How to Deadhead Flowering Plants
Deadheading your flowering plants when they start to wither is a way to keep them blooming and looking good all season. When you remove the blooms that are ready to drop their seeds, the plant makes more flowers, in order to have more seeds to drop. This means a plant that looks pretty for a longer period of time for you.
- Check flowers often. A flower can go downhill fast. To keep your flower garden looking good, you will want to deadhead and get rid of withered and brown blooms as soon as possible.
- Cut the stem of any withered flowers that are on tall stems. Use shears to cut the stem down to the base of the plant.
- Chop any plant back that has tons of tiny flowers. Trying to deadhead each one individually would take too long and be difficult. Cutting back the whole plant is easier and the plant will then grow and produce more flowers for you to enjoy.
- Deadhead all other plants by pinching the flower portion off of the stem. You can then dispose of the head of the flower or save it for next year. You can place the heads in a brown paper bag. Store them in a cool, dark place over the winter months. In the summer, you will have new seeds to plant in your garden. Just use your fingers to separate the clumps of seeds and plant as you would seeds that you bought. It is a good idea to label the bags, so you know what kind of seeds are in each one.
- Cut back plants that have ragged looking foliage once they have stopped blooming. Cut back one third of the plant with sharp shears. The plant will then produce new leaves and maybe even some new flowers.