Pruning Herbaceous Plants

A certain amount of maintenance is needed to keep a garden looking its best. This minimal effort may mean all the difference between a garden that is mediocre and one that evokes compliments from neighbors. Deadheading, disbudding, pinching back, heading back, cutting back and thinning are all necessary pruning techniques. These chores will encourage plants to bloom for longer periods of time and improve overall plant appearance and health.

Deadheading – Removing spent or old flowers
Annual plants will produce many flowers throughout the growing season without much maintenance, while perennial flowering plants only flower for a 2 to 3 week period. However, they will both bloom more profusely over a longer period of time if they are deadheaded regularly.

For more information, please see this Penn State Fact Sheet

Penn State Horticulture Department

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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