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Post by andy on Jun 5, 2009 17:13:02 GMT
Please don't take this as a "holier than thou" post.....it's meant as a helpful post.
But im amaized at the amount of pretty competant gardeners who don't know how to dead head bedding plants properly. I was at the school gardening club on wednesday and some of the teachers, who are very keen gardeners, didn't know how to dead head a petunia properly.
Most people think that when you dead head petunias....and i use petunias as a classic example as they're always done wrong, you just remove the dead flower....ie petals.
But...the plant is put on this planet for one reason only....to procreate, reproduce, breed, seed....call it what you will.
When you explain that you actually need to remove the whole green stem...which includes the seedpod, the penny drops. It's the same with all flowers when dead heading....REMOVE THE SEEDS....not just the dead petals.
That is of course, unless you want to keep the seeds !!!
And with lots of water and feed, your bedding plants should look good right up to the frosts
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Post by Missredhead on Jun 5, 2009 19:15:24 GMT
I must admit that I am a bit of a numpty when it comes to deadheading.....I break it off just under the flower and always wondered if I was doing it right....
Thank you Andy, at least now I know how to do it properly. ;D
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Post by nightowl on Jun 5, 2009 20:42:01 GMT
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Post by Tig on Jun 5, 2009 22:56:24 GMT
I am fastidious with my dead-heading, I wander around looking for dropped flowers or wilting blooms on annuals and perennials (especially aqualegias because if I don't take the seedheads off the sprout up like weeds!) I have a pair of old scissors just for the job ;D
Odd how so many seem to escape my attention though - I am gutted when I find a large swollen seed pod early in the season.
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Post by nightowl on Jun 6, 2009 8:13:39 GMT
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Post by Ladygardener on Jun 8, 2009 6:58:50 GMT
In normal circumstances I go around deadheading every day, usually when I come in from work. It's my way of saying hello to everything and calming down after a busy day at work. As you say Tig, Aquelegia can make seed pods in no time. Nightowl I'm with you and the pansies too.
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Post by Auricula on Jun 10, 2009 0:50:11 GMT
Gosh, I'm dreadful, I hardly ever remember to deadhead anything  Thank you Andy  |
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Post by nightowl on Jun 10, 2009 16:33:08 GMT
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Post by Ladygardener on Jun 10, 2009 17:00:14 GMT
Does anyone know how to and if I should deadhead Cerinthe?
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Post by Tig on Jun 10, 2009 22:49:43 GMT
I didn't deadhead my cerinthe last year LG - they just kept going and going until the frosts! And you can see the ripe black seeds when they are ready to remove ... I must sow some more x Tig |
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Post by 4pygmies on Jun 11, 2009 7:09:00 GMT
It's the same with Herbs really - I am amazed how many people just take a leaf here and there to use for cooking..if you take the whole sprig down to the next joint then the plant will grow much better and look nicer... I never deadhead Cerinthe as the seeds are soo expensive so I hoard them....I sow successionally so I always have flowers coming on..and lots of seeds forming too. ;D |
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Post by Ladygardener on Jun 11, 2009 8:05:01 GMT
Thanks for that advice Tig and 4P. I'm delighted with my Cerinthe which I sowed in Jan, they've been flowering their socks off for ages and the bees adore them. I'll definately grow them again next year.
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Post by Ladygardener on Jul 30, 2009 5:17:39 GMT
It was seeing yours last year that put me in mind to buy some Tig. Unfortunately I had to pull up my cerinthe as they were shedding their seeds and much as I like them I don't want them all over the garden. I'd tried cutting one down to see if it would re sprout but it just faded off. I think I'll have to sow next year late spring as well as late winter to get the plants all summer.
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