Dead heading Flowers is a simple but effective way to gain a longer flowering period from your plants. Snip off or pinch out old flowers as soon as they have ‘gone over’. Those flowers have done their bit for the flower gardener and it is time to make room for new flowers.

Benefits of Dead Heading Flowers

• When a plant starts to set seed, it automatically stops producing more flowers to focus its energy on developing the seed. If you cut off the dead flowers before they have time to set seed then this shuts off the signal enabling a longer flowering period to be enjoyed.
• Dead heading can create a bushier more attractive plant. In the foxglove above, the traditional spike has been replaced with numerous side shoots creating a unique look as well as an extended flower season.
• Some plants particularly annuals die after flowering and deadheading may prolong their life.
• Dead heading keeps a plant tidy. Old flowers may attract rot or disease.
• Dead heading stops unwanted self sowing of seeds from profligate species.
• Dead head even if you do not expect more flowers as it will direct energy into the plant and not reproduction.

‘Dahlia passed it’s best and ready to dead head.’

Plants which Benefit from Dead Heading

• Sweet peas
• Roses
• Marigolds
• Geraniums
• Nearly all plants will benefit from dead heading even Orchids.

Flowers Not to Dead Head

• Do not dead head flowers you are growing for drying or for seed heads. Honesty, grasses and poppy seed heads look exotic in winter when rhymed with frost.
• I leave old heads on Hydrangeas until the following year to protect young buds from frost.
• If a plant has finished flowering or it is late in the season there may be no point in dead heading.
• Do not dead head if you want to collect seed from a plant

‘Geraniums passing their best dead head now for a new flush of flowers.’

Many flowers self dead head by dropping the flowers until the plant is ready to set seed.
Other plants have so many flowers it is not worth the effort of dead heading as you will still get a good crop.
Focus energy on flowers not seeds by dead heading frequently as soon as flowers start to ‘go over’.