The number one way to get more flowers on your perennials and annuals? Get to deadheading!
Deadheading is the best hack to getting more blooms out of your plants! When you remove a plant’s spent flowers before they have time to fully set seed, you’ll reset their biological clocks and force them to bloom all over again. That’s because the main “purpose” of most perennial and annual flowering plants is to reproduce, which for them means making flowers that ultimately turn into seeds. Deadheading stops that process short, meaning they have to start at the beginning again, which is a win for gardeners who want to see another wave or two of flowers from their plants before the season ends.
But even if you know that you should deadhead your plants, you might not know how to deadhead correctly. To make sure you take the right approach to deadheading your plant, follow our handy guide below.
Here are the different ways to deadhead plants, along with a quick reference for which plants fall into each group!
1. The Flower Pinch
What it is: Pinching flowers is a great way to keep clusters of blooms looking tidy when some of the flowers have aged but others are still in good shape. Snap spent flowers off and be sure to remove the swollen base that holds the seed head.
When to use it: Pinch flowers when the petals have browned or shriveled and when they are unsightly, but when other flowers in the cluster still look good.
Plants to Pinch: Daylilies, Irises, Floribunda Roses, Petunias
2. The Big Shear
What it is: Shearing plants down to the base encourages the entire plant to rejuvenate, leaves, stems, and flowers included! Use hedge trimmers or pruning shears to cut the entire plant back to 2-3” above the soil.
When to use it: Shear plants hard when all or at least 75% of the flowers have finished blooming. Fertilize to encourage more growth.
Plants to Shear: Hardy Geraniums, Catmint, Nemesia
3. The Stem Removal
What it is: Remove entire blooming stems down to the base of the plant near the leaves.
When to use it: Remove stems back to the base after all flowers on the stalk have finished blooming.
Plants to De-Stem: Hostas, Foxgloves, Snapdragons
4. The Tip Shear
What it is: A cross between shearing and tip removal, light shearing allows the whole plant to get cut back so that it can rejuvenate without the need to regrow stems and leaves.
When to use it: Tip shear when nearly all flowers have finished blooming.
Plants to Shear: Shrub Roses, Calibrachoa, Agastache
5. The Node Snip
What it is: Pinch or prune flowers back to the next healthy set of buds or leaves.
When to do it: When the flower at the top has finished blooming and looks unsightly or is starting to form a seed head.
Plants to Snip: Buddleija, Roses, Zinnias, Cosmos
Unsure of how exactly to care for your flowering plants? Our in-store experts at our garden centers are always happy to provide in-person guidance. Bring us a picture or the name of your plant and come by to ask for advice!