DEADHEADING FLOWERS

KEEP YOUR ANNUALS BLOOMING           

'DEAD-HEADING'

Annuals are plants that grow to maturity, flower, set seed, and die within one year. Once the flowers are pollinated most of the energy of the plant is focused on producing seeds which will ensure its survival the following year. 

Deadheading old flowers encourages the plant to focus  energy on
producing new flowers rather than seeds. 

In order to "fool' the plant into creating more flowers gardeners use the simple trick of pinching off the old flowers. This technique is known as 'dead-heading'.  It forces the plant to start over and produce even more flowers.

 This proven practice works on all annuals from early spring pansies to summer blooming zinnia and marigolds.  Some plants like pansies will even form two new flowers for every one pinched.

Although many flowers can be snapped off with your fingertips, it is often quicker to use snips.

With many flowers you can simply remove the old bloom with your finger tips. On plants with thicker stems it is wiser to use snips to prevent damaging the plants and new flowers.

Many perennials will grow new flowers and extend the flowering season when deadheaded.

The hardest part of this task is finding the time to do it.  If it's late in the season and your marigolds have more dead flowers than you want to deal with, take a chair and cup of tea to where they are and make the task more enjoyable. This will keep your marigolds blooming into early autumn.

On plants such as geraniums and marigold the old dead flowers turn brown and unsightly.
Deadheading keeps them looking neat and tidy.

Dead-heading is also beneficial to many other plants as well. Although most 'perennials' will only bloom for a few weeks during their season, removing the seeds encourages the plants to produce stronger root systems. Since many perennials are best propagated by division (dividing the root system) this practice is very beneficial.

Perennials also benefit from deadheading by producing new flowers
and extending its season.

Even plants grown for their leaves such as Hosta do best when old flowers are removed, producing stronger healthy root systems.

In order to propagate this daylily root division is the easiest and most dependable technique.
Deadheading the spent flowers encourages stronger root growth.

 Summer flowering shrubs such as butterfly bushes or roses will also produce more flowers when dead-headed.

Happy Gardening,

James

Butterfly Bush

BUTTERFLY BUSH

 

When planting remember a 'Buddleia' can rapidly out grow it's space.  

 

As the name implies, the butterfly bush 'Buddleia' is a shrub that attracts butterflies.  They seem to find this shrub impossible to pass by; Buddleia often host more than one butterfly at a time.  Also, don't be surprised to see a hummingbird visit the shrub, especially later in the season.

 

In midsummer, often more than one butterfly will visit this bush at a time. 

 

Noted for its long spires of flowers in a collection of tiny clusters, butterfly bushes bloom from midsummer until the frost period. Buddleia are available in a range of colors from white to pink, to purple, to blue, and even yellow. This hardy shrub dies back in winter and then re-sprouts from new growth next spring, flowering from 'new wood'.  To keep them neat and healthy give Buddleia a 'heavy' pruning every spring.  In late March or April prune it back to two or three feet from the ground. Amazingly it will still increase its height and width every year.  By forcing new growth from the bottom you encourage your shrub to sprout more new stems and many more

flowers.

 

Butterfly bushes are available in many colors, including yellow. 

 

A native to temperate regions of Asia, South Africa, and South America, this fast growing shrub can reach a height of over 6 ft and easily spread as wide in just a few years.  Although well worth the space, keep size in consideration when selecting a planting site.  This also means you can save money by planting a young plant and it will quickly reach its desired height.  Besides, Buddleia shrubs are both drought and deer resistant.  That is a plus for any plant.

 

 Yellow swallowtails, Monarchs and Black Swallowtails mingle with each other while
feeding at this beautiful flowering shrubs.

 

 Butterfly bushes have two draw backs.  First they can quickly outgrow their space. Once established they can grow and spread quickly.  Remember this when selecting a spot. Mature shrubs do not transplant well.  For those with less space there are now miniature varieties.  They will also attract butterflies. Secondly, butterfly bushes can self seed and spread where they are not wanted. I simply remove the unwanted plants treating them as weeds or pot them up to be replanted later.

 

New varieties of miniature butterfly bushes can easily find a spot in almost any garden
with enough sunlight.. 

 

 If butterflies love a flower so do bees. Remember that when planting Buddleia and keep them away from areas with a lot of human traffic and children. An ounce of prevention...

 

Even Hummingbirds visit for a quick snack. 

 

 

                                                                                                                                       Happy Gardening,

James