How To Prune and Deadhead in Summer for Fall Color

Give your shrubs and perennials some summer attention with these tips and techniques to prune and deadhead to revive them and keep them blooming into the fall.

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Anyone feeling that mid-summer gardening slump feeling like, “whatever” when it comes to dealing with the garden and all the heat? I know I fight this every year, but I also know that if I take an hour or so (or a bunch of 15 minute time slots) in August to do a little deadheading and pruning of my flowers I will reap the benefits of potentially months more of blooms.

With that in mind, I’m sharing how to prune and deadhead your shrubs and perennials so that they will continue to bloom for you well into the fall.

Do you prune back and remove spent flowers (aka, “deadheading”) routinely for your shrubs and perennials in the summer?

Did you know there are some plants that if you cut them back now they will bloom more for you – and if you don’t, they won’t?

I didn’t for many years, but when I realized I could have more fall blooms without planting more, I started to make it a point to get out in the garden at the end of July and into August to clean up a bit and prune for that fall color!

Bonus: trimming and removing any browning foliage also helps to revive the garden and keeps it looking good for all those warm summer days you have left to enjoy.

How to Prune and Deadhead Perennials and Shrubs in Summer

Supplies Needed

Luckily, this is a project that doesn’t require more than clippers, gloves and a bucket to collect your clippings.

• Deadheading is usually a bit more delicate than all-out pruning, so I really like this multi-snip tool that I discovered last spring for this garden chore.
• Regular by-pass pruners also work, too, so use whatever you have.
• I bought these gloves last spring, since I always go through 1-2 pairs in a season (from holes in the fingertips…) and I’m surprised how lightweight they are, but how sturdy. I haven’t even put holes in the fingertips of the first pair yet – which means I have extra pairs available for any garden helpers I may recruit.

Definitions

• Deadheading means to remove the spent blossoms from plants.
• Pruning refers to removing any part of the plant, from large to small, but what we’re doing in summer is small, simply cutting back some of the plant and trimming to make it look good.

General Pruning and Deadheading Tips

Where to cut spent blooms

For most of your perennials and shrubs that have bloomed or are continuing to bloom, all you need to do is to clip off the spent blossoms = “deadhead.”

There are two things to think about to know where to cut the dead blossom:

1. You can cut it back to the first new growth you see, like the buddleia (butterfly bush) shown above. Those new shoots on the sides will produce new blossoms, keeping this compact variety (Lo & Behold ‘Ice Chip’) blooming into the fall.
2. OR you can cut it back further to keep it in check for the area you have it planted, which would be more of a pruning. Still look for new growth, but farther down on the stems to keep the plant from growing too big or to help it stay a more pleasing shape.

Clipping and Snipping

You’ll also have plants like the daylily pictured above that have dead flower stalks as well as dead leaves. Taking the time to remove the browning, dead leaves as well as deadheading the flower stalks goes a long way to helping your garden look good into the fall.

Some varieties of daylilies, like Stella d’Oro, will continue to bloom if the dead stalks are removed, but most other varieties will be done blooming, though they will continue providing grass-like foliage as a backdrop to the garden.

Shearing

For perennials that are covered with smaller blooms, like hardy geranium, the easiest way to remove all the spent blossoms is to simple shear the entire plant back.

How to shear: Grab sections with your hand and cut the entire section off, going around the plant until most of the spent blooms are gone. It won’t look it’s best for a week or two, but will soon put out new growth and more blooms.

Hydrangeas

For established hydrangeas, the heavy blossoms may be causing the plant to bend and dip, leaving the tops bare. It’s the perfect time to clip the oldest blossoms off, especially those at the bottom, allowing the leaves to spring back into position.

If you grow any of the reblooming hydrangeas, like Endless Summer, they will continue to send out new blossoms for you.

The best part of pruning hydrangeas in summer is collecting all the blooms and filling the house with vases of fresh flowers!

Roses

Cut blossoms for best regrowth

You’ve probably been deadheading individual rose blooms as they’ve been blooming the past few months, but making sure to cut back to a five-leaf junction, where new growth and blooms will come from, will help your shrub to bloom faster.

Prune out any diseased parts

You’ll also want to cut back to new growth in order to cut off any diseased leaves and stems, (like I obviously have on some of my roses – if you live in the Pacific Northwest, every rose will get blackspot…).

This not only makes it look better, but it helps stop the spread of any disease to the new growth.

Have any tips to share? Any plants you’ve found that respond well to deadheading, shearing, or pruning at mid-season? Let me know in the comments!

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