I look forward to the explosion of colour and scent in my garden every summer. This grows courtesy of many flowers I lay in my bed of plants. However, summer flowers will not last forever. The flowers then disappear, leaving behind the brown shells of former paper.
However, this does not have to be the end of the flower. From spring to autumn to autumn, you can continue with one quick and simple task: Deadheading.
Deadheading sounds like the same as removing dead or withered flowers from a plant. Doing this will promote new flower flushing and the plants will do their best.
Not all kinds of flowers are new, but many people can do it with a little help from you.
Why is deadhead important?
Only flowers exist (in a plant sense) to produce flowers and produce the next generation of flowers. By spreading seeds widely, they guarantee the survival of their species.
However, it takes a lot of energy to produce seeds. Otherwise, the energy to go to make more flowers – the plant does not have it to bloom again. Seed Productions also send a message to the plants that work is being done for the season.
For annual plants, this means that their life cycle is over and they die as soon as the seeds mature. For perennial plants, they bloom for several weeks in spring or summer, but do not have repeat shows for the rest of the growing season.
So how can you “trick” them and bloom again? By the dead head!
It will disrupt the process of setting plant seeds, so it will continue to challenge and pump out the flowers after the flowers! This focuses on the energy of the plant producing flowers instead of seeds.
Use the right techniques
Deadheads are as easy as blocking off used flowers with scissors and puller. Sometimes you can also pinch small flowers with your fingers.
For best results, reduce STEM to the strongest growth point. This is not necessarily a set of next leaves under the used flowers. Sometimes it is deep inside the plant’s crown. Take a closer look at the new healthy leaves coming out of unopened shoots and stems and cut them just above the point.
In plants with daisy-shaped flowers (such as rudbechia and echinacea), it usually looks better when you cut part of the stem beneath the faded flowers. It is recommended to trim on thick main stems (probably new shoots and leaves are formed). This helps avoid the multi-headed “decapitation” appearance, where bare stems are only left on top.
Deadheading is most commonly associated with annuals, but many perennials benefit from more aggressive pruning, re-change old leaves, scuffy mounds, leading to new growth.
For example, with Dianthus, if the first big flash is done, you will cut the stems from a third to half. I tend to focus on really long, leggy stems or stragglers. This keeps the plant compact, improves overall bloating, not too heavy, promotes branching and stimulates a second wave.
Using other perennial plants such as Astilbe, Delphinium, Jacob’s Ladder, and Lady’s Mantle, you can cut down the entire flower stem to the ground once it starts to form seeds. This will allow the plant to focus on the production of new shoots.
Start with the best bloomers
Not all plants need deadheads. Some modern cultivars are kept in “self-cleaning,” so older flowers naturally fall out.
However, most years benefit from this task, and blooms continuously until the end of the season. Best things to focus on include Zinia, Cosmos, Calendula, Poppies, Roses, Feverfew, Single Buttons, and Sweet Peas.
Quick Tips
Be careful not to remove any new shoots. If you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to clip future flowers.
Bloomsow Perennials doing bloom
Certain perennials continue to flower after haircuts, resulting in longer blooming periods. The plant may be washed after a few weeks or given sporadic new flowers until the end of the season.
Some of my favorite Roboomers are:
Alysham Beaverm Butterfly Weed Columbine Coral Bells Core Psis Daisies Daily Lilys Delphinium Diasus Echinacea Fox Glove Hardy Geranium Hibiscus Gaiyal Dia Hollyhock
Stick to your weekly routine
So, how often do you need to be deadhead?
I like to keep my weekly rhythm so I’m not overwhelmed by too many pruning tasks at once. I made it part of a leisurely garden walk and dug out the flowers I had consumed here and there before moving on to my next project. This also helps them catch things before they go to seed and keep my garden beds looking neat.
When you shouldn’t do dead head
Deadheading gives you a clean look overall and helps reduce fungal diseases, but in some cases you may not want to remove used blooms. Maybe you want to collect seeds or love the idea of leaving a natural bird feeder in your garden!
Some seed heads (like thistles and echinacea on Earth) also have a bit of frost, especially to look good on your own. I actually collect the heads of dried glove thistles and use them in holiday centerpieces!
Re-sowing: Leave flowers if you want to collect seeds or drop seeds naturally, volunteers will encourage self-help next year. If you want the best of both worlds, then let the deadhead flowers seed after the first flower flash, the second round flower. Food for Wildlife: A pod of seeds will form on your flowers. If you do that, you will find birds picking them on a cold morning when there are few other food sources. This is one of the reasons why autumn cleanup chores are often postponed until spring. Autumn and Winter Beauty: Ever since the flowers fade, summer flowers continue to add beauty as the garden and seasons change. For example, dried hydrangeas look attractive in the landscape and can be collected for the arrangement of dried flowers. Dried alliums with balls of decorative seed on tall, leafless stems add structure and interest when they rise.
