Removing Faded Flowers for Better Looking Plants
Removing faded flowers can promote repeat bloom and more compact, healthier growth.
Remove the fading flowers of begonia and ageratum during wet weather to reduce disease problems.
Deadhead heavy seeders like columbine and valerian that you want to keep contained. Or allow some seeds to develop if you have space to fill or want lots of seedlings to transplant and share with others.
Cut back bleeding heart, halfway, after flowering. This promotes new leaf growth, so the plant won’t go dormant mid-summer.
Allow seedheads to develop on Siberian iris and other plants with seedheads that provide winter interest.
Consider removing the developing flowers of lamb’s ear if you prefer the foliage over the flowers. This encourages more compact growth and an overall better-looking plant. This is true for coleus as well. Flowerless varieties of these plants and self-branching coleus hybrids eliminate this task.
A bit more information: Consider deadheading columbine hybrids so the energy goes into the plant, extending its life in the garden. Otherwise you will have a shorter-lived parent plant and lots of seedlings that usually don’t look like their more expensive parents.
Related
Categories
Upcoming Live Events
& Webinars
April 17, 2024
Landscaping for Birds:
A Gardener’s Perspective
Glendale, WI
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
May 4, 2024
Garden U 2024
New Richmond, WI
Register now
May 9, 2024
FREE WEBINAR
How to Plant Your Rain Garden
Register now
May 11, 2024
Ask The Plant Doctor Q & A
Ebert's Greenhouse Village, Ixonia, WI
May 12, 2024
Ask The Plant Doctor Q & A
Ebert's Greenhouse Village, Ixonia, WI
May 18, 2024
Ask The Plant Doctor Q & A
Ebert's Greenhouse Village, Ixonia, WI
June 1, 2024
Selecting, Planting, Pruning and Caring for Hydrangeas
Ebert's Greenhouse Village, Ixonia, WI
June 5, 2024
FREE WEBINAR
Under-Appreciated Pollinators
Register now
WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS
Learn More