Monday, July 21, 2008

Homemaking Tip: Dead-Heading

To me, there is almost nothing more beautiful of God's creations than plant life. As I have learned to flower garden over the past few years, one of the most useful tips I have learned is this: DEAD-HEADING. I know, it sounds scary, but it simply means to remove dead flowers and leaves from your flowering plants. I notice a significant increase in new blossoms after I deadhead and my plants look much more lush and healthy. Try it with your plants if you haven't started and I guarantee you will notice a difference!

The following is a common annual, the petunia, a plant many beginning gardeners start out with. These annuals are easy to dead-head. All you have to do is to pick the flower off with your fingers, like so...




Next, we have a common perinial, the geranium, one of my personal favorites. The stem of this blossom is thicker and a little difficult to pop off with your fingers, so it is best to use a pair of small garden sheers for the job. Just make sure to cut the stem off below the leaf line as shown, or you will have unslightly cut-off stems sticking up out of your plant.




I'll conclude this post with some eye candy. These photos were taken in the garden of a dear friend, (who also happens to have nine kids!). This is what a container gardens can look like with proper care. Enjoy! What gardening tips can you share?









5 comments:

Troy the Marathon Man said...

Wow, Jenny....nice plants. I haven't ever owned a plant I haven't killed. I think one died of fear because I didn't remove the dead plants before I brought the new one in and he/she got freaked out and had a branch attack and died a couple of days later. That's a true story (except the part about the branch attack, I'm not sure that's a real issue)

Shauna said...

Jen you are truly an inspiration! How do you make time for such an amazing blog.
It was fun seeing you and your babes on Sunday! I hope we get to see you again soon.

CJ, The Purple Diva said...

Oh I love the tips of this!
I do NOT have a green thumb! This makes is sound easier!
And I love the flower garden! SOO pretty!

Anonymous said...

Your plants Look Absolutely Fabulous!!!

Anonymous said...

your plants are gorgeous. already tried to post, but I don't know if it went thru. I'm trying to switch to blogspot. will let you know if/when I do.
suz