Anchorage Daily News

Q. Deadheading confuses me. Which flowers need it, and how far down the stem do I cut?

A. For years I avoided the term "deadhead" because it conjured images of an old rock band, but I've gotten over it. The Grateful Dead is history, and saying "deadhead" is easier than "remove spent flower blossoms before the plant has a chance to set seed."

Preventing seed production keeps flowers blooming, especially annuals. Without deadheading, pansies, marigolds and calendula would stop flowering. Petunias used to require this weekly maintenance but, fortunately, the newer cultivars aren't so fussy. Wave petunias don't need to be deadheaded unless the blossoms get stuck together after a stretch of rainy weather.

Not all perennials respond to deadheading the way annuals do. Removing the spent flowers on peonies or daffodils won't extend their bloom time, but with Altai violet and Shasta daisy, it makes a difference. Plants use a lot of energy to produce seeds, so unless you consider seed pods decorative, it's best to keep them cut off.

Another reason for removing spent flowers is to keep plants from self-sowing. Meadow rue, when left to its own devices, will produce thousands of seedlings. The same is true of many poppies.

But allowing plants to self-sow may work for you. Iceland poppy is a short-lived perennial. Allowing plants to reseed will ensure you'll have poppies in your garden the next season.

Deadheading can be accomplished by using your thumbnail to pinch off the spent blossom. With tough stems, you'll need a pruning shears. Generally, you prune back to the next flower bud. Avoid the decapitated look. Do not leave long, bare stems waving in the breeze.

If the species you're pruning produces only one flower per stem, remove the entire stem. If sweet alyssum has stopped flowering, a light shearing with grass clippers will bring plants back into bloom. With day lilies, you'll need to remove individual spent blossoms.

To research your question, I went to the Cooperative Extension Service's national eXtension Web site, which allows gardeners to search thousands of frequently asked questions. The "Gardens, Lawns & Landscapes" page at www.extension. org/horticulture provides resources on many topics.

Clicking on "flowers" gets you general growing information, and also the opportunity to ask questions. When you type in your ZIP code, if you're not satisfied with the answer provided by the FAQ search, your question can be funneled to your local CES office.

Give the Web site a try. National eXtension's goal is to provide answers to 10,000-plus gardening questions and have CES experts, including master gardeners, available to answer questions not handled by the FAQs.

Julie Riley is horticulture agent for UAF Cooperative Extension Service in Anchorage. She will be back in the office Sept. 8.

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