Do you ever wonder why your neighbor has the same exact plant, water and fertilize the same, but theirs look so much fuller? Well, that is probably because a few times a summer they put on bell bottoms and the one tie-dye they saved from college and play 20-30 minute guitar jams for their plants, or, as we like to call it, Deadheading. All kidding aside, this is a maintenance technique you may be missing and it involves pruning those perennials or annuals. Plants go through cycles, like just about every other living thing. They germinate, grow, and produce blooms which then turn to seed or fruit for growth of the next generation before going dormant and dying back for the year. Pruning or deadheading the spent blooms on a plant push it to continue that part of its cycle. So when flowers begin to die out pinch them off just above the next leaf or down to the bottom of the stem if there are no leaves. This tells the plant it needs to set bloom again to produce seed and often encourages it to branch out giving you more blooms and a fuller plant. If you allow it to set seed towards the end of the season you can then let the plant finish and often get a few baby plants in return. So, head up to the attic, find that box of Grateful Dead bootlegs and crank up the stereo while you are out in the garden deadheading.
