Should perenial flowerheads be removed after blooming to encourage stronger plants?

Question

Why is that not true about bulb plants, such as tulips and daffodils?

Answer 1

With all of the perennials that I have, I just let them bloom, let them die out, cut them down in the fall when the frost comes. Or I wait till spring and clean them up. You can deadhead plants if you choose. This will encourage the plant to produce more flowers. Plants want to produce more flowers because that is how they seed. Deadheading will allow the plant to focus its energy on creating new flowers than on trying to save the dead ones.

With bulbs, any kind (tulips, lilies, etc) once they have bloomed and the plant part has dried up, cut it off or gently pull the stem off. Be careful not to pull out the bulb; if you do replant it.

Answer 2

I agree with LS, too. I do deadhead perennials, when I can, as you prolong the blooming season that way. Deadheading also keeps the garden clean. While I'm not a clean freak in any way, a garden full of decaying plant materials can sometimes get "dirty". That is, pillbugs and other critters that eat the decay move in. If this upsets your Wa, you may want to do the deadheading for that reason alone.
Flowering bulbs can also be deadheaded, not to encourage branching or to prolong bloomtime so much, but to improve the look of the bed when bloomtime is over. As the others said, though, the leaves of bulbs need to be left alone until they dry up of their own accord.

Answer 3

Deadheading is not to encourage stronger plants, it is to promote more blooms. That is not true for bulbs because you need to allow them to dry up the tops and while they are doing that they are storing energy in the bulb for the future. I let my bulbs dry up on their own and then remove the dried up foliage. If it is removed before allowed to dry and store energy you will not get blooms the following year.

Answer 4

It would also prolong the flowering season and stop the plants from going to seed.

It is true about tulips and daffodils, because you stop them producing seed, therefore, the energy from producing seed is diverted to the bulb and bulblets.

Answer 5

I always dead head my flowers after they start to get brown. This encourages more flowers to bloom. tulips, daffodils, and spring bulbs must have the leaves on until they die back on thier own. then you may pull them off, or cut them back.

Answer 6

Bulb plants use ther foliage to sore food in their bulbs for the next reason. Yes remove dead flowers from the others.

Answer 7

Your answer is on this web-site at http://www.gardenmessenger.net/ also a very good gardening group is on Yahoo gardenmessenger it is very good if you want to join and chat to others around the world and the US.

Answer 8

L. S. gave you a right answer.