Snapdragon seeds?

[madonnaswimmer]

My grandmother just found a jar of seeds in her refrigerator that has "Red and white snapdragon" written in my grandfather's handwriting (he passed away 4 years ago this March).

She gave them to me to plant at my new home.

Not sure how well snapdragons grow from seed, nor how well 4-5-year-old seeds will germinate, but I am willing to try.

Would I sow these directly into my garden after the frost has passed? Or should I start them indoors under my grow lights?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[KeyWee]

I used to live in zone 5a WI (Kenosha County) and if I were you I would sow them directly outdoors per the instructions in the link. Otherwise, you will have to wait 8 weeks or more if you start them inside now and plan to transplant later. And then they are always a little "shocked" by the transplant trauma. Or ~ you could do some each way and see what happens.
As for the age of the seed, viability decreases for each year they are stored, but since they were kept cold, give it a shot.

[madonnaswimmer]

Thanks! I think I may split them and do half indoors half outdoors like you suggested and see which is better!

[ElizabethB]

What fun! I would sow directly in the flower bed. Actually plant them rather than tossing them or else you will have to thin. Such small seeds just need the lightest dusting of soil on top of them. If your grrandfather harvested the seeds from hybridized plants no telling what you will get. Several years before he died my Dad decided to propagate amarilys from seed. He harvested seed from St. Joseph lilies - a small bright red amerilys that was my grandfather's favorite flower. He ended up with 4 different colored amarilys. All were white to creamy white - one had pale pink margins, another had pale pink stripes, another bright red stripes and the fourth had bright red blotches. All of the seeds were from the same plant! Dad died April 1st 06. Every April 1st his amarilys are in bloom and we bring them to the cemetary.

I have some and so does my Mom and 2 sisters. Unfortunatly the ones with the bright red stripes and blotches have died off. We still have the other 2 and try to divide and propagate each year to keep them going.

You can try both indoor and outdoor starts but at this time of year starting outside is ideal.

Good luck and enjoy