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Deadheading

Not all flowers will re-bloom if you cut off their flowers or seed heads, of course. There is no such thing as a re-blooming peony or a Siberian iris, for example. But did you know that delphinium and Oriental poppies WILL re-bloom if you cut off their blossoms early enough? I've done it. And keep in mind that producing seeds takes a lot of energy so cutting off seeds allows plants to put more energy into developing roots and leaves.

Deadheading a plant means taking off a spent flower. But what you need to do to perennials is a bit more than that if you want another set of blossoms. Yes, deadheading pansies or an annual bachelor buttons will keep on blooming much of the summer and it doesn't really matter where you do it. Just pinch the thin stems as fast you can. But perennials need a severe haircut in order to get a good second show. I recently attended a workshop on summer flower garden maintenance conducted by Nancy Dubrule-Clemente at Natureworks Horticultural Services in Northford, Connecticut. She used a phrase I like very much (so I'm stealing it): "It's an act of faith to cut back a perennial to the ground." It's true.

Nancy emphasized in her talk that just nipping off the spent flowers is not enough. Follow the flower stem right to its base, she said, and cut off there. Get right down on the ground so you can see what you are doing and not get a tired back. I agree. Wear kneepads, or carry a kneeling pad when cleaning up the garden. Or just wear old jeans and sprawl on the lawn as you work.

You may look at a bedraggled delphinium and wonder, "Will I hurt this plant if I cut it to the ground? Wouldn't it be better to allow some leaves - messy and chewed upon, perhaps, to remain?" Nancy confirmed what I've observed: established plants with good root systems shouldn't be killed by cutting them all the way back to the ground. Doing so will, in fact, stimulate basal foliage growth, and may result in a second blooming.

I believe - and Nancy agrees - that giving a plant a dose of fertilizer at the time it is cut it back will give it a burst of energy, speeding up new growth. For years I have scratched in some Pro-Gro organic granular fertilizer around the plants that I cut back in mid-summer. About 25% of the nitrogen in Pro-Gro is water soluble; the rest is slowly broken down by soil microorganisms.

This year I have also been using a liquid fish fertilizer (Neptune's Harvest or Alaska Fish Fertilizer) and watering plants with a dilute solution to give them that same boost. Both liquid fish and the granular organic fertilizers contain the full range of chemical elements needed by plants. Chemical fertilizers, on the other hand, only provide three ingredients - plus lots of inert filler.

Nancy Dubrule-Clemente has produced a very nice spiral-bound book that lists most common perennials, noting when they bloom (in Connecticut) and which ones will re-bloom if cut back in a timely fashion. It is called "Succession of Bloom in the Perennial Garden" and is available for $19.95 plus shipping from her Web site, Natureworks or by calling her shop at 203-484-2748.

So what are some of the flowers that will re-bloom? Here are some of those listed in Nancy Dubrule-Clemente's book Please note that, some, but not all varieties or species (spp.) listed will re-bloom:

• yarrow (Achillea spp)
• hollyhock (Alcea rosea)



• some bellflowers (Campanula spp.)
• perennial bachelor buttons (Centaura Montana, C. dealbata)
• some clematis
• most delphinium



• globe thistle (Echinops ritro)
• most Gaura
• cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum)
• candytuft (Iberis sempervirerns)
• Knautia spp.
• spotted deadnettle (Lamium maculatum)
• perennial flax (Linum spp.)
• many honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.)
• pink mallow (Malva alcea)



• all catmints (Nepeta spp.)
• many roses
• many salvia (Salvia spp.)
• spiderwort (Tradescantia spp.)
• Chaix mullein (Verbascum chaisxi)
• some veronicas (V. longifolia, V. spicata)

I agree wholeheartedly with Nancy that if leaves are ugly, diseased, insect damaged or just plain battered, cut them off - even if the plant will not rebloom. Cutting off leaves will make your garden look better, and dying leaves never do much to help a plant. And as I was tidying up my plants recently I discovered, under the flopping leaves, little weeds. The nerve! I routed them immediately, before they had a chance to get big.

So if your flower garden is starting to get shabby, get out there and go to work. Clip, snip, pinch and pull. You'll be pleased in the fall when some of your flowers come back to flower again.

Henry Homeyer is a gardening coach/consultant and the author of 3 gardening books. His web site is www.Gardening-Guy.com. You may reach him at P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746 or at gardening.guy@valley.net.