People are often told to deadhead flowers. What, exactly, is deadheading and why is it necessary or desirable?
First, you have to understand why plants make flowers. Flowers are simply vehicles to shelter seeds until they can go out and find someplace to grow. To a plant, growing a flower and the resulting seed it one of the prime imperative for survival. Once the seed is ready to be dispersed, the plant quits concentrating on producing flowers and goes about its’ business.
If, however, the flower is removed before the process is completed, the plant feels compelled to produce another flower. It will do so for several times before giving up. This is the imperative that we take advantage of when deadheading flowers.
To deadhead a flower, you simply cut the stem cleanly just under the flower. The cut heals quickly and the plant bloom again. It is important to cut the flowers off because yanking them off can injury the plant.
This does not work with all plants. It makes everything look tidier, but some plants only bloom once no matter what Roses and many annuals, such as Marigolds, benefit from deadheading. Tulips and other plants that produce only a single bloom will not bloom again.
So, when you see wilted flowers on your otherwise healthy plants, you should remove the dead blooms with a pair of pruning shears. You may be rewarded with additional blooms.
