Off with your plants’ heads! Deadheading is when you remove the spent blooms from your plants, allowing your flowers to bloom for a longer period in the season. It’s also nice to remove that dead weight from your plants and let their beauty speak for themselves without dead flowers holding them back. While not all flowers need deadheading in order to bloom, like hybrids, here are some rules of thumb for the ones that do:
Bedding Plants
Plants like annuals, and even perennials, that you put in beds, hanging baskets, and containers can bloom for longer with deadheading. Annuals like zinnia, marigolds, geraniums, salvia, and petunias, and perennials like roses, yarrow, bleeding hearts, columbine, and campanula are some great examples that need deadheading.
Bulbs
The flowers from larger bulbs, like dahlias, lilies, hyacinths, and camassias, need deadheading. Make sure to only cut off the flower and leave the stalk in place to allow the bulb to conduct photosynthesis and build up for the next season.
Climbers
These gorgeous plants need to be seen in their full beauty. Deadheading climbers like climbing roses, Chilean glory creepers, and clematis will help them shine. Besides encouraging their beauty, deadheading also takes care of climbers’ rapid seed pod production.
Shrubs
Bushes are also a great spot for large, beautiful flowers that should be cleaned up and showcased in front of your home. Be sure to deadhead your hydrangeas, azaleas, peonies, lilacs, and any other shrub that produces unwanted fruits or seeds.
There are other ways you can extend or encourage a flower’s bloom. You can remove any weeds or unwanted plants that might be hoarding nutrients from your prized beauty. You can also propagate current plants by collecting their seeds or dividing them.
At Burger Farm and Garden Center, we want to equip everyone with the tools and knowledge to make their plants, lawn, and garden beautiful and healthy. Learn more and visit us today at burgerfarms.com.