Deadheading is one of the simplest ways to keep many plants blooming longer, looking tidy, and putting energy into new flowers or stronger growth instead of seed production. It’s especially useful for annuals and many perennials that rebloom. A few tips on what to snip and what to leave alone.

How to Deadhead Properly

• Pinch with fingers for soft-stemmed plants (petunias, marigolds, pansies, many annuals). Snap or pinch just below the faded flower, ideally above the next set of healthy leaves or a side bud.
• Use clean, sharp scissors, snips, or secateurs for thicker or woody stems (roses, salvia, coneflowers, delphiniums). Cut just above a leaf node, lateral bud, or healthy leaf so you don’t leave a long stub.
• For multi-flower spikes or heads (delphiniums, lupins, daylilies): Remove individual spent blooms as they fade; once the whole stem is done, cut it back to a lower bud/leaf or to the base.
• Shear plants with lots of small flowers (some coreopsis, catmint, hardy geraniums, alyssum) by cutting back by about one-third to one-half once the main flush finishes—this is faster and often triggers a new flush.
• Always remove the whole flower structure (not just petals), as seeds form in the center. Clean tools between plants if disease is present, and compost healthy material (trash diseased bits).
• Timing: Do it regularly as flowers fade (daily for heavy bloomers like bedding plants, weekly for many perennials). Stop in late summer/early fall if you want seeds for birds, self-sowing, or winter interest.

What to Deadhead vs. What to Leave Alone

DEADHEAD THESE	LEAVE THESE ALONE
Annuals Marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, geraniums, dianthus, older petunias, snapdragons	Wildlife / Seed Heads Coneflowers (Echinacea), black-eyed Susans, sunflowers, asters, goldenrod, ornamental grasses, liatris, Joe-Pye weed
Perennials Daylilies, roses (esp. hybrid teas), salvia, bee balm, garden phlox, Shasta daisy, delphinium, yarrow, coreopsis, blanket flower	Decorative Seed / Fruit Species & rambler roses (hips), nigella, honesty, Chinese lanterns, some irises, phlomis
Bulbs Daffodils & similar — remove flower head only; leave green foliage	Self-Seeders Foxgloves, hollyhocks, columbine, forget-me-nots, borage, some poppies
Shrubs Butterfly bush, many lavenders (after bloom)	Self-Cleaning Modern petunias / calibrachoa, impatiens, begonias, lobelia, lantana, many fuchsias
Why? Redirects energy into new flowers instead of seed; keeps plants looking neat	Why? Feeds birds & insects, winter interest, natural reseeding, or they drop blooms themselves

Plants That Benefit Most from Deadheading (Cut These)

These typically produce more flowers or look much better when spent blooms are removed:

• Annuals: Marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, geraniums (pelargoniums), dianthus, older petunias, snapdragons.
• Perennials: Daylilies (snap individual blooms; cut the whole scape once finished), roses (especially hybrid teas—cut to a five-leaflet leaf), salvia, bee balm (monarda), garden phlox, shasta daisy, delphinium, yarrow, coreopsis, blanket flower (gaillardia).
• Bulbs: Daffodils and similar—snip the flower head/stalk just behind the seed capsule, but leave the green foliage to feed the bulb for next year.
• Others that respond well: Butterfly bush, lavenders (after flowering), many dahlias.

Deadheading these redirects energy away from seed-making and often extends the bloom season or encourages a second flush.

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What to Leave Alone (or Deadhead Selectively)

Skip or minimize deadheading for these reasons:

For wildlife, winter interest, or seed collection

• Coneflowers (echinacea), black-eyed Susans (rudbeckia), sunflowers, asters, goldenrod, ornamental grasses, liatris, Joe-Pye weed—seed heads feed birds (goldfinches love them) and stems shelter insects. Leave them standing into fall/winter.
• Species and rambler roses (for hips), viburnums, and plants with decorative seed pods or berries.
• Ornamental seedheads: Nigella (love-in-a-mist), honesty (lunaria), Chinese lanterns, some irises, phlomis, fennel, thistles/artichokes.

Self-seeders you want to return

• Foxgloves, hollyhocks, columbine (aquilegia), forget-me-nots, some poppies, cardinal flower, borage. Let them set seed if you want natural colonies.

Self-cleaning or low-need plants

• Many modern petunias/calibrachoa (Wave, Supertunia types), impatiens, begonias, lobelia, lantana, fuchsias, some salvias—they drop spent flowers on their own.
• Plants where deadheading is impractical (masses of tiny flowers like some asters, thalictrum, or hard-to-reach climbers).

Other cases

• Evergreen or semi-evergreen perennials (hellebores, heucheras, some geraniums) and plants that bloom on old wood (certain hydrangeas, spring shrubs)—don’t cut hard in ways that remove next year’s buds.
• In fall cleanup: Prefer selective cutting. Leave healthy seedheads and hollow stems for wildlife; cut back diseased material (e.g., mildewy bee balm or phlox, peony foliage prone to disease, hostas that harbor pests) and anything unsafe or invasive.

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As Autumn Arrives

In autumn, prioritize leaving healthy seed heads and hollow stems standing for birds and overwintering insects. Cut back only diseased material (e.g., mildewy bee balm or phlox, peony foliage), invasive weeds, or plants that block paths. Evergreen perennials (hellebores, heucheras) and spring-blooming shrubs that flower on old wood generally need little or no fall cutting.