Leaving only the Best:
    Ensure a bounty of blooms with this basic garden procedure.

What is Deadheading?
Deadheading is the removal of fading flowers to spur new blooms and keep a plant tidy.  As a rule of thumb, if the bloom has begun to lose its color, the plant will benefit from deadheading.

Why DeadHead?

1.  For more blooms:
    Flowering is how plants make their seeds.  As flowers die, the plant spends its energy manufacturing seeds.  By deadheading, you make the plant redirect its energy into growing blooms.
2.  For general plant health:
      Flowering plants try to make seeds, especially when they lack nutrients or water.  By removing flowers during dry spells, you help the plant use its resources to stay healthy. 
3.  To keep beds neat:
    Deadheading helps keep flowering plants tidy.  Dead flowers are unsightly and can ruin the appearance of an otherwise lush, colorful bed.

When to DeadHead:

    Deadhead flowers that are past their peak.  The longer you leave fading flowers, the longer the plant will waste energy on dying blooms. 
     Deadheading should be part of your weekly garden maintenance.  By checking flowers beds regularly, you ensure that fading blooms are promptly removed.

How to DeadHead

    Deadheading is done in one of two ways:  by cutting off fading blooms, or by pinching them off.  Pinch off flowers on short stems that snap off easily, and cut off flowers on soft or sticky stems, such as Sweet Alyssum.  Cut flowers on long, thick stems to just above the nearest flower bud.

You will need:
 Bucket
 Sharp garden shears

1.  Inspect plants for faded blooms.  the longer you
     leave flowers on the stems, the more energy the 
     plant spends on the dying flower.

2.  Pinch off blooms with your forefinger and thumb, 
     snapping off the stem above the next flower bud.  A
     clean break minimizes the risk of disease.

3.  Use shears to cut smaller, more delicate flowers.
     shears should be used for flower clusters or flowers
     that have fragile stems.

4.  Remove dead leaves when you deadhead a flower 
     bed.  Collect all plant materials in a bucket and then
     add it to the compost pile.

NOTE:  Suspend deadheading at the end of the season to get new plants for free.  Allow flowers such as Zinnias, Marigolds, and Helianthus to age on the plant and grow seeds on the faded blooms.  Cut and dry the dead flowers and collect seeds by crumbling the dried flower head.  Keep seeds in an envelope until next spring and then grow in seed trays.

DeadHeading Flowering Shrubs

     Flowering shrubs benefit from the process of deadheading.  Most shrubs generally flower for one season, so removing the spent flowers will promote new blooms that growing season.  Deadheading will, however help the shrub grow more buds and lusher foliage the following year. 
     Prune back stems that are carrying spent flowers.  Cuts should be clean, generally above an outward-facing bud.  You can also remove buds on flowering shrubs, which will encourage shrubs to grow fewer, but larger, flowers the next year.  Remove a few flower buds just before the shrub begins flowering.

Seasonal Tips:

Early Spring:  Disbudding
     After last frost, but before first flowering, pinch off several buds in each cluster to encourage larger blooms.

Summer: Deadheading annuals
     Establish a regular schedule to inspect and deadhead annuals throughout the blooming season.

Fall:  Deadheading fall bloomers
     Fall flowers such as Sedum and Chrysanthemums, should be deadheaded before the first killing frost.

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