Pruning your plants keeps your garden full of flowers.Prune your flowering plants to keep them healthy, to encourage more flowers, and to direct a plant's growth.A series of smaller cuts throughout the year is what you need to keep your plants looking their best.
Step 1: Deadhead flowers remove spent growth during the flowering season.
As flowering plants bloom, you may need to remove spent buds to encourage new flowers and a stronger plant.To deadhead a flowering plant, you want to cut the branch or stem just above a new bud or pair of true leaves.Depending on the thickness of your plant's stems, you will need to use gardening shears or a hedge trimmer to deadhead it.Plants with a lot of flowers may need to be deadheaded more frequently.When there are a few fading flowers to trim, deadhead flowering plants.Some flowers don't need to be deadheaded.If you allow the plants to grow and fade naturally, they will do best.
Step 2: You can schedule your yearly cut back.
Most flowering plants need to be cut back once a year.It depends on when your plants flowers.Spring is the common flowering pattern for plants.Plants that flower in the spring should be trimmed after the flowers fade.The summer.Summer-flowering plants should be trimmed in the late winter or early spring to give time for new growth.They are evergreens.During the spring, evergreens need to be trimmed at least once.Prune them in the late autumn or early winter if you have the time.Annuals.As they are growing to remove deadheads, annuals will need to be trimmed.
Step 3: Plants should be cut back to encourage growth.
Cutting back helps encourage new growth and improves a plant's appearance.All leaves, stems, and buds are cut back.To trim the plants down to about 2 inches above the ground, use hedging shears.While you're cutting back your plants, wear thick gardening gloves.You should wear a long-sleeved shirt if you are working with flowers that have thorns or stickers.After a plant flowers, cutting back should be stopped.After a flowering plant has been cut back, it may need more attention.The soil surrounding the plant needs to be aerated.
Step 4: Between trims, pinch flowers to encourage healthy growth.
Pinching removes the first set of leaves as a plant begins to grow.To pinch a stem, use your fingernails.Pinching before a flower blooms will help keep it from getting too heavy or floppy.Pinching can be done with garden shears.If you want to cut through the new growth, you can pinch the stems with your fingers.branching growth and flowering stems can be produced by pinching.
Step 5: To shorten bloom times, pinch flowers.
Just as pinching flowers can promote a healthier plant, it can also help you get more flowers throughout the growing season.Use your fingers to pinch the buds on the plant as it starts to bloom.The buds that you pinch will bloom 3-4 weeks after you leave them in place.The buds should be pinched evenly across the plant.If you remove the flowers from the other side of the plant, the process won't work.pinching buds can be done with fingernails.
Step 6: To promote new flowers, remove terminal and side buds.
Look for buds at the tip of the shoot.Depending on the plant, you can pinch the bud with gardening shears or fingernails.The buds should be left intact.These flowers will get the sun to grow and keep your plant healthy.Terminal buds and inward-facing buds can be removed to help the plant produce more flowers.
Step 7: Old stems have decreased in flower production.
Cut stems that are no longer producing flowers with gardening shears or hedge trimmers.If your plant is crowded, remove any new growth to make room for the remaining stems.Cut the stems as close to the ground as possible.Thinning your plant will focus the plant's energy on the stems.Thinning should be done on fast-growing plants to make sure they don't get old.Try to thin a plant at least once before it blooms and once after.
Step 8: New stems should be pinch to control future growth.
Pruning early on young plants makes it much easier to control their growth.New stems should be checked to make sure they are following the growth plan.If the stems aren't growing in the way you want them to, use your fingers or shears to pinch them as close to the stalks as possible.
Step 9: You can shape a hedge by shearing it.
A rounded or square shape is usually the result of shearing.Hedge trimmers can be used to shape your plant.If you want leaves to get the sunlight they need, make your bush wider on the bottom than it is on top.A rectangular shape is easier to achieve than a round shape if you are not used to shearing.Use a string line between a stake in the ground and the edge of the bush as a guide for your cuts.Shearing stimulates buds.Shearing as your bush starts to grow will help direct future growth.If you shape the bushes on their natural growth patterns, they will do better.For a healthy trim, follow the growth.
Step 10: A flowering plant should be thin to keep it from spreading.
A flowering plant can be thin to control where it grows.Cut stems outside of your desired growth area with hedge trimmers or a pruning saw.They should be taken as close to the ground as possible.Thin out old growth in the center of the plant if you want your plant to be bushier.The areas most exposed to the sun will be encouraged to expand outward.