Tuesday, August 02, 2011

The Deadheads Are Alive And Well

Oh we all know who the deadheads are, we run around the garden clipping and cutting spent blooms and plants.  We also deadhead other peoples plants when we are visiting or walking by, even at the shopping mall, how could they let those dead blooms stay on their container plants?


I haven't been up to Wisconsin in two months and I am afraid my Knockout roses have been neglected.  I used the Bayer Systemic on them for Japanese Beetles and not one in sight.  In previous years they had just about been destroyed!  I can't figure out why I didn't have the same results at home.  Knockouts will produce new buds without deadheading but they look messy.


All the dead buds have been clipped off, fertilizer has been applied and it is ready to bloom again.  Do not use the five leaf method on this, just clip off the dead buds.

It is an action that is almost uncontrollable, we want growth to keep going, lengthening the season forever.  I have had a few questions lately on deadheading the hows and when and the difference between deadheading and rejuvenating.

Coreopsis Zagreb benefits from a shearing in the early spring to promote spreading and then again after bloom, clean up with pruning shears for stray spent flowers. 

Coreopsis Zagreb ready for rebloom

Dianthus Firewitch is certainly ready to be sheared back for rebloom before the fall coolness takes over.


Shearing does not mean taking away any of the lower growth but removing all of the spent flower stalks down to the bottom.

Shasta Snow Lady needs to be cut low if it going to rebloom, sometimes it does and sometimes I get just a couple of blooms.  However, it does form a lovely green mat going into the fall.

My May Night Salvia in Wisconsin has been let go or it would have rebloomed a couple of times by now.  I will cut it low down to the green stalk and expect some rebloom before fall.

The Walker's Low Nepeta can be sheared down low or can just be pruned taking off all of the spent flowers.  It will rebloom lightly before the fall.

Ater you have pruned your earlier phlox for reblooming you might want to have Phlox Eva Cullum which is a later blooming phlox.  It is not as mildew resistant as some of the new ones but I plant it in back of my Rainbow Knockout and also pick off the mildewed leaves.




David is also a later blooming phlox and taller than most.  I moved mine last fall and it is doing well but it sure doesn't look like my daughter's!  Mine will probably never be this full or tall because I have it in not quite full sun whereas hers gets a good dose of sun all day.


I have been taking care of my daughter's garden while she is away, but this is who I found patrolling when I arrived to photograph David.  It's convenient that rabbits play like they are a statue when threatened long enough for me to snap this picture!


Phlox David



Tetrena's Daughter is shown in the header, a mid-season to late bloomer approximately forty-eight inches tall.

28 comments:

Balisha said...

And I thought I was the only one who deadheads at garden centers :)
Have a nice day...even if the day will be hot.
Balisha

BernieH said...

Ha, I'm guilty of the dead-heading impulse when I'm out in nurseries, gardening centres and even other people's gardens. It's just a reflex! Of course, here in my own evergreen heaven there's not a lot that needs dead-heading apart from a few of the annuals. I do however have to deadhead the roses at school and that's a never-ending job.

Mary Anne said...

Good Morning Eileen:

Thanks for my morning lesson in deadheading. . . . I did learn a few things!!!

I, by impulse am a deadheader as well. However, while at a VERY good friends for dinner a few weeks ago, I was out on their deck and started deadheading geraniums, there were tons!!! She looked at me and said, "I just hate it when people do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I could have died and quickly stopped. She is not a gardener. Maybe I will go over there when they are away. . . . . . HA!

I can by the other day and your garden is beautiful!! No one home.
I did a little deadheading while I was there. . . . only kidding!

Betty819 said...

That Eva Cullum Phlox is a beauty. I have no idea what variety of phlox I have as they were given to me and the giver could only tell me "Oh, it's a pink or lavender color"

Love the new daylily header; which variety was in the previous daylily header? Chicago Rosy or chiago Apache? Love that Dark Ruby; looks like its flowers are smaller.

Seeing your dianthus firewitch, those dried blossoms, do they have seed inside them that you can save or is that plant by division only?

joey said...

Aw yes, deadheading! Gone from the garden for over a week, I have spent numerous hours yesterday tweaking my garden back into shape and still not done! The pesky rabbits are fat/feisty, dining on huge mounds of my daisies/coneflowers/Susans/phlox. I have several families enjoying the fruits of my labor. They love to nest in the sea of pachysandra surrounding my house. I am not happy to share :(

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Balisha, I won't be deadheading much today, just too hot!

Bernie, many of those roses still do not grow without deadheading.

Betty, not sure about seeds, they're hybrids, Chicago Rosy was previous header.

Mary Anne, sorry I missed you. The heat is really getting to the garden hard keeping it up.

Lona, those pesky rabbits, I know they will be with me forever.

Eileen

Lona said...

Guilty as charged. LOL! I though I was the only one who deadheaded other peoples flowers.I have the same urge to pick things up off the floor in stores and straighten things too because I use to work in retail and I was constantly picking things up.LOL! Mt daughter tells me I do not have to work now.
I never see bunnies anymore. I think it is because there are too many stray cats around in the woods.I love your Eva Cullum phlox. Mine just is not doing well and looks so puny.I may have to move her.

Jennifer@threedogsinagarden said...

Eileen, I have missed quite a bit while I was alway! Looking back through your posts, I am so impressed with your lilies. I just love those trumpet lilies!
As to deadheading, I have always been pretty good about deadheading my roses. Other plants less so (due more to lack of time than a lack of interest). I have come to realize though how much I shortchange myself by not getting the job done. So, these days I am trying to make more of an effort. Your tips are most helpful.
P.S. Those Japanese beetles have finally arrived in my garden. What horrible things they are too!

Sissy said...

was your header photo taken recently? I am looking for a later blooming daylily and a tall one--that one is lovely, I would look for it!

Beth said...

Hi Eileen, An informative post as always. I have much deadheading to do these days because I have lots of hemerocallis. I do love my daylilies, though! I received an email from our Master Gardener association suggesting Sevin or Eight for Japanese beetles. Right now I'm just handpicking them. What a pain they are! I guess I should feel lucky that we never had to deal with them before.
Blessings, Beth

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hin Sissy,

Tetrina's Daughter is a current photo (yesterday) tall, slim, later bloomer. I also have Sandra Elizabeth which has not bloomed yet. It also is taller but not as tall as Tetrina.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Joey,

The heat here has been a killer for working in the garden. I water each morning with a little picking here and there and then that's it for the day.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi again Lona,

I had Eva Cullum at my last house and it never bloomed in six years. I think it is a fussy phlox.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Jennifer,

I am really loving the lilies also. I plan on planting some more this fall since they take up such little room.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Beth,

I used Sevin this year along with a Bayer Rose Spray and neither seemed to have worked, they're back each morning!

Eileen

Diana LaMarre said...

Hi Eileen,
I think 'David' is the white phlox I removed a few weeks ago because it was covered in mildew. I love the big white heads, but I don't like putting up with mildew!

Great post about deadheading. Years ago I did a post on deadheading and to this day it gets more hits than any other post. People are hungry for this information.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Zoey,

I learned this year that you have to spray the fungicide as a preventative at the beginning of the season. It does little good as a remedy. I wasted a lot of money through the years.

Eileen

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Eileen girl I can't help but do that at garden centers too while I look at plants .. I keep thinking some one will come up to me and say something like "stop abusing that plant lady!"..
Yes .. I try to keep that issue under control in my garden too .. extending the blooms for as long as I can .. but this year .. hum .. I just don't know why it has all become pear shaped on me !
Joy
PS .. love your phlox ... I have phlox FEAR and have none ! Powdery milder drives me NUTS!!

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Joy,

There are some new phlox that are almost free of mildew like Bubblegum, Laura, David and Franz Schubert. I have very little problems with these varieties.

Eileen

GRACE PETERSON said...

The Phlox are really looking good right now, aren't they? Mine are just starting to bloom. Fortunately no mildew problems on mine. Nice header photo redux but I liked the previous one better. :)

Karen said...

Eileen, the weather is finally giving me a little break so I can get to the much-needed chores of deadheading. Your post is so informative, see I thought I had to go back to the five-leaf method on the Knockouts, and now I'm glad to see I don't. However, I must get some of that spray you mentioned, since my roses look horrible this year, not sure which bug went after them, but they are chewed up.

Time to shear so many of the plants, thank you for the tutorial.

deb said...

Simply divine ♥
*hugs*deb

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Grace,

Chicago Rosy is quite vibrant but Tetrenia is unusual because of it's height and slender habit. It looks nice as you look through the arbor. I do like the more striking colors also.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Karen,

I am not sure the spray is doing it's job but who knows I may have had more if I didn't use it. Bayer maked a rose and flower insect spray that will take care of the beetles and there is also Sevin. I don't want to add up what I spent on sprays this year!

Eileen

Nutty Gnome said...

I've had a lovely browse through your blog - thank you.
I would stay longer, but I've got an urgent need to rush out and deadhead my flowers before anyone spots them!!!

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Thanks for visiting Nutty Gnome, I spent a great deal of time today deadheading and cleaning up, a never ending job!

Eileen

Unknown said...

My hubby is always deadheading our plants and I love him for it..nice post. I'm now following you as I found you over at Tracies, Fishtail Cottage..

Indoor Fountains said...

Informative post as always. Thanks for your expertise!