Hydrangea blooms are beginning to wilt now that summer is drawing to a close, but gardeners should be performing a straightforward task to help the plant get ready for fall.
The hydrangea flowering period typically begins to wind down in late August, which means they will now be displaying signs of decline and appearing less vibrant than they were just a few weeks ago, reports the Express.
Nevertheless, the gardening specialists at Mill Creek Gardens have explained how it is incredibly simple to maintain hydrangea strength as you just need to spend a few moments deadheading them.
They explained: “When you deadhead hydrangeas, you aren’t harming the plants at all. Removing the spent blooms triggers flowering shrubs to stop producing seeds and instead put their energy toward root and foliage development. This makes plants stronger and healthier, so by deadheading, you’ll be doing your hydrangeas a favour.”
Why deadhead hydrangeas in late August?
Deadheading is the straightforward gardening technique of cutting away any wilting petals on a flower so it can channel its energy into helping strengthen and develop other areas of the plant.
This can help any surviving flowers on a hydrangea remain robust so they continue to appear attractive, and you might even see a few more end-of-season blooms.
Nevertheless, the primary reason to eliminate faded flowers now is to motivate hydrangeas to channel more energy into developing larger leaves and stronger roots.
This helps hydrangeas accumulate more energy to prepare for frigid temperatures, and a well-conditioned plant is more likely to yield larger blooms next year. Wet, old flowers can trap a lot of moisture, which can promote the growth of mold and other fungal diseases.
So, taking a few seconds to deadhead now can help prevent hydrangeas from getting infected in the fall.
How to deadhead hydrangeas
Deadheading is incredibly easy and will only take you a few seconds or at most a few minutes. Just look for any wilted or brown flowers on the plant and trace the stem down to the first set of leaves.
Use a pair of clean shears to cut the stem just above the healthy leaves. Be sure you’re only cutting into the green, soft stem and not the thicker, woodier parts of the plant.
At this time of year, it’s also helpful to have a cloth soaked in alcohol on hand to clean the shear blades. Fungal disease and mold are very common in late summer, and cleaning the shears helps prevent any infection from spreading.
Just check your hydrangea plant once a week to see if it needs deadheading, and the plant will be stronger and much better prepared as we head into fall in September.
Comments are closed.