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Dan Cooper is a plantsman, garden expert and influencer. The blogger, also known as The Frustrated Gardener, is the founder of Dan Cooper Garden. He has appeared on BBC Gardener’s World and posts his tips on @thefrustratedgardener. Dan, who started gardening when he was three years old, spoke with Express.co.uk about deadheading plants for the best blooms.
The gardener, who tends two coastal courtyard gardens and a large allotment, where he grows more than 120 varieties of dahlia, said: “Like weeding and mowing, deadheading is one of those routine tasks that gardeners either love or hate, but it’s important that it gets done.”
The expert went on: “Deadheading is the term we use for removing faded or dying flowers from a plant.”
Why should we deadhead plants?
Dan said: “There are three main reasons why we should do it regularly:
- To keep our plants looking neat, bright and beautiful
- To prevent them from shedding their petals on the ground or on other plants
- To stop plants from producing seeds.”
He went on: “This in turn encourages plants to channel their energy into producing more flowers and healthier foliage.
“In the case of annuals, it will also help them to live for longer.”
Dan continued to explain: “A plant’s main purpose in life is to survive for long enough to reproduce and guarantee the next generation.
“By deadheading plants that produce seed (thankfully not all do!), we are effectively setting them back and forcing them to try again by producing more flowers.
“That generally suits us, unless we want to collect the seed, in which case a few flowers can be left in situ at the end of the season to ‘set’ seed.”
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When should you deadhead your flowers?
Dan said: “Flowers should be deadheaded the moment they go past their best.
“Some age gracefully, others do not, but we generally want to catch them before the petals fall to the ground and make a mess.
“If they’ve been left too long, you will notice a seed pod beginning to develop behind the flower.
“Don’t worry if you catch a flower a bit late, just remove it as soon as you can.”
Gardening: Expert demonstrates how to deadhead flowers
When should you deadhead tulips? An expert gardener explained all to Express.co.uk readers.
Polly Wilkinson, a British gardener designer, described everything Britons need to know about growing and looking after tulips.
Polly said: “Think of the bulb as a battery and the leaves as a solar panel – gathering energy from the sun to feed the bulb for next year
“Only remove the leaves when they come away from the plant with no resistance (usually four to six weeks after flowering).”
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