You've invested loads of your valuable time and money into creating a garden you can enjoy and be proud of. Don't let your garden go now! There's still many more blooms to come!
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One of the best ways to keep your yard flowers looking their best during peak blooming season is to get out there and snip off the old blooms as soon as they go by the wayside. Many summer blooming perennials benefit from cutting or pinching off the dead blooms. Flowers that repeat bloom will love having a little hair cut!
I use my smallest pruners ( the same ones I use for cutting flowers for arrangments).
It's the perfect size for getting around tight spaces in between flower heads that are in bud, or already blossomed to get to the spent ones.
I use a galvanized bucket to gather the dead flower heads, and I always include a small garden shovel to do some weeding while I'm there.
I keep my handy- dandy wheelbarrow nearby to dump my bucket as I move from one area to the next. When trimming flowers I cut them down to the bottom of the stem just above where the leaves begin. This makes the over all plant look neater.
When trimming Knock Out Roses cut back to the first set of 5 leaves as pictured above.
When that rose has gone by I'll cut it off right at the base of those 5 leaves. Soon, purple new growth will appear, followed by new rose buds!
Deadheading your flowers isn't just good for them it's good for you too!
You can observe your plants up close, smell the more fragrant blooms and foliage and at the end of the day, pat yourself on the back for a job well done!
8 comments:
Lovely photos and info ! I did all my dead heading and weeding yesterday . Lots more blooms are appearing in the garden as well . The Tiger Lilies are looking lovely as are the Giant Lilies we have and all our cone flowers that are different colours are now open ! Everything is doing well and I am enjoying each moment of it all ! Thanks for sharing ! Have a good day !
Just as soon as my back is better I have to devote a whole lot of time to this. My knockout got hit badly with ice/snow so not only do I need to deadhead but I need to severely prune!
It's so interesting that you wrote about this topic today. I had just heard of this term yesterday (gasp!) and was reading more about it. This is my first time planting geraniums and that's where I heard this term. Thanks for more information. Very insightful!
Hi Libby! Geraniums especially like to be pinched back... They perform so much better that way! So glad this post was helpful to you! Thanks for your note. Happy Gardening!
Deb
Kathy, I hope your back feels better soon... It's hard to garden when your back is giving you fits!
I know things are looking good at the cove! You have the photos to prove it! :)
Wish I had read this before I cut my roses. I just them were ever and have not seem a new rose since.
Oh darn Michelle...I'm not an expert on trimming or cutting back all roses, but the nursery gal told me how to care for my Knock Out Roses and her advice was spot on...I hope you're give you a second bloom come late summer. I have one David Austin Rose that gives in spring and again in September. I cut it way back after it blooms the first time and it usually comes back one more time.
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