Perennial deadheading guide
Deadheading, or cutting off spent and dead flowers, is a great way to tidy up your garden. But there are other benefits, too: Cutting back at the right time and in the right way can help you prolong the bloom time or even get a second flowering out of many plants. Others will reseed all over the place if you don’t keep their spent flowers picked off. Check out what deadheading can do for 50+ favorite perennials — and learn the best time to do it.
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| Plant name | Botanical name | Cold zones | Will it rebloom? | Tips |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astilbe | Astilbe spp. | 4-8 | No | Deadheading won’t stimulate more flowers so leave seedheads standing for late-season interest; when they look ratty, cut them to the ground |
| Baby’s breath | Gypsophila paniculata | 5-8 | Yes | Cut panicles of spent flowers to side shoots to keep this perennial flowering longer; shear stems to the ground after they finish to promote second, smaller flush of fall flowers |
| Balloon flower | Platycodon grandiflorus | 4-9 | Yes | Prolong bloom and keep the plants fresh by removing individual spent flowers; stems are tough — use small scissors or snips and dip them in alcohol to clean the sticky sap; reseeds |
| Bear’s breech | Acanthus spp. | 5-9 | No | Leave the spent flowers standing — they remain interesting for several weeks; later, cut them to the basal rosette of foliage if they look objectionable |
| Bee balm | Monarda didyma | 4-9 | No | Cut spent blooms back to side buds to prolong blooming; after it’s finished flowering, cut stems down to 4 or 5 in. to promote mounds of clean, healthy foliage; rarely reblooms |
| Bergenia | Bergenia cordifolia | 3-8 | No | Cut flower stems off at the ground after flowering to keep the plant looking tidy; will not reflower; rarely reseeds |
| Bellflower, peachleaf | Campanula persicifolia | 3-8 | Yes | Pinch off individual flowers as they fade; cut entire stalk back to within 6 in. of the ground when it’s finished to encourage rebloom; releases a sticky sap as you prune |
| Blanket flower | Gaillardia x grandiflora | 3-8 | Yes | Snip off individual flowers a few inches below the seedhead to prolong bloom; later cut stems to within 6 in. of the ground; stop deadheading in August |
| Bleeding heart, fernleaf | Dicentra spp. | 3-9 | Yes | Cut the flower stems down to basal mound of foliage after they’re finished to keep this perennial flowering into autumn; can reseed |
| Bleeding heart, fringed | Dicentra formosa | 4-8 | Yes | Keep up with removing spent flower stems down to the foliage and this perennial can continue to bloom into fall; does not die back like old-fashioned bleeding heart |
| Brunnera | Brunnera macrophylla | 3-8 | No | Cut flowering stems with small leaves down to 2 or 3 in. after they flower to prevent reseeding; leave basal foliage developing in the center of the clump; will not rebloom |
| Bugbane | Actaea racemosa | 3-8 | No | Leave seedpods on plant to add winter interest or cut them off to uppermost set of leaves, leaving as much foliage as possible to feed the plant; will not rebloom |
| Cardinal flower | Lobelia cardinalis | 3-9 | Yes | Cutting down spent spikes 2 to 3 in. from the ground will sometimes promote a small rebloom; short-lived so allow a few seeds to ripen or ground layer a stem or two |
| Catmint | Nepeta spp. | 4-8 | Yes | Cut stems down to 2 or 3 in. after flowering to keep plant looking neat; may or may not reflower after deadheading; deadheading will prevent reseeding |
| Columbine | Aquilegia spp. | 3-8 | Yes | Snip off spent flowers to side stems to keep columbines blooming; cut entire stem to the ground when finished; allow some seedheads to ripen to ensure replacement plants |
| Coral bells | Heuchera hybrids | 4-8 | Yes | Cut flowering stems below the low mound of foliage as they finish; deadheading will extend the flowering and sometimes promote a smaller second flowering |
| Daylily | Hemerocallis hybrids | 3-10 | Yes | Snap off spent flowers as they wilt to keep the later flowers as large as possible; once the stem is finished, cut it to the ground; some cultivars rebloom, others do not |
| Delphinium | Delphinium elatum | 3-7 | Yes | Pinch off spent flowers along the stems; cut the finished spikes to a leaf bud to encourage smaller side shoots; cut to basal foliage when all flowers are done; often reblooms |
| Dianthus | Dianthus gratianopolitanus | 3-9 | No | Some cultivars reseed, so deadhead as soon as the flowers fade; remove spent stems but leave the clump of foliage |
| Foamflower | Tiarella spp. | 4-9 | Yes | Some will rebloom after deadheading; cut or pinch off entire stem down into the low and hybrids mound of foliage to improve appearance |
| Foxglove | Digitalis spp. | 3-8 | Yes | Pinch off individual flowers along the stem; remove stems to the basal rosette of leaves when most of the flowers are finished; may rebloom later with smaller flowers; may reseed |
| Gas plant | Dictamnus albus | 3-9 | No | Cut seedheads down to foliage after flowering, or leave star-shaped seed pots for late-season interest; will not reflower with deadheading; can reseed |
| Gaura | Gaura lindheimeri | 5-9 | Yes | Flowers much of the summer without deadheading on stems that just keep branching; cut out stems that have bloomed to reduce reseeding; cutting encourages more branching |
| Geum | Geum hybrids | 5-9 | No | Can flower much longer with deadheading; cut spent flowers back to budded side branches; later remove the entire stem to the low mound of foliage |
| Globe thistle | Echinops ritro | 3-9 | Yes | Cut spent flowers to a side branch to keep the plant flowering as long as possible; cut entire stems to basal foliage when finished; late rebloom with smaller flowers |
| Goldenrod | Solidago spp. | 5-9 | Yes | Deadhead first and largest flowering back to healthy foliage to promote smaller second flowering from side buds; cut all seedheads to prevent reseeding |
| Hardy geranium | Geranium spp. | 4-9 | Yes | Hard to deadhead individual flowers, so cut tall cultivars' stems below foliage after most of the flowers have finished; cut low spreaders back to 4 to 6 in.; some species rebloom |
| Hardy hibiscus | Hibiscus moscheutos | 5-10 | No | Pluck off spent flowers daily to keep the plant looking tidy and keep it flowering as large and as long as possible; this also prevents reseeding; cut dead stems down in spring |
| Heliopsis | Heliopsis helianthoides | 3-9 | No | Don’t cut off all the spent flowers— goldfinches are fond of the seeds; reseeds, so you might want to remove some of the seed heads; will not rebloom after deadheading |
| Hellebore | Helleborus spp. | 4-9 | No | Pinch off spent flowers with fingers or small scissors to prevent reseeding; deadheading will not cause the plant to reflower |
| Hollyhock | Alcea rosea | 4-7 | Yes | Pinch off spent flowers along the stem as they wilt; leave a few flowers to reseed; cut stem to basal foliage once all the flowers have finished; may rebloom on short stems |
| Iris, bearded | Iris hybrids | 4-9 | No | Pinch off spent flowers before they form seedpods; cut entire stem to the foliage fan after all flowers have faded to keep the plant looking neat and tidy; some varieties rebloom in fall whether or not you deadhead |
| Iris, Siberian | Iris sibirica | 4-9 | No | Pinch or cut off flowers as they wither to keep the plant looking tidy and prevent seed formation; remove entire stem down into foliage when all flowers are finished |
| Jacob’s ladder | Polemonium caeruleum | 4-8 | Yes | Cut entire plant back to 2 or 3 in. to encourage new growth and keep it looking fresh; let a few pods ripen to replace the short-lived parent plant; often reblooms with deadheading |
| Joe-pye weed | Eutrochium spp. | 2- 9 | No | Will not reflower if deadheaded; can reseed; leave spent flowers standing for later season and winter interest if you want; cut stems to the ground in spring with pruners |
| Jupiter’s beard | Centranthus ruber | 5-8 | Yes | As the flowers fade, cut back to side shoots; prolific seeder if not deadheaded; often reblooms if spent stems are cut down to 3 or 4 in. after they flower |
| Lavender | Lavandula spp. | 5-8 | Yes | Harvest flowers with stems; cut entire plant back to healthy foliage to promote a second flowering; rebloom is shorter than first; harvest late flowers, leaving foliage |
| Lily | Lilium hybrid | 5-8 | No | Pinch or cut individual flowers as they fade; leave foliage until it yellows to supply food for the bulb; always try to leave as many leaves as possible; will not rebloom |
| Lungwort | Pulmonaria spp. | 4-8 | No | Cut away flowering stems to tidy up the plant after they fall to the side, exposing the new mound of foliage in the center; will not rebloom; can reseed; prickly stems — wear gloves |
| Lupine | Lupinus hybrids | 4-8 | Yes | After spring flowering, cut stems to small emerging buds along stems to promote second flowering; reseeds but seedlings vary in color; cutting back also controls aphids |
| Mountain bluet | Centaurea montana | 3-8 | Yes | Cut spent flowers back to side shoots; trim stems down to 2 to 3 in. after they’re finished flowering; often reblooms; can reseed rampantly |
| Mullein | Verbascum spp. | 5-9 | Yes | Cut main spike to side branches; cut entire plant to the ground after it blooms to stimulate late flowering; deadheading helps this biennial behave more like a perennial |
| Painted daisy | Tanacetum coccineum | 5-9 | Yes | Snip individual flowers off to a main stem as they fade; when the stem is finished, cut it to the basal foliage to keep the plant looking fresh; small sporadic rebloom |
| Peony | Paeonia spp. and hybrids | 3-8 | No | Snip off spent flowers back to the first leaf to keep the plant looking tidy; leave as much foliage as possible to feed the plant |
| Penstemon | Penstemon barbatus | 4-9 | No | Deadhead to side buds or branches to prolong flowering; cut stems down to the ground when finished blooming; usually will not rebloom |
| Pincushion flower | Scabiosa columbaria | 3-7 | Yes | Pick off spent flowers before seeds form; cut entire stems to basal rosette when finished to prolong blooming; note difference between buds and seed heads — they look similar |
| Purple coneflower | Echinacea purpurea | 3-9 | Yes | Reblooms fine even without deadheading; cutting off early blooms to a side shoot keeps later flowers larger; leave a few seedheads for bird food unless reseeding is a problem |
| Salvia | Salvia nemorosa | 4-9 | Yes | Deadheading promotes a long bloom period; snip off spikes to side branches; cut stems back to the basal foliage to encourage a late-summer rebloom |
| Shasta daisy | Leucanthemum x superbum | 5-8 | Yes | Deadhead spent blooms to side shoots to keep this perennial blooming almost all summer; cut spent stems down to 2 to 3 in. for smaller rebloom |
| Sneezeweed | Helenium autumnale | 4-8 | Yes | Snip spent flower heads only down to foliage to force side branches to develop and bloom; will continue to bloom until freezing weather if deadheaded |
| Speedwell | Veronica spicata | 3-8 | Yes | To prolong the bloom, cut spent flower spike back to side branches; once finished, cut entire stem down to the ground; may produce a small rebloom later |
| Spiderwort | Tradescantia Andersoniana Group | 5-9 | Yes | After all of the buds in a cluster have finished, cut the stems back to a side shoot or leaf axil for more flowers; if the plant looks ratty, cut it back by half to encourage rebloom |
| Spike blazing star | Liatris spicata | 4-9 | Yes | Cut stems back to the top of the foliage after the flowers fade; smaller second flowers may sprout from the stem or near the ground; if not deadheaded birds will feast on the seeds |
| Stoke’s aster | Stokesia laevis | 5-9 | Yes | Deadhead spent flowers to a side bud to prolong flowering; when flowers finish, remove stems to the ground; may rebloom; look carefully — buds and seed heads look similar |
| Tall garden phlox | Phlox paniculata | 4-8 | No | Snip off spent flower clusters; flowering side branches develop; deadhead to the ground when it’s finished blooming; seedlings will revert to less desirable colors |
| Tall sedum | Hylotelephium hybrids | 3-10 | No | No need to deadhead; leave seedheads standing for winter interest and wildlife or harvest them for dried arrangements; cut stems down in spring as new growth starts |
| Threadleaf coreopsis | Coreopsis verticillata | 4-9 | Yes | Use scissors or hedge clippers to shear plants to the ground in late summer to stimulate early fall rebloom; deadheading also helps prevent reseeding |
| Tickseed | Coreopsis grandiflora | 4-9 | Yes | |
| Turtlehead | Chelone lyonii | 3-8 | No | No need to deadhead because this late-blooming plant has seed pods that add winter interest; if seed heads look objectionable, cut them back to healthy foliage |
