Off With Their Heads!

Yes, this is the gardening column and no, I am not talking about rampaging hooligans, lying politicians or anybody else who has upset me.

I’m referring to dead flower heads.

It may come as a surprise to some, but plants do not produce flowers for our enjoyment. Those big, blousy perennials are simply produced to attract pollinating insects.

 Yes folks . . . it all has to do with sex and the production of the next generation.

In fact, plants go to some amazing lengths to attract insects e.g. smelling like putrefying flesh to attract flies (the aptly named stinking hellebore).

Generally speaking, however, we are only interested in those that look nice and/or smell sweetly.

What happens when a flower has been pollinated?

Well, simply put, seeds begin to develop and the flower dies. More importantly for us gardeners, many plants think that their job is done and that there is no need to replace these dead flower heads with new ones.

However, many plants can be easily fooled, and if we remove these dead flower heads they will produce more. This is a process that goes by the name of deadheading.

A few minutes spent picking or cutting off the dead heads can greatly lengthen the period of display in your garden.

Most plants are responsive, but good results are seen in roses (which produce what is often termed a second flush), pelargoniums (geraniums) and annuals (which would otherwise die once the seeds had set).

The commercial carnation growers benefit from this effect. When they pick their crop they are effectively deadheading before the flower dies. In any way, the plant has not produced seeds so it grows a new flower.

Whilst you have got your secateurs out, another task that is often required on roses is sucker removal.

Roses are generally grown on the roots of a stronger growing, wild type of rose. Often this rootstock throws up its own shoots, which, not only look out of place, but also they compete with the choice, cultivated variety.

These are called suckers, and to remove, simply snip off as low as possible (into the root if possible). Unfortunately this is a task that needs repeating often. Some roses seem to be more prone than others (type of rootstock?) and once they start they seem to continue for all their lives.

Many fruit trees are also grown on rootstocks. This is generally done to reduce the size of the resulting plant.

If, therefore, you have a dwarf fruit tree that starts to throw up strong growth from near the base, then prune those suckers out.

Similarly, many plants with variegated leaves are seen with the odd branch of pure green leaves. This is known as reversion.

Seeing as it is the green pigment in leaves that produce food for the plant, it should come as no surprise that these green-leaved branches will grow quicker than the rest.

If you want to maintain the variegated appearance, these reverted branches have to be removed. Cut back to a strong outward growing, variegated branch.

The trick is to notice the reversion before it becomes a problem. It is easier to snip back a twig than to saw off a branch.

A case of . . . nipping a problem in the bud?