As temperatures cool and leaves fall, many plants begin to fade by the time October rolls around. Consider leaving blooms on some plants to add winter interest to the garden or to provide seed for wildlife. Others can benefit from deadheading if you don’t want flowers to spread or if you want to try to get one more flush of blooms before the first frost. While hydrangeas, roses, and azaleas should be left alone until spring to protect new growth from winter damage, you can still grab your pruning shears to tidy up these plants and revive your flower beds before cold sets in.
Keep in mind deadheading isn’t recommended in the fall for all plants, but it should be done to prevent disease and control self-seeding in others.
Corydalis
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While deadheading corydalis isn’t necessary, it keeps the plant from self-seeding. Removing spent flower heads gives you some control over how many new plants can form next season. Snip the flowers as soon as they begin wilting. You can also leave corydalis alone completely since wildlife will feed on its seeds, or wait until after a hard frost to cut the plant back entirely.
Dahlia
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You can deadhead dahlias in October to encourage more blooms and extend the blooming season up until the first frost. Pinch off spent flower heads but leave any rounded buds. Deadheading helps redirect the plant’s energy into producing more flowers instead of creating seeds. It also improves airflow to reduce the risk of diseases and pests, and it will make your flower beds look nicer.
Butterfly Bush
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Deadheading a butterfly bush depends on its variety. Removing the dead blooms from your butterfly bush can keep it from spreading seeds, which is necessary if yours is an older, invasive variety. If yours doesn’t produce a lot of seeds, leaving the flowers alone may be fine. You can also deadhead flowers to neaten up the garden. Make sure this is a light pruning to snip off spent blooms. Heavier pruning should be done in the spring to prevent frost damage to new growth.
Delphinium
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With their tall, deep blue, pink, and purple spires, there’s reason to keep these dramatic blooms in the garden for as long as possible. If they are still actively growing in your area, you may be able to deadhead delphinium in October to encourage a second round of blooms. Deadheading also prevents seed production, which is necessary if you don’t want too many seedlings and to keep the size of your grouping under control.
Daylily
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Removing spent daylily blooms will give your garden a neater appearance and keep seed pods from forming, which is important if you want plants that are identical to the parent plant. Daylilies hybridize easily and letting the seeds fall and germinate may result in new plants that aren’t true to the original. Dead flowers can also invite pests seeking food and shelter for winter, so pinch them off after they turn brown and dry and before seed pods form. You can also cut daylily stalks to the base if preferred and remove dead foliage after the first frost.
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