Today I’m going to write about something that most people intensely dislike — “dead-heading.”

Why do we dislike it? It’s boring and it takes time that we could be spending doing something summery and fun. We get so many questions — Do I have to deadhead? What happens if I don’t do it? Are there any plants that don’t need it? What do you mean by deadheading?

Deadheading is pinching off dying flowers before they produce seed. All living things have an inborn need to procreate and flowers procreate by producing seed that will give life to another generation. To deadhead you pinch off the flower and the swelling below the flower, which is where the seed pod will develop. So deadheading isn’t just cosmetic. It will keep the plant flowering for much longer. Some people think that shaking a plant until the dying flowers are dislodged will do, but they are wrong. The developing seed pod must go as well.

When the plant doesn’t have to work to develop the seed, it can put all its energy into producing new flowers, which is what we want. And then the process starts all over — the plant produces flowers which die and the plant tries to make more seedheads.

There are two main methods of deadheading — using your fingers or using scissors or secateurs. Using your fingers is generally the easiest way unless a plant is unwilling to give up its dying flowers without a fight, or if you don’t have fingernails (or if you have a French manicure, which most gardeners don’t). To deadhead a plant, use your thumb and forefinger. Pinch or snap off the flower below the swelling of the seed head as close as possible to a main stem. Once the plant doesn’t have to produce seed, it can put all of its energy into producing more shoots and flowers.

I’m sure you have all seen the incredible chrysanthemums in the grocery stores and florists in the fall. They are often so dense with flowers that they look like velvet. How is this look achieved? They are started with cuttings and pinched back at predetermined times. They don’t produce any flowers until it is decided that the plant is full enough. Then the pinching stops and the flowers are allowed to grow.

Another reason that plants are cut back or pinched is to remove the flower heads so they don’t produce seed and self-seed in the garden.

Some flowers produce a lot of seed and sometimes it seems that every one germinates, causing you a lot of extra work weeding them out in the spring.

Of course a plant can be pinched or pruned at any time to improve its shape, to get rid of any “wild” growth, or when we snip stems for cut flowers.

So what about plants that don’t need deadheading? There are many perennial plants which don’t need deadheading, but today I’m just going to talk about annuals which we use in planters and baskets, because those are the ones people usually ask about.

People come into the greenhouse and ask about “those plants that don’t have to be deadheaded.” In general they are asking about supertunias and calibrachoa (million bells). These plants do not produce seed but are grown from cuttings so the plant isn’t using its energy trying to produce seed. But my personal preference is to deadhead them occasionally too, as I think the plants look much better without the dead flowers in them.

Another method we use is cutting plants back quite severely. If plants such as bacopa, lobelia or impatiens get overgrown you can cut them back by about one third. True, you will lose flowers for a short time, but you’ll be amply rewarded with the fresh new blooms that appear.

There are people who like to deadhead. They like the quiet, reflective time and enjoy the feeling of making the plant healthier and more beautiful. I think that any job which helps people feel more tranquil is a boon in these busy times.

* * *

Totally off the topic, I‚d like to take this opportunity to thank the many volunteers who have staffed the Elizabeth Lake Visitor Centre. In the last few weeks I have counted the vehicles there and there are seldom fewer than ten cars and RVs. It provides travelers, as well as locals, with a friendly place to take a break — a bathroom break, a place to make a meal, a great trail for adults and children to take a close look at the wonders of nature. The flower planters look good and the whole place looks well-kept. The Chamber of Commerce should be proud of this special place.

Comments

Be the first to comment!