Deadheading is the process of removing dead blooms from plants, like cosmos and zinnia. This practice not only keeps your plants looking tidy but also encourages more flowers. While deadheading is helpful for some species, there are a few plants you should never deadhead—and for different reasons.
Some flowers are self-cleaning, meaning they’ll drop spent flowers on their own without you needing to trim them. Other flowers produce seed heads that birds snack on, and cutting off their blooms removes this food source. Even more important, some plants flower with an indeterminate blooming pattern, and cutting off the central stalk can halt blooming.
Ahead, we’re sharing the plants experts say you should never deadhead—and why.
Meet the Expert
Jacqueline Soule, long-time gardener and award-winning garden writer with 15 books and over 5000 articles
Jennifer Petritz, horticulturist, garden coach, and horticultural consultant specializing in small garden design
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Related: What Is Deadheading? Plus, How It’s Different From Pruning and Pinching
01 of 10
Coneflower
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Coneflower (Echinacea) produces stunning blooms that attract pollinators. Even when the plant is past its prime, leave the dried heads for birds to snack on during fall and winter. “Personal preference comes into play when it comes to deadheading the flowers that contain seeds for the birds,” says Jacqueline Soule, award-winning garden writer. “There is going to be a trade-off between more blooms versus more seeds.”
While you can deadhead early in the bloom season to encourage more blooms if you wish, Jacqueline Soule recommends applying bloom fertilizer throughout the season instead. This way, you get more seeds for birds and more blooms.
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02 of 10
Borage
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Who doesn’t love the charming star-shaped blossoms of borage? But be careful not to deadhead plants in the Borago genus. “This family blooms with an indeterminate blooming pattern,” says Soule. “This means that as long as they have nutrients and water, they will continue to bloom. New flowers will keep appearing at the end of an ever-lengthening flower stalk.” She cautions that if you choose to deadhead, you’ll lose this flowering stalk, meaning the plant will simply cease to bloom and not extend a new stalk.
03 of 10
Trailing Petunia
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If you want an abundant display of blooms, trailing petunia (Calibrachoa) never disappoints. Even more exciting, those prolific blooms don’t require deadheading because they are self-cleaning plants. That means the plant naturally sheds its spent flowers without being deadheaded.
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“There is no need to deadhead them because they will just keep blooming and blooming,” says Soule. “Incidentally, while calibrachoa is considered a ‘self-cleaning’ plant, it will benefit from a serious cutting back toward the end of the growing season.” If you accompany this with a boost of fertilizer to re-energize the plant, Soule says you may get this short-lived perennial to survive for several years in warmer climates.
04 of 10
Supertunia Petunia
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If you’ve ever spent time deadheading a petunia plant (Petunia spp.), you know it’s a time-consuming process thanks to the prolific blooming habit of this species. Supertunia plants are a self-cleaning petunia hybrid, so they stay tidy and continue blooming without deadheading.
Related: How to Grow and Care for Petunias, a Low-Maintenance Annual That Blooms All Summer Long
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05 of 10
Black-Eyed Susan
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No garden is complete without the sunny faces of black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) brightening the landscape. Similar to coneflower, black-eyed Susans shouldn’t be deadheaded as their seeds are so great for birds. “Those seed heads are an important source of high-energy food for birds,” says horticulturist Jennifer Petritz. “You’ll be glad you left them when you spot goldfinches swaying on the stems in your garden.”
06 of 10
Jerusalem Sage
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Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa) is known for its vibrant yellow flowers that you won’t want to deadhead. “Some members of the sage family have indeterminate flowering,” says Soule. “The ones with the clusters of blooms like Jerusalem sage will just keep flowering in new clusters and growing that flowering stalk longer. If you deadhead the flowering stalk, they will cease to flower.”
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07 of 10
Lion’s Tail
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Lion’s tail (Leonotis leonurus) is another type of indeterminate sage that shouldn’t be deadheaded. If you trim the spiky orange flowers on a lion’s tail plant, it will prevent the plant from making new flowers, says Soule. Instead, trim back the entire plant at the end of the season after flowering has ended.
08 of 10
Chia
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The tiny blue flowers of chia (Salvia columbaraie) may be small, but they’re hugely popular with bees. Unlike some of the other salvia species that you should deadhead, chia should not be deadheaded, or it will stop flowering, says Soule.
09 of 10
Columbine
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There is so much to love about the charming bell-like blossoms of columbine (Aquilegia). This plant is available in many colors and blossom orientations, with some facing upright and some leaning toward the ground. But when the blooms fade, leave them be—columbine is a self-seeder that will produce more blooms next season if left alone.
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10 of 10
Stonecrop
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One of your classical late-blooming perennials, stonecrop (Sedum) quietly steals the show in the fall with its finely-formed blossoms. The plant maintains its form even into winter, so forgo the deadheading and allow stonecrop to bring much-needed winter interest to the garden.
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