A gardener has claimed many people are deadheading their flowers the wrong way, and the simple mistake could be stopping their plants from producing repeat blooms throughout the summer. The gardener said many amateurs are accidentally reducing their flowers by deadheading them incorrectly, meaning some plants may only put on a strong display once a year instead of producing repeat blooms.
The Common Mistake
He said the mistake most people make is simply pulling off the faded petals rather than removing the entire spent flower head. On TikTok, gardener Michael Griffiths, who posts as @themichaelgriffiths, said: "You've been deadheading wrong - here's the mistake almost everyone makes. Pulling the dead petals off isn't deadheading, and it won't give you more flowers."
Griffiths explained: "The bit that matters is behind the flower. That little swelling is where the seed forms. Leave it there and the plant keeps feeding the seed instead of making new blooms. Snip off the whole flower head, back to just above a leaf or bud. That's what keeps the flowers coming."
RHS Advice on Timing
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) agrees that timing is important, advising gardeners to remove spent flowers as soon as they start to look untidy. It states: "Fast-flowering bedding plants may need deadheading every day, while many herbaceous perennials only need attention once a week or every couple of weeks."
The RHS also stresses that gardeners shouldn't worry if they can't keep up with deadheading constantly, as a delay of a few days - or even a week - is unlikely to make a significant difference to flowering performance.
Plants You Can Usually Leave Alone
- Plants grown for bird-friendly seeds, such as rudbeckias, cornflowers and sunflowers
- Plants that produce attractive hips or berries, including many roses, viburnums and amelanchiers
- Plants with ornamental seedheads, such as love-in-a-mist (Nigella), honesty (Lunaria annua) and Chinese lantern (Physalis alkekengi)
- Plants that flower so heavily that deadheading is impractical, including Deutzia, Spiraea, many asters, alyssum and trailing campanula
- Trees and vigorous climbers that are difficult to reach safely, such as Clematis montana and climbing hydrangea
- Any plants you want to self-seed naturally or collect seed from for future sowing
Benefits of Gardening
There are many benefits to keeping your garden in top condition. Gardening is a powerful wellness practice that boosts both physical and mental health. Regular time in your outdoor space burns calories, increases vitamin D intake through sunlight, and lowers cortisol to relieve stress. It can even preserve cognitive function and promote longevity.
