Five good reasons to deadhead

June 27, 11:16 AMOklahoma Gardening ExaminerDee Nash

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Rosa 'Mutablilis'

Once the first flush of blooms is over, it's time to deadhead those flowers.  Here are five good reasons to "just do it," as the Nike commercial says:

• Deadheading promotes new growth and more blooms. It tells the plants that just because it’s hot and dry is no reason to stop. See the faded pink blooms on the rose at right? Newer flowers are crowding in and trying to bloom on top of the faded ones. Some roses also form rose hips sapping energy from the bush and telling it to slow down or do nothing.  Note: On most roses, try to make the cut above the first set of five leaves. However, with Knockouts or other shrub roses, just cut them off with garden shears.  They seem to like the abuse. On other shrubs like ‘Anthony Waterer’ spirea, use shears too.
• Deadheading stops annuals from setting seed. From an annual’s point of view, its sole purpose is to make as many flowers as possible, set seed and die. It's too early in the season to let the annuals to die no matter how hot summer is.
• Deadheading allows new blooms to open.  With larger flowers like daylilies, new blooms get hung up in the old, dead blossoms and don't open properly. Deadhead daylilies everyday.  It can be a meditative practice if there are enough of them in the garden.
• Deadheading makes your perennials, annuals and shrubs look nice and neat. Old growth, unless in ancient hardwood forests, is ugly.
• Deadheading gives plants renewed vigor and bushier growth.  The plants just look better going into the latter part of summer and fall.

It is hot and dry this summer. All the more reason to deadhead plants and give them some nutrients. This time of year, plant foliage has a faded, washed out look. In the morning hours before the temperatures rise, spray plants with a diluted mixture of Garden-Ville’s Sea Tea or Ladybug's organic fertilizer concentrate.  Foliar feeding makes the garden and the gardener smell like fish emulsion for a day, but it also increases plant stamina during summer's dog days.  

To find such fertilizers locally, try Farmer's Grain in Edmond, Oklahoma.  They have an entire section of organic fertilizers, insecticides, deterrants and herbicides.