deadheading

Deadheading is the horticultural practice of removing faded or spent flowers from flowering plants. The primary goals are to prolong the flowering period, improve the plant’s appearance, and reduce the formation of seeds, which can signal the plant to stop producing new blooms.

Practices vary by species. In many annuals and perennials, gardeners remove the flower head just above the first healthy leaf or back to the base of the stem, using clean scissors or pruning shears. For some species, it is enough to pinch off the spent blossoms with fingers. In other cases, gardeners cut back the entire flowering stem to encourage a new flush of blooms later in the season. Deadheading is typically best done soon after flowering fades, but timing depends on the plant and climate.

Benefits include extended bloom time, neater beds, and reduced self-sowing in some settings. Drawbacks include the potential removal of seed heads that wildlife rely on or the loss of natural regeneration in seed-producing species. Some plants rebound quickly after deadheading, while others require no deadheading to perform well.

Commonly deadheaded plants include many annuals and perennials such as roses, cosmos, zinnias, rudbeckia, petunias, and geraniums. In shrubs and woody plants, deadheading may be more selective to avoid removing developing buds.