Crucial summer task will ensure plants ‘produce more flowers’ and look ‘more attractive’
Deadheading is when gardeners remove spent flowers from plants. While it may seem like a simple task, it will ensure plants "produce more flowers" and look "more attractive".
Gardening: Expert demonstrates how to deadhead flowers
Deadheading plants should be done in the summer months as the flowers on plants fade and shrivel up.
Deadheading removes the faded flowers and encourages the plant to produce even more flowers rather than seed pods.
With this in mind, gardening expert Fiona Jenkins at MyJobQuote.co.uk, the UK’s leading trades matching site has shared the benefits of deadheading plants.
She exclusively told Express.co.uk: “Deadheading spent blooms means the plant’s energy is directed to producing more flowers rather than making seeds. It also makes your plants look more attractive.”
Simply pinch off the spent flower head with your fingers or a pair of precise scissors to deadhead a plant. Make sure to get rid of the flower head and stalk in its entirety.
It is best to deadhead frequently, particularly in the spring and summer. This will enable your plants to continuously produce a bouquet of blooms.
Some plants that benefit from deadheading include:
- Asters
- Begonias
- Chrysanthemums
- Daisies
- Delphiniums
- Hydrangeas
- Impatiens
- Roses
- Snapdragons
- Zinnias
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Simple maintenance like deadheading can significantly improve the way plants look.
Gardeners can encourage plants to produce new blossoms and keep them looking tidy by removing the spent flowers.
There are certain plants that should not be deadheaded so that they can re-seed next year.
Foxgloves, cardinal flowers, forget-me-nots and hollyhocks should not be deadheaded throughout the season.
Deadheading should be stopped in August or early September so perennials can prepare for the winter months.
There are some plant varieties that are self-cleaning so the spent flowers will naturally just drop off so no trimming is needed.