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Reseeding Perennials and Annuals – When should I stop deadheading flowers?

  • Keith Funk
  • Aug 29
  • 1 min read

Q: I enjoy perennials and annuals that reseed themselves from year to year. It’s such a pleasant surprise to see them pop up in new combinations each year. When should I stop deadheading flowers?

Wash Park's Big Garden bed with Perennials and Annuals. Photo: Idelle Fisher
Wash Park's Big Garden bed with Perennials and Annuals. Photo: Idelle Fisher

A: I agree. I call them the gypsies of the garden. Never knowing just where they’ll turn up. Usually in better combinations than I would have created. While I’m deadheading during the summer I always leave behind a few spent flowers to set seed. It only takes a few per plant. Those plants that I rely on for winter interest or food for birds, I stop deadheading completely by midsummer.

Read our Q & As with Keith Funk answering common Colorado gardening questions here. You can also hear him on the Garden Wise Radio Show

 
 
 

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