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Deadheading Keeps Annuals Going at Summer's End
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 Joe Lamp'l - DIY Network
It's late August and I just returned from Alaska where we taped three shows for Garden Smart. One of them featured the gardens at The Alaska State Fair. Surprised? So was I. But in addition to the standard rides and food you would expect to see, many attend the event to take in the spectacular displays of flowers that blanket the grounds at every turn.
Think about that for a moment. By late summer, our gardens where annual flowerbeds and containers once thrived now look a bit tired at best. But at The Alaska State Fair, the flowers and container plantings are robust, full of vigor and rich in color and fullness.
Now I don't discount the fact that the higher temperatures of the lower 48 can be harsh, just as the cooler climate in Alaska is more forgiving. But no matter where you live, all plants have a lifecycle and the flowering stage is the last thing that happens to an annual before it begins its rapid decline into compost.
Besides providing the essential water and nutrients, deadheading (the act of removing spent flower blooms from the plant) is the single most important thing you can do to keep your annual flowering plants and some perennials persisting as long as possible. In fact, for the gardeners at the Alaska State Fair, it's so crucial, I'm told that if they even miss a few days, the plants stop producing and they don't recover. To the new gardener, deadheading can seem drastic. But the experienced veteran knows that for annuals, deadheading is vital to prolonging the display of beautiful flowers and to the health of the plant for a number of reasons.
The annuals you plant in your garden each year really have only one mission; to produce seed during their relatively short life. If the plant is successful in this endeavor, then it has accomplished what it was born to do. Upon completion of the mission, the plant will start to decline and die. By removing flower blooms that have passed their prime, you are preventing the plant from accomplishing its sole purpose. Consequently, the plant is signaled to "send in reinforcements" by way of more flower blooms, all with the intent of producing seed. Deadheading therefore, keeps the plant in constant production mode. To our delight, the outcome is a steady show of new blooms.
As beautiful as most annuals can be, too much of a good thing can be too much. Annuals reproduce by seed, and if given the opportunity, you may end up with far more plants next year than you ever wanted. However, if your desire is to have more of the same next year, then allow some of your late season blooms to stay on the plant.
Whenever you deadhead, you are redirecting the plant's energy from producing seed to putting on new growth above and below ground. The results above ground will often be the emergence of new shoots from two or more buds rather than the previous one. When I buy annuals from the nursery, I often will deadhead most of the flower buds. This gives the plants more time to establish in the garden and creates a better foundation for season-long success.
Anytime I have the opportunity to remove dead or dying plant material (including spent flower blooms) from the garden, I do it. I know that by doing so, I reduce the chances of promoting pests and disease from taking hold.
An obvious reason for deadheading includes keeping your garden looking its best. Not only are you removing unsightly brown, wilted plant material, you also are setting into motion a rejuvenation process that often creates a better looking plant, and one that is far more floriferous.
The end of summer doesn't have to signal the end of peak annual flower displays. Judicious deadheading on a consistent basis will be one of the most important steps you can take to ensure a spectacular display long after your neighbors have put their gardens to bed.
(Joe Lamp'l, host of Fresh from the Garden on the DIY Network and GardenSMART on PBS, is a Master Gardener and author. For more information visit www.joegardener.com and www.DIYnetwork.com. Or visit scrippsnews.com |
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