|
You’re Petunias are leggy, the Impatients, scraggly, those Marigolds are all going to seed and the Daisies look awful. So, what’s going on? They all need some pruning, that’s what! So when exactly do you prune flowers? Here’s a simple guide to keep your flower beds at their best.
Annuals, those darling little instant garden makers should be pruned as soon as they are planted out in the garden. Snipping off the very top (yes, even that first bud) of each plant will encourage them to become bushier, fuller and more apt to bloom. It may seem cruel but it is a kindness to the plant and to yourself. You’ll see as soon as the plant gets tons more blossoms than that single one it had when you first planted it.
As the flowers get pollinated from all those tenaciously buzzing bees they will start to go to seed. Don’t let that happen. Pruning away the spent blooms, deadheading as it is known, will encourage the plant to continue blooming. If, even after you continuously deadhead, the plant starts getting leggy snip off a few branches almost to the base. Only do a few stems at a time, 2 0r 3 every few weeks, so the entire plant doesn’t die from shock. They will re-sprout and give you more flowers in no time.
With perennials it gets a bit tricky. Daisy, Rudbeckia and Lavender are a few of the perennials which can continue to bloom all through summer if they are studiously deadheaded. Other perennials can be tricked into blooming twice and even thrice in a season if they are deadheaded. Foxgloves are good that way as are some Bearded Iris, Hybrid Daylily and occasionally Hollyhock. With most other perennials it’s hit or miss to get them to re-bloom. All you can do is deadhead to keep the plant looking neat and tidy and if by some miracle it re-blooms, count yourself lucky.
Now that you know when to do the proper pruning your garden will be fabulous. Can’t wait to see it!
|
Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 For more garden talk, funny short stories and romantic novel excerpts visit http://www.helium.com/users/32782
Didn't really find what you were looking for?
|
|
|
| |
|
|
![[Valid RSS feed]](images/rss.gif "Subscribe to our XML Feed for RSS")
(Read 100+ times)
