How to Deadhead Flowers

Deadheading flowers is an essential part of garden maintenance. Usually, in the late spring to mid-summer, the flowers on your annuals, perennials, and shrubs begin looking tired and old. This means it is time to deadhead! Continue reading to learn how to deadhead flowers.

Deadheading Roses

It is essential to deadhead roses, as it keeps disease and insects away and promotes new growth and flowers. With roses, find the tired and spent blooms. Grab the dead bloom and cut about one to two inches below the flower. When doing so, be sure not to cut off a new bud. If the spent flower shares a stem with a new bud, just cut below the spent flower. Continue doing this for the remainder of spent blooms.

Deciduous Shrubs

When deadheading deciduous shrubs, simply give the shrub a haircut! With most deciduous shrubs, taking off two to four inches will be enough to promote new growth. If the deciduous shrubs only bloom once in the spring, deadheading will only promote new growth of the overall shrubs and not new blooms.

Deadheading Annuals and Perennials

When deadheading perennials, it is ok to gather the plant in your hand and cut back the perennial with one fell swoop. Often, removing four inches of old blooms will make a dramatic difference for annuals and perennials. The plant should flush out within a couple of weeks with new flowers for you to enjoy for the rest of the summer.

For more updates, visit our Facebook page! 

Click here to view our events page!