Keeping your Spring and Summer stunners looking their best all the way through the growing season by keeping up with deadheading!

Deadheading is as term used for removing faded or dead flowers from plants. With regular deadheading, annuals will continue to bloom throughout the season and perennials will often give you a second flush of flowers.

Why Deadhead

It not only helps maintain the appearance of your plants, but encourages them to focus on continuing to bloom rather than setting seed. This also helps promote well-rounded and compact growth pattern in your plants.

How to Deadhead

As blooms fade, simply pinch or cut off the faded flower at its base. This may be right where the flower connects to the rest of the plant, or right above the first set of leaves below your spent bloom. See Example A.

For blooms on longer stems, pinch or cut where the peduncle (flower stalk) meets the main stem of the plant. See Example B.

Perennials can be deadheaded too - deadheading is a great way to encourage shapely growth and longer bloom times. See Example C. However, some perennials do best being left alone (not deadheaded) so that they may self-seed for next year. Read more from Penn State Extension here.

Deadhead often to keep your plants happy and healthy!

Example A - Petunia

Example B - Geranium

Example C - Yarrow

If you would like guidance on how to deadhead a plant, feel free to stop in and ask! Otherwise, email us at hello@tonkadale.com - we're here to help!