7 Plants to Deadhead in June for Blooms That Last All Summer – Miss This Key Pruning Window and Your Flowers Will Flop
Pick up your pruners! It's time to deadhead these flowers to keep them blooming all summer long.
June is the peak bloom season for many of our garden flowers. This means it’s also peak deadheading season. Removing faded blooms keeps plants tidy, but it also serves many other purposes.
Removing dead flowers directs energy into growth rather than seeds and, in the case of some plants, encourages ongoing blooms. Deadheading isn’t necessary for all plants, but careful removal of spent flowers now on certain plants will reward you with a tidy, healthy garden that keeps blooming through the rest of summer.
Here is a list of the flowers you absolutely need to deadhead in June to keep them looking fresh and blooming beautifully for the rest of summer.
1. Petunias
Petunias are among the most abundant bloomers when it comes to summer annuals. They should keep producing their colorful, trumpet-shaped flowers all summer and even into the fall, but they can get leggy and untidy without deadheading. You should be seeing spent flowers by June. Gently pluck these off as you see them or every few days.
As one of the most popular of all garden annuals, petunias now come in a wide range of varieties, including some that don’t need deadheading. Skip this June chore if you’re growing Wave petunias from Burpee or Supertunias from Home Depot. These have been bred to shed flowers and grow more without your assistance. Still, they can benefit from some light trimming now to promote bushier growth.
2. Geraniums
Another perpetually popular annual, geraniums bloom all summer with striking clusters of multiple bright flowers. If you leave the spent flower clusters in place, they’ll turn brown and get mushy, which isn’t very attractive.
Deadheading geraniums starting in June will keep the appearance of your plants tidy, reduce the risk of rot, and encourage ongoing flowering. To deadhead geraniums, use sharp shears to make a cut at the base of the flower stalk.
You can also easily pick off the faded flowers where they meet the stem. Pinch the flower stalk between your fingers and snap! Or try a handy thumb knife from Amazon to make the job even easier.
3. Roses
If you grow a reblooming variety of rose, now is the time to start deadheading to stimulate that next flush of flowers. June is typically when you see the first wave of flowers, so remove them as they fade. Use clean, sharp shears like these pro-approved cult favorites from Felco to remove spent flowers just above the first set of five or more healthy leaves.
Deadheading roses isn’t just for the purpose of getting more blooms. It’s useful for all types of roses, even those that bloom just once. By removing the spent flowers, you’ll improve the overall appearance of the plant and promote airflow, which can reduce the risk of a fungal infection.
Stop deadheading roses later in the growing season to allow rose hips to form. You can harvest rose hips to make delightful jams and jellies.
4. Salvia
Salvia is a popular perennial for its abundant flowers that attract pollinators and put on an extravagant show beginning in spring. To keep those flowers going, June is the time to start deadheading. This will also help you manage floppy, tall growth and keep your plants looking tidy.
To deadhead salvia, wait until about two-thirds of the blooms on a flower spike have turned brown. This is the time to snip it. Make a cut where the stem meets the highest set of leaves. Always be sure to clean your pruners between plants to prevent spreading diseases. I make this task easy by using a wet wipe, like these ones from Clorox, to quickly clean off my shears.
5. Coreopsis
Also known as tickseed, coreopsis is a popular perennial for its cheerful yellow flowers that bloom abundantly for the entire summer and even well into fall. Of course, to ensure your coreopsis keeps up with blooming, you’ll need to deadhead.
You should start seeing spent coreopsis blooms in June. Remove these to stop the plant from directing energy into seed production. By deadheading coreopsis, you’ll redirect that energy into making more flowers.
You can gently pull off individual flowers or lightly shear the whole plant all at once after most of the first batch of blooms have faded. A cute, little handheld hedge trimmer from Amazon makes it easy to shear back entire perennial plants.
6. Daylilies
Daylilies are reliable flowers that bloom all summer, but you’ll get more out of the display if you deadhead them starting in June. As the name suggests, each flower on a daylily only lasts for one day. However, your plants will keep producing more flowers as the growing season progresses.
To remove spent daylily flowers, simply pluck them off the stem. They come off easily but do be sure you include the bud at the base of the flower, which is where the seeds will form. Redirect that seed’s energy into ongoing summer flowers.
7. Zinnias
Zinnias are easy and inexpensive to grow from seed and, with the right care, will reward you with ongoing bright blooms well into fall. Zinnias positively thrive with regular deadheading, or with harvesting for cut flower displays. Deadheading usually begins in June and carries on through July and August.
To deadhead zinnias, make a clean snip on the stem just above where it meets a new set of leaves or a different flower bud. You can make these cuts to collect fresh flowers for displays or to remove spent blooms. Both strategies will keep your plants tidy and flowering.
Pop your fresh zinnia blooms into a gorgeous vase – I love these timelessly beautiful options from McGee & Co. – for a quick and elegant arrangement straight from the garden.
Deadheading is an easy garden task, but also a vital one. Deadhead these flowers starting in June for plant health, strong new growth, and additional flowers you can enjoy for the rest of the season.
