It is almost the end of August and although autumn does not seem far away on the calendar, the annuals are still blooming like crazy. And they will continue to do so for a while. As long as you keep cutting them, that is. What about faded flowers? In this article we have written down our top tip for more flowers, read on!
ABOUT ANNUALS AND DONE FLOWERS
Annuals tend to produce a lot of flowers at once. This is necessary, because they have to do everything in one season. Grow, flower and preferably form seeds , so that they can reproduce. If you were to let that cycle happen, you would have a lot of flowers once and then nothing a few weeks later. Because after flowering, the plant will focus on forming seeds. The flowers have been pollinated and are ready to become seeds. If you do not remove those faded flowers, the plant will enter a different phase. Then the focus is no longer on forming flowers, but on ensuring the continuation of the species .
What about faded flowers?
The annuals are, as mentioned, at their peak. But where there are flowers, there will also be faded specimens after a while. That's how it goes. To ensure that your plants do not put all their energy into forming seeds, it is important to remove the faded specimens. With scissors or pruning shears, it is all possible. As long as the faded specimens are removed regularly. Regularly do a round in the garden with the pruning shears, and you will really be rewarded with extra flowers .
About Faded Flowers and Deadheading
The English have a nice word for removing faded flowers, namely deadheading . We still have to find a suitable Dutch translation, but perhaps 'koppen' comes closest. A word that is also used in the bulb sector to, for example, remove the flowers from faded tulips.
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In this video Angelo shows you how to remove faded flowers and get more flowers .
Picking: the secret to more flowers
If you, like us, regularly pick to make bouquets, you are already unconsciously doing what the plant needs to continuously form new flowers. By picking, you stimulate the plant to branch out again and form new flowers. So cut deep enough and new ones will appear in the axils of your plants. Note that this is not possible with all flowers . Some species only bloom once. With these flowers it is possible: dahlias, zinnia, cosmos, phlox, snapdragons, scabiosa… So you don't always have to wait for faded flowers, you can also enjoy them indoors.
