How To Deadhead Flowers + When You're Better Off Leaving Them Be

Here, gardening experts share everything you need to know to master the simple technique.

In short, deadheading helps your garden produce more flowers and stay in bloom for longer, which is great for you and your local pollinators.

A wide variety of annual and perennial plants can be deadheaded throughout the growing season. Here are a few that will appreciate the occasional cleanup:

Here are a few varieties that Schoenberg and Wilkniss say don't need deadheading:

If a plant has a delicate enough stem, you can just remove its spent flowers using your hands. Simply pinch on the spot just below the spent flower, above the first set of full, healthy leaves, and pull it off.

Flowers that have thicker, woodier stems, like roses, will require sharp scissors or garden snips. The same method applies: Cut the stem directly below the spent flower, above the healthy leaves.

Once you have your pile of spent flowers, add them to your compost bin so their nutrients can return to the land with time.

You should deadhead throughout the growing season, whenever you see flowers fading. "Deadheading starts after the 'first waves' of flowers," says Schoenberg. "It should be repeated whenever possible throughout the flowering cycle on those plants that benefit."

While it depends on the plant, yogi and plant lover Roos Kocken says you'll usually want to cut just below the dead flowers. If a flower has an especially long stem or everything on the stem is dead, feel free to cut the entire thing off. Just try not to snip any healthy-looking leaves, as this might affect the plant's ability to regrow new flowers.

Like weeding, deadheading can get monotonous. You can shake things up by trying these routines that turn gardening into a workout, reframing deadheading as a meditative activity, or recruiting a friend or family member to join you. (This is one garden task that kids could help with!)

Once you get the hang of deadheading, you might be surprised by how much the simple method can help your garden grow, especially when paired with other pruning techniques like pinching back. Ready? Grab those scissors or gardening gloves and get out there to clear away the old and make way for the new.