Re: deadheading flowering plants

Lots of good excuses, but...

Deadheading is a great way to get a new flush of flowers on some plants.
It's also a way to manage the energy of a young plant.  But the best reason
IMO, is that it brings you up close and personal with a plant, helping you
to appreciate the individual.  I don't have time to be bored, but I deadhead
for direct contact with my treasures.

Kitty

The old mantra used to be that it (deadheading) kept the plant from expending energy in making (unwanted) seeds, although clearly, some plants seem to expend more energy than others. It's not illogical to rationalize that once a plant senses it has bloomed and is setting seed, why bother with more blooms? While this certainly doesn't apply to all plants, it does apply to some of our more common annuals, which again makes sense, since they have to "get it all over with" in a single growing season.
--
Don Martinson
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
l*@wi.rr.com

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