Deadheading – the removal of dead flower heads from plants – is one of the most important gardening tasks to maintain healthy plants, encourage more growth and extend its flowering season.
'When it comes to deadheading, owners might feel they’re harming their flowers rather than nurturing them,' David Denyer, expert florist at Eflorist tells House Beautiful, but it is in fact the secret to endless blooms.
'Deadheading is a crucial step to encourage blooms and by removing spent flowers — which keeps remaining buds looking vibrant and fresh and blocks the potential for mould to develop – it also prevents the formation of new seeds, which redirects the plant’s energy back to the bulb and increases its chances of flowering and growing fuller the following year,' David explains.
How to deadhead successfully
To get the most benefit from deadheading, remove spent flowers as soon as the flowers begin to lose their vibrancy, says David. How frequently or infrequently you deadhead will depend on the specific plant, but as the RHS advise, 'It's best to deadhead flowering plants regularly, whatever the season.'
How to deadhead
‘The first step is to remove any spent blooms that are showing signs of wilting, browning, or are losing their petals,' instructs David. So, if you spot any signs that your flowers are looking less vibrant than usual, this is a good indicator that it's time to start deadheading.
Once you’ve located these sections, ‘find the stem that holds the flower head and using a basic rule of thumb, using secateurs or scissors, cut around ¼ above the new leaf, flower, or bud,’ David explains. 'Or using your finger and thumb, you can simply pinch off the flower head to encourage new growth and have a longer-lasting display.'
Watch this video below of TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh showing how to deadhead roses like a pro:
Tip: Add your withered or dead flowers to your compost heap.
Which flowers benefit most from being deadheaded?
'Some of the flowers that can benefit from deadheading include roses, tulips, peonies, snapdragons, petunias, and daffodils,' David tells us.
There are, however, flowers such as fuchsias, bedding lobelias and salvias that neatly deadhead themselves, saving you the task, says the RHS, which is why it's worth checking if deadheading is necessary before you start snipping.
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