Many years ago, I remember being at a gardening function and was in a conversation about what we were currently doing in our garden and one person said they had been ‘deadheading’ most of the previous morning. ‘Deadheading’, I thought, what on earth does that mean? Now, looking back on that conversation, it makes me smile and also reminds me that gardeners often use words describing something in the garden and that meaning might not be known to those outside of the gardening community.
Today, when talking with others about gardening, especially a novice gardener, and I see a look of puzzlement, I quickly explain in ‘common’ terms what it is that I am referring to.
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So, back to the word ‘deadheading’, which is commonly used here in the Pacific Northwest. It simply means the act of removing old flowers, usually during the growing season, to encourage new flowers or new growth. It takes energy for a plant to produce seeds and by preventing seed development, the plant can expend energy toward more flowers and/or new growth. Deadheading will also generally improve the appearance of plants by removing the wilted flowers and the old seed heads.
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The word ‘deadheading’ seems to be used in reference to specific plants. For example, I do not hear gardeners say they are going to deadhead their roses, but rather that they are going to either prune or cut off the old flower stems. However it is very common to use the word deadheading when referring to rhododendrons and I often hear gardeners say they are going to deadhead their rhododendrons.
Once rhododendrons have finished blooming, their old flower heads can give the appearance of a distressed plant. It does not look very attractive to see wilted and dried flowers hanging on a plant. While deadheading a large rhododendron is time consuming, I think that it is quite easy to do and the plant will physically look much better afterward.
Once the flower petals are wilted, it is easy to either cut or snap the top stalk that supported the flowers. Go down to the first set of leaves, but do not remove any of the leaves. There will be a natural break that is very visible and this is what should be removed. This will remove the old flower petals and any seed heads that might be forming. Be very careful when removing this stalk because at its base will be new buds forming that will be new growth and bloom for next year. This same process can be repeated on azaleas. Incidentally, this time in the spring is also a good time to fertilize both rhododendrons and azaleas.
Plants with multiple blooms on a stem, such as delphinium, begonias and salvia, should be deadheaded once 70 percent of the blooms have faded. And the deadheading process can be repeated throughout the growing season for your best blooms.
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If you have wilting blooms, that means your plant is “producing” fruit (flowers, buds, seeds, etc.) and to keep it producing, make sure you’re providing adequate nutrients and water it requires. Choose a fertilizer that has smaller N (Nitrogen number- the first number in the NPK analysis) a smaller K (Potash- the last number in the NPK trio), and a larger number for P (Phosphorous- the middle number in NPK).
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Another good way to prepare your flowering plants for good blooming is to add 1-2″ of organic mulch in February or March that will slowly break down and provide nutrients throughout the season. Then in March or April add a couple of tablespoons of bone meal to the soil at the base of your plant.
If you are not sure what your soil needs, you might consider purchasing a soil test kit. They are easy to use, accurate, come with great recommendations, and are customized for your area and what you are growing.
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While the term ‘deadheading’ might not be used, many plants will benefit from the removal of the old flower stems. Salvia is a good example. I have many Salvia plants in my garden and I continually remove the old flower stems which then encourages new flower stems to grow and most of my plants continue to bloom all summer. Dahlias are another common garden plant that will benefit from having the old flowers removed.
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Salvia ‘Black and Blue’ blooms similar to many other Salvia’s. Notice where the arrow is pointing, at the base of a flower stem where there are two new stems beginning to grow. Once the flowers have faded, cut the stem off being careful not to damage the new growth which is where new flowers will appear.
This is a good example of a rhododendron that has finished flowering. Some of the faded flowers are still visible and there are also seed heads forming where the flowers once were. The arrow shows the stem that held the flowers which now has faded flowers and seed heads. This can be removed and is what is referred to as deadheading. Notice to the left of the stem, there is new stem. Be very careful not to break this because this is new growth for next year. Unfortunately It is very easy to break this new stem since it is close to the stem that held the flowers, which is now is being removed.
If ‘deadheading’ is new to you, don’t be intimidated by it. Once you get started, you will find it is quite easy and soon will see and learn where the natural place is on the stems to make the cut. Plants are quite forgiving and will generally perform much better once the old flower stems have been removed.
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