Deadheading Technique #3: Pruning to a Lateral Bud

Well hello there… it’s been a while! No, I have not given up on this blog or had writer’s block, I have simply been relatively unplugged for the last couple of weeks, save for the GROW Instagram account. Despite the time away, believe it or not, not much has changed in the gardening world. In reality, the tasks I am completing today are essentially the same as those that I was completing two and three weeks ago… deadheading, deadheading and more deadheading!

So, with that said, I think it is time to address the last main deadheading technique that gardeners use, and that is deadheading to a lateral bud/flower.

This technique is really easy, once you know what you are looking for. So let’s start with the basics… what on earth is a lateral bud or flower?!

Let’s have a look at this Echinacea below… if you follow the main stem from the ground up, you will notice that the stem terminates in a flower. It should be no surprise that this is called the terminal flower (which originated from a terminal bud).

Now follow the stem back down until you notice a branch of sorts. This is a secondary growing point that originated from a lateral bud (a bud that sends growth sideways); in the photo below, that sideways growth is well on it’s way to becoming a lateral flower.

As this Echinacea flower stalk enters it’s blooming period, the flowering will begin at the terminal flower bud and work downward. As flowers wane, the spent flowers can then be deadheaded to the bud that is next in line. For the Echinacea, the cut would be here…

Not all lateral buds are as obvious as those on the Echinacea. Have a look at the Monarda (beebalm) in the photos below… if you follow down the stem from the top flower you come across two buds nestled into the stem.

Pruning to the lateral buds involves cutting the stem of the spent blossom just above those buds…

Even trickier are plants such as Platycodon (balloonflower). The buds for new flowers are actually right next to the old blooms. In this case it is just the spent bloom that gets removed, while being careful not to snip any buds in the process! The photo below shows the flower buds of balloonflower. The largest one will bloom first, get snipped off at the yellow ‘cut’ line and the smaller bud is next in line.

In general, a lateral flower bud is not always a guaranteed bloom. This deadheading technique encourages these lateral buds to flower and therefore this technique helps to extend the bloom period of many perennials.

What is the mechanism at play here? Think of it this way… a plant’s main purpose is not to put on a pretty floral display for us, it is to reproduce. If a plant flowers and is allowed to set seed, it can consider it’s mission complete- no need to send out more blooms! The plant’s resources get allocated towards seed production, instead of additional flower production.

I like to think of deadheading to a lateral bud as a way of freeing-up that lateral bud to bloom.

One Final Step

Once the blooming period is complete, some perennials (ones that have a clump of foliage at the base of the plant- known as basal foliage) will get one final snip. For these plants, the spent flower stalks are cut down to the basal foliage. This often tidies the look of the plant. With that said, I tend to leave flower stems standing on plants that provide food (in the form of seeds) for wildlife; plants such as Echinacea (coneflower) and Monarda (beebalm) are only a couple in this category. Additionally, I will leave plants standing if they have attractive seedheads. Yes, I will admit, I am thinking about winter here, but it is important to keep in mind that winter is, in fact, a season and seedheads are a really great way to have interest in your garden during the months of frost and snow!

So…there you have it! Deadheading to a lateral flower or bud. Now it’s time to get out in the garden and inspect your perennials… take a good look at how they grow. If you get close enough, they will speak to you and tell you how to prune!