Hello! I've recently started wondering (and worrying) about what will happen to my snapdragons, violas, and dianthus, during the summer. I've come to realize that these plants are typically grown in the winter, and may not survive the summer here. This worries me because I already planted the majority of them in my summer planters! Does anyone with experience in Indiana, know if these plants will survive the summer? Should I go ahead and ditch the idea of them surviving, and look for summer-thriving plants? I was really looking forward to attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds all summer!

I think dianthus will be okay; it survives our summers here. Snapdragons struggle through our summers too but are ugly. Violas don't make it.

porkpal said:I think dianthus will be okay; it survives our summers here. Snapdragons struggle through our summers too but are ugly. Violas don't make it.

Dang it! I loved those fragrant, little, pansy-like flowers. What do you mean when you say they're ugly? The heat will make them ugly? Should I just cut them out in the summer? I have the 36 inch and 10 inch varieties.

Crazed - are the snaps in full sun? Mine survive the summers in part sun and, since you're a zone warmer, they may even winter over if planted in the ground. Planters may be a bit tough for them in the heat but maybe giving them adequate moisture will help them survive. They are a little cold tolerant and will hang on into the colder fall. They won't bloom in "winter". Pansies don't like the heat so much but Johnny-jump-ups do ok in part sun and will keep on blooming but will get scraggly. Pansies not as tolerant are usually used in spring and cooler fall months, more for early or late color. Dianthus should do ok (I have a couple of perennial varieties) but they won't like being really wet. Pruning off dead blooms might help all of them continue blooming longer.

I have Snapdragons, Johnny Jump-ups and Dianthus planted in the ground in my yard. All do well all summer and come back every spring. I've never tried them in pots. If the pot was large and thick walled, they would work though. For pots, I use bloom-all-summer types like Million Bells, Petunias, sweet potato vines, Ageratum and coleus. I don't expect them to winter over though. The all year pots are full of miniature roses. They are boring in the winter but I don't have to replant in the spring.

Thanks for all the great responses! The snapdragons are in full sun. The larger ones will be planted soon, but I hadn't planned on planting the dwarf type. My deck (which is where I put my pots) unfortunately can get up to 115 degrees in the summer, and has almost no shade. I guess I can try to find a place to plant the viola and snaps. It's a shame; I loved seeing their stunning flowers. Can you guys suggest some similar, pollinator-friendly flowers I can get to replace them? The pots I will need filled are both 23 inches long, 8 inches wide, 8 inches deep.

I would certainly suggest marigolds for Summer planters, and Salvia and Zinnias grow well with them.

Hello and @CrazedHoosier! Here's a thought: Snap dragons can be grown indoors if you have a room that gets enough sunlight. Maybe you can still save them just put them in another pot and bring them inside?

Yardenman said:I would certainly suggest marigolds for Summer planters, and Salvia and Zinnias grow well with them.

I love marigolds! I have them every year! I remember zinnias from childhood, but never had them since then. Never had salvia either. Are there dwarf varieties?

IJsbrandtGA said:Hello and @CrazedHoosier! Here's a thought: Snap dragons can be grown indoors if you have a room that gets enough sunlight. Maybe you can still save them just put them in another pot and bring them inside?

Thanks! I've never thought of growing them indoors. The larger ones probably wouldn't work, but a couple of the dwarf variety would do well, I think!