa," they are just some dwarf variety I lucked into two years ago at Home Depot. Just bought them in six packs like everything else. Boy, I do highly recommend them, though. I've never done anything like seed exchange, but maybe I'll look into it later on after they bloom. Wild yellow toadflax back home is much taller, like the usual snapdragon is, but just as vigorous.

I was not around the forum for a while over the winter, so sorry for such a long and overdue post. But I am glad people get to see those beautiful little things. They are so generous, they about break my heart, LOL.