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Last Updated: Nov 14, 2008 - 12:49:26 PM |
Just about every morning, when I step outside all geared up to start the daily yard work, whether it is aerating, watering, or fertilizing the plants that need it, or trying to win the never-ending battle with weeds, invariably I get side-tracked: not to smell the roses or take a coffee break, but, believe it or not, deadhead the flowering annuals or perennials that come within reaching distance. The sight of spent blooms, to be perfectly honest, bothers me, as it does take away the beauty and neatness of flowering plants, which seemingly has caused this overzealous attitude towards deadheading.
Overzealous indeed, for more than once as I was removing the wilted flowers from our passionfruit vine in order to discourage excessive fruit set, the bumblebees hovering over the flowers in search of nectar protested the intrusion by stinging the unwelcome intruder.
Setting aside such isolated instances, deadheading, though it sounds trivial, is one of the most important tasks a gardener can perform during the flowering season of annuals and perennials; routinely done, deadheading not only gives the plants a tidy appearance, but makes them bushier, hence promoting the formation of more flower buds while minimizing formation of seeds that can sap a plant’s strength. In fact, after procrastinating for some time, once I removed all the faded blooms of the balloon flower, a perennial that bears lovely blue flowers during summer, I couldn’t be happier, for not only does the plant look as good as new, but I do see quite a few flower buds developing. Incidentally, so as not to damage the tender stems, it is at times better to use a pruning tool to make a clean cut rather than removing the flowers forcefully by hand.
True, removing all those spent blooms requires patience and might even leave one’s fingers and thumb a little sore, but done repeatedly, the act becomes one of a second nature to most of us. Speaking of which, quite often when I water the flowers, particularly the ones in containers, I find myself multitasking: Watering with one hand and deadheading with the other!
Whereas the term deadheading does imply removing flowers that are past their prime, but cutting flowers at their peak to bring inside the home, or harvesting herbs for culinary preparations significantly encourages the plants to produce more flower buds or green shoots, as the case may be. So, go ahead and do it – deadhead, that is, and don’t fret if it turns into a hard-to-break habit!
gitaagrawal@juno.com
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