How to Dead Head Flowers

This daffodil flower has faded and is now making seeds. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

How to Dead Head Flowers

Of all of the maintenance chores in a garden, dead heading flowers is one of my favorites. It not only easily makes a garden spot pretty again but it helps plants keep their energy focused on making more flowers.

Flowers like daffodils save their energy in their bulbs. Once they bloom, they make seeds which take up a lot of energy. By removing the seed heads, that energy stays stored in the bulbs for blooming next year.

The same concept applies to other flowers including wildflowers from asters to zinnias. To know when to remove the spent flowers, watch the blooms until they start to shrivel. It’s easy to see. Not only do the flowers get smaller but the green knob behind the flowers starts to grow. That’s where the seeds are growing.

As daffodils wilt, that’s a good time to remove the flower heads. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

To remove the seed heads, pop them off the top of the stalk by bending it over and quickly snapping it off.

You can start by cutting them with pruners if you prefer. Doing it by hand will be quicker and just as clean.

Pinched off flower heads ready for the composter. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Some other flowers may require the pruners so you don’t damage the main plant. Roses, for example, can be hard to remove the flowers by hand. The same concept applies. The green knob behind the flower is were the seeds are formed so the flowers and green knob need to be removed.

I can prune roses by hand. Peonies, on the other hand, have thicker stems and need pruners.

Once you start dead heading, you will discover which ones you can do by hand and which ones require pruners.

The removed flower heads can be composted or left in the flower bed. They will shrivel up and get incorporated into the soil.

Charlotte