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A British mum and passionate gardener shares her tips and tricks with her many followers, who swoon over the stunning flowers she grows in her garden. Sophie Valentine, a mum-of-three, is a big advocate of deadheading plants in the garden. Though to many taking flowers off plants seems counterintuitive, there is good reason for doing it, Sophie explained. Sophie told followers: “For new or beginner gardeners this might be something you don’t know what it is or why we need to do it!
“It simply means we remove the dead flowers and the flowers that have “gone over” and are past their best.
“Deadheading will make sure that the plant keeps producing more flowers.”
So why does deadheading work? Sophie went on: “If you don’t deadhead the plant thinks it’s time to put all its energy into creating seeds in the seed head and it won’t produce any more flowers.”
Some gardeners dread deadheading, but not Sophie. She said: “I don’t find it a chore and actually enjoy the quiet time in the garden with a cup of tea.
“If I’m lucky I will be shot at with nerf bullets and footballs.”
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A post shared by SophieLook Inside My Garden (@lookinsidemygarden)
One so Sophie’s fans suggested keeping the seeds and using them for more flowers.
They said: “Keep your seeds! Let the pods dry out and plant the seeds = more plants.”
Another fan of the garden job said: “It’s my favourite job on a sunny evening with a beer.”
However, another complained: “Nooo I’m not ready for all the deadheading that summer brings just yet.”
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How to deadhead a plant
It’s easy to deadhead a plant and doesn’t take any specific tools or know-how.
Simple pink or cut off the flower stem underneath the spent flower but above the first set of healthy leaves.
When to deadhead flowers
Simple, deadhead flowers as soon as you find there are spent flowers on your plants.
Deadhead early and often, doing a little every day to prevent the spent flowers from building up.
Deadheading comes with many benefits. It will keep your plants in bloom for longer, and encourage the growth of more flowers.
It also will stop plants with lots of petals from drying and liberally dropping their petals all over your lawn.
Which plants to deadhead
Many plants benefit from this practice, such as tender bedding plants. Roses can be deadheaded by snapping off faded flowers just before the head.
The same foes for rhododendron, azaleas, camellias, lilacs, and tree peonies.
It’s a good idea to deadhead daffodils, but leave the stalk in the ground to build up the bulb for next year.
There are some plants that don’t need deadheading, however. They include:
- Fuchsias
- Lobelia
- Salvia
- Cornflower
- Sunflower
- Alliums
- Nigella
- Iris foetidissima
- Physalis alkekengi
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