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5 spring bedding plants to deadhead in April for longer-lasting blooms
If you're heading out into the garden this week, here are five flowers you should think about deadheading
April is one of the best times of the year to refresh your garden and 'spring clean' perennials to keep them healthy and encourage fresh growth.
Deadheading can be a satisfying process (so much so that Mary Berry has called it her favourite gardening task) that will help plants and flowers bloom for as long as possible.
"It’s worth regularly removing spent blooms from spring bedding plants like pansies, violas and primroses," Charlotte Denne, an award-winning horticulturist and co-owner of Kent Wildflower Seeds, explains.
"This helps direct the plant’s energy back into producing new flowers rather than setting seed and keeps displays looking fresh as temperatures begin to rise."
"The same principle applies even in a looser or more naturalistic setting and early flowering wildflower species," Charlotte continued, adding: "That said, it’s about balance.
"In meadow-style planting, you might choose to leave some flowers to set seed, allowing them to establish and spread over time."
If you're heading out into the garden this week, here are five flowers you should think about deadheading.
Pansies and Violas
Perhaps the most important flowers to deadhead in April, as it marks the height of their growth cycle, pansies and violas will greatly benefit from having faded flowers (and their stalks) removed. This will help them bloom throughout the spring and into summer. For pansies and primroses, you can usually pinch off the stem with your thumb and forefinger, the RHS advises.
Primroses
Deadheading pretty primroses in the spring will help to prolong the blooming season. April marks the end of their main flush of flowers, and regular deadheading will encourage them to produce more flowers rather than creating seeds.
Dasies
"Early flowering wildflower species, such as selfheal, red campion and the common daisy, will often respond to light deadheading, resulting in a longer flowering period," Charlotte advises. The right time to deadhead Shasta daisies is when the flowers start to fade, wilt, or turn brown.
Tulips
Another flower in peak bloom during April, tulips will benefit from deadheading to prolong their blooming period. Gardeners should deadhead tulips as soon as the petals start to drop. You could also take a look at our guide to the best places to see tulips in the UK this spring.
Forget-me-nots
Forget-me-nots can spread rapidly, so deadheading in April can help prevent them from maturing and scattering, preventing them from taking over the garden.
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