ADDING flowers to your garden is the perfect way to add more extra life and colour.
But if you find them wilting and dying not long after you've planted them, this trick is for you.
According to gardening icon Monty Don, the key to making your blooms last longer is really simple, and you should do it this weekend.
The pro revealed on his blog that summer flowers will last loads longer if you deadhead them now.
"Deadheading is the term used for the removal of fading or dead flowers from plants. It is done to keep plants looking attractive and encourage more blooms, whether in beds and borders, containers or hanging baskets," RHS explained.
Doing this will make existing flowers last longer because the plant's energy isn't wasted on seed pods.
READ MORE ON GARDENING
I grew a garden plant that can bite me – it’s fine… so long as I feed it
Gardening guru shares bargain buys from B&M & The Range to transform your home
Mont explained: “Dahlias will keep producing new flowers well into autumn as long as they are deadheaded regularly.
“The easiest way to tell the difference between a spent flower and an emerging bud is by the shape: buds are invariably rounded whereas a spent flower is pointed and cone-shaped.
"Always cut back to the next side shoot – even if it means taking a long stem – as this will stimulate new flowers and avoid ugly spikes of the stem.
“And if you do not have dahlias then deadhead anything and everything daily – nothing else is so effective in keeping summer flowers from lasting as long as possible.”
Most read in Fabulous
Meghan manipulated Harry into Beckham feud that left David 'furious', says pal
If you are with a partner, let yourself be cared for, for a change
Hubby bought me new £10k body & now we can’t keep our hands off each other
Harry & Meg put on united front in cosy vid after claim they’re taking time apart
You can use secateurs, scissors or a knife to do this, or just snap them in the right place with your hands.
Just pinch the place you can to snap with your fingers and thumb – it should come off easily if it's not too thick.
And for plants with multiple flowers, cut off each one individually before pruning the entire plant.
Not all plants will need to be deadheaded though, so it's worth double checking before venturing into your garden.
The pros from RHS said: "Some obliging plants don't need deadheading – those like fuchsias, bedding lobelias and salvias either don't set much seed or neatly deadhead themselves, saving you the task. "
Source: Read Full Article