How to Deadhead Flowers: Complete Guide for More Blooms
The simple technique that can double your flowers' blooming time. Learn the right way to deadhead every type of flower in your garden.
Deadheading is one of the simplest gardening techniques with the biggest payoff. By removing spent flowers, you redirect the plant's energy from seed production back to making more blooms. Learn how to deadhead flowers the right way.
What is Deadheading?
Deadheading is the process of removing faded or dead flowers from plants. When a flower dies and stays on the plant, the plant focuses its energy on producing seeds. By removing the spent bloom, you trick the plant into producing more flowers instead.
Benefits of Deadheading
- - More flowers: Encourages continuous blooming
- - Longer season: Extends flowering period by weeks
- - Tidier appearance: Removes unsightly dead blooms
- - Prevents self-seeding: Controls spreading in some plants
- - Healthier plants: Reduces disease by removing decaying material
Basic Deadheading Techniques
Pinching
Best for: Soft-stemmed flowers like petunias, impatiens, and marigolds
Use your thumb and forefinger to pinch off the spent flower head at the base. Quick and easy—no tools needed.
Cutting
Best for: Woody or tough stems like roses, dahlias, and zinnias
Use sharp pruners or scissors to make a clean cut. This prevents stem damage and disease entry.
Shearing
Best for: Mass plantings like lavender, catmint, and coreopsis
Use hedge shears to cut back the entire plant by one-third after the first wave of blooms.
Snap and Drop
Best for: Daylilies, hostas, and plants with soft flower stalks
Bend the spent flower stalk until it snaps cleanly. Works best when done in the morning.
How to Deadhead Specific Flowers
Roses
Cut the stem back to just above the first leaf with 5 leaflets (not 3). Make the cut at a 45-degree angle, angled away from the bud eye. This encourages stronger new growth.
Timing: Remove blooms as soon as petals start falling
Petunias
Pinch off faded flowers including the seed pod at the base. Once a week, give the entire plant a light trim to encourage bushier growth and more blooms.
Timing: Check every 2-3 days during peak bloom
Marigolds
Snap off the entire flower head when it starts to fade. Include the green base (calyx) where seeds form. Easy to do by hand.
Timing: Weekly throughout the growing season
Dahlias
Cut the stem back to a main branch or pair of leaves. Use sharp pruners for a clean cut. This promotes branching and more flower production.
Timing: As soon as flowers start to droop or fade
Zinnias
Cut stems back to just above a set of leaves. The more you cut for bouquets or deadhead, the more flowers the plant produces.
Timing: Cut when center petals start fading
Daylilies
Snap off individual spent blooms daily. When the entire stem is finished flowering, cut it back to the base. Each stem blooms for about a week.
Timing: Each morning during bloom period
Flowers That Don't Need Deadheading
Self-Cleaning Flowers
These flowers drop their spent blooms naturally and don't require deadheading:
- - Impatiens (most varieties)
- - Begonias
- - Wave Petunias
- - Lantana
- - New Guinea Impatiens
- - Calibrachoa (Million Bells)
- - Angelonia
- - Lobelia
When NOT to Deadhead
For Bird-Friendly Gardens
Leave these seedheads for birds:
- - Coneflowers (echinacea)
- - Black-eyed Susans
- - Sunflowers
- - Sedum
For Ornamental Seedheads
These have beautiful dried forms:
- - Alliums
- - Hydrangeas
- - Ornamental grasses
- - Nigella (Love-in-a-mist)
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I deadhead?
For most flowers, check every 2-3 days during peak bloom season. Some fast-bloomers like petunias benefit from daily attention.
Can I deadhead in the heat of the day?
It's best to deadhead in the morning or evening when plants are less stressed. However, removing spent blooms at any time is better than not doing it at all.
What if I missed deadheading and seeds formed?
Remove them anyway. The plant may slow down temporarily, but will often resume blooming, especially if fertilized. Some plants like zinnias and cosmos reseed beautifully.
Deadheading is one of the most rewarding garden tasks—a few minutes of pinching and pruning each week can result in weeks of additional blooms. Start with your roses and dahlias, and you'll quickly see the difference this simple technique makes.
Local Flower Team
Local Flower
The Local Flower team is dedicated to helping you discover beautiful blooms and connect with talented florists in your area.