All flowers wither sooner or later. The flower bed becomes unsightly, untidy – this alone encourages us to do pruning. But when the flower beds are large, the task becomes difficult and very time — consuming; and I want to simplify it, and better-to find a way at all to get rid of this work.
Is it possible? Why — in addition to the care of beauty-to cut the withered flowers, how to do it, when you can do without pruning? We will look for the answer to these and other questions.
Withered flowers: what’s the problem?
With the aesthetic side of the issue is clear: faded, half-flown, lost the shape of the flowerbed inflorescence is not decorated. But this is not the only problem.
Deteriorating bloom
For a living organism characterized by the desire to leave offspring. When seeds are formed on the site of the flower, they become a priority for the plant, it is for them that the maximum energy is spent. Breaking the withering flowers, we stimulate the plant to form new buds, new stems. Well, if the fruits were formed, the seeds began to ripen, this often serves as a signal: the program is executed, the flowers are no longer necessary, all the forces are for procreation.
Once flowering plants with timely pruning of fading inflorescences are able to bloom again at the end of the season. Have a Syringa (and most other flowering shrubs), Paeonia, Narcissus pruning lays the Foundation for good flowering next season. If you do not be lazy to remove the withered flowers of Petunia, the plant will be better to Bush and bloom profusely. In dahlias, this procedure prolongs the flowering period.
Develop the disease
Not necessarily, Yes. In hot weather, wilting flowers instantly dry out and usually do not pose a threat to the health of the plant. But in the rainy summer dying inflorescences often rot, limp from excess moisture and can serve as a favorable environment for the reproduction of pathogenic microflora.
Resources are spent
And flowering, and (all the more!) the formation of fruits and seeds requires the use of nutrients and water. Timely removing all unnecessary, unnecessary, we help the plant to save resources, spend them efficiently. From this point of view, wilting inflorescences better cut in a timely manner, without waiting for them to completely dry.
Possible self-seeding
If you do not remove the withered flowers or pruning too late, some plants can give abundant self-seeding. If such spontaneous reproduction is not included in your plans — just cut the wilting inflorescences. Actively propagated by self-seeding Aquilegia, Bellis perennis, Dianthus barbatus, Calendula, some types of decorative onions and other cultures.
When and how to trim
In plants with soft, thin stems withered flowers, you can simply pinch off your fingers. But in most cases, for pruning is still more convenient to use pruning shears or garden shears-it’s easier to remove the excess, without damaging the remaining shoots.
What trim — prompt the plant itself: each has its own structure, and hence its own characteristics cropping. For example, Delphinium, Astilbe, Hosta, Aquilegia and other crops, forming the high stalks, cut them at the base; petunias tear escape directly under a withered flower; the flower stalks of gladioli and Tulip cut on the first sheet.
When to cut-depends on the characteristics of the plant, and on your capabilities. If you come to the country only on weekends, daily inspection of flower beds is clearly not your case. It happens that once a week to carry out pruning for some reason can not.
Yeah, that’s not very good. But it’s always better to focus on what you can do than to suffer because you can’t change. Remove faded flowers as often as your conditions allow. If time to care for flower beds very little-plant those crops for which rare or untimely pruning is not critical. Remember: we break the garden in order that he pleased us, and not to add to their problems.
Is it possible to do without pruning?
Possible. But not always. For example, the inflorescence of many decorative bows for a long time remain attractive even after the flowers wither. They can not be removed until the seeds ripen – when the boxes darken and crack, and the peduncle begins to dry up.
In its own attractive panicles in faded Astilbe-remove them in the fall, when we do pruning perennials for the winter. Do not require haste and some dried flowers — for example, Eryngium or ornamental grasses.
The Echinacea and gaillardia in winter bouquets use remaining after the petals have fallen fluffy balls — bolls on high peduncles. At Lunaria flowers do not represent special interest — the translucent partitions which have remained from completely ripened fruit-pods are decorative.
Of course, we do not cut those plants from which we intend to obtain seeds or fruits. For example, we will cut the withering roses — but the rosehip, which was planted for the sake of its vitamin fruits, will not be cut after flowering. In decorative sunflower heads with crumbling petals remove-and sunflower, planted for seeds, save.
At the end of the season, stop removing the withering flowers Calendula, Tropaeolum, Tagetes and other plants that want to propagate their seeds. But be careful if you do not want to reproduce by self — seeding-collect ripe seeds on time.
As you can see, there are many options to minimize the mandatory pruning of wilted inflorescences. If there is no time for this time — consuming procedure-choose a culture that does not require regular care. When planning flower beds, always consider the nuances of care for the selected plants and correlate them with their capabilities — then your garden will always be beautiful and well-groomed, and you do not have to spend extra time and effort.
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