• slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
What-is-Deadheading.jpg

What is Deadheading?

I am a new gardener and confused by the term deadheading.  Do I deadhead everything that blooms in my garden?  How far should I cut back the plants?

Removing faded flowers, called deadheading, can help promote repeat bloom throughout the season.  Some flowers like impatiens are self cleaning, dropping their spent petals and producing new blooms, without any help from you. 

Removing fading flowers of fuchsia and lantana will prevent the plants from going to seed and encourage more blooms.  Some perennials like salvias will put on a longer flower show with the help of deadheading while others like peonies and perennial geranium won't.  Deadheading these plants is done only to produce a tidier look, not more flowers in the garden. 

The type of flower  (spike, panicle, umbel) will influence where you make your cut.  In general remove the stem of faded blooms back to the first set of healthy leaves or nearby flower buds. 

Leggy plants can be cut back further into the leafy stem to encourage fuller growth as well as more flowers.  

Related

Upcoming Live Events
& Webinars


March 20, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

Maximize the Beauty and Enjoyment
in Any Small Space
Register now

March 23, 2024

REALTORS Home & Garden Show
West Allis, WI

March 27, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

How to Start a Garden for Beginners
Register now

April 3, 2024
Garden Trends 

Franklin Public Library, Franklin, WI

April 10, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

Container Gardening Throughout the Year
Register now

April 11, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

7 Steps to Managing Water Where it Falls in Your Yard
Register now

April 18, 2024
Be a Waterwise Gardener
Golden Rondelle Theater, Racine, WI
Register now

April 20, 2024
Pruning Hydrangeas and Other Shrubs 
Pasquesi Home & Gardens, Lake Bluff, IL

April 27, 2024
Ridges & Rivers Book Festival
Viroqua, WI

April 28, 2024
Flowering Trees and Shrubs
Ebert's Greenhouse Village, Ixonia, WI

May 1, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

Ornamental Fruits and Vegetables
Register now

WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Learn More

Book an Appearance

Learn More

Enter to Win The Birds & Blooms' Ultimate Gardening Guide !

ENTER NOW