Arlene Wright-Correll

Dead-heading, Yes or No? © Part II



Posted: Monday, September 01, 2008

by
http://www.learn-america.com

Over the many years of gardening one will gain more and more knowledge and dead-heading came, sometimes, as expensive lessons and that is the reason I am sharing this information with other gardeners.

My Lupine will re-bloom with dead-hading and after their spring flowering, I cut the stems to the small emerging buds along the stems to encourage second growth.

My Mullein will re-bloom with dead-heading when I cut the main spike to the side branches and then I cut the entire plant to the ground after it blooms. Since this is a biennial, dead-heading it helps it to behave as a perennial.

I discovered that my Peonies will not re-bloom if I dead-head them, but I cut off the spent blossoms to keep the plant from looking so bleak. I need all the tidiness I can get in my gardens most of the time.

The Purple Cornflowers are wonderful as they will re-bloom without dead-heading. However, cutting off the early blooms to a side flower will allow your later blooms to be bigger. I do not mind them reseeding so I leave all the seedheads for the birds and hopefully they leave enough for me so I get many more next season.

Whenever I plant Salvia, I will deadhead the spent flowers because it will cause them to have a longer blooming period.

My Pincushion flowers will rebloom with deadheading and I usually just pick off the spent flowers before the seeds form if I happen to get around to it. Most times I just leave them because I have to remember that there is a difference between the buds and the seedheads which look surprisingly similar to me.

My Painted Daisy will definitely rebloom when it is deadheaded. I just snip off the faded flowers along the stem as they occur.

My favorite Shasta Daisies will rebloom when deadheaded and if I cut the spent blooms to the side shoots I will have flowers almost all summer.

Siberian Iris is a no-no for deadheading. I just pinch off the blooms when they are gone to keep the plant looking neat and tidy. However, this will prevent seed formation and you may want to consider whether or not you want to do that.

Tall Sedum and Tall garden Phlox are no for deadheading. On the Sedum I leave the seedheads for wild life or sometimes cut and dry for floral arrangements and just leave them in the garden for a winter interest. The Phlox I just deadhead to the ground after everything is finished blooming.

Frequent deadheading of my tickseed or Coreopsis grandiflora keeps the plants blooming almost all summer and in the late autumn I just cut it all back to the ground.

As you can see being a gardener requires work and as I move into my mid-70's I seem to get to be a lazier and lazier gardener.

"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime May your day be filled with

Peace, Light and Love,

Author's note: This article was originally written for GreenThumbArticles.com

About the Author & Artist. Arlene Wright-Correll (1935- ___), popular American award winning Artist, published author, columnist, & is the resident art instructor for Avalon Stained Glass School, at the age of 68, decided to pick up her paint brushes again after 54 years and paint.  She is a cancer and stroke survivor who is able to strive forward each and everyday to welcome the beauty of this small planet.  She also is a China & Porcelain painter, Sandblasting & Etching, Stained Glass & fused glass Artisan. She is one of the six KY Artists who worked 6 months to create the dolls for Journey Jots in 2006 and a Smithsonian Institute art exhibit in 2008. Her published books can be found here . She is also a featured writer for GreenThumbArticles.com and teaches Art Vacation Holidays at Avalon Stained Glass School and Creativity Center.

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