Also known as a form of pruning, deadheading is an important action that can ultimately help to remove aging flowers on your Liatris spicata. In this guide, we’re going to thoroughly cover the concept of deadheading and why it is important to consider when maintaining your Liatris.
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How To Deadhead Liatris
Once a Liatris nears the end of its blooming cycle, it might be time to consider deadheading the flowers. Simply cut the stem below the flower and ensure that the new healthy leaves that are emerging are not harmed during this process. All of the dying flowers on your Liatris should be cut and pruned, if possible.
Deadheading your Liatris plants can help boost your plant’s growth in the future and may even provide an important boost to your plant’s flowering in the next cycle of growth. Since Liatris varieties are perennial plants, this cycle is important to monitor and deadheading or pruning will surely be beneficial in the long run when done properly.
The process of deadheading should begin as soon as your flowers begin to fade out of their blooming season. The weeks immediately after their blooming season ends is usually a good time to consider starting the deadheading process for your Liatris plants.
Why is ‘Deadheading’ Important for Liatris?
While it may not be absolutely required for your Liatris to grow properly, it’s generally a pretty good idea to consider deadheading your Liatris after the blooming season comes to an end.
The reason that it is important to prune and cut dying flowers off of your plant is that it can help with re-flowering in the next cycle of growth. Many people believe that a routine that includes deadheading for Liatris plants will ultimately end up with higher-quality growth in your Liatris and healthier plants overall.
Perennial plants, like Liatris, will go through phases every single year. After blooming, they will start to deteriorate in visual appearance. This is generally a signal to you that it’s almost time to deadhead your plants by cutting off the dying flowers. If you choose to deadhead your plants and remove the expired flowers from your Liatris, you’re basically giving your plants an energy boost that will help them reflower in their annual cycle.
While it’s not a mandatory step of maintenance, it is definitely recommended and should be strongly considered if you are trying to maintain your Liatris plants within your garden.
For more info about Liatris Bloom Time click here.
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How Should You ‘Deadhead’ Liatris?
Now that you understand why it’s important to consider deadheading your dying Liatris flowers, let’s talk about how you should go about it. The truth is that it sounds a lot harder than it actually is. While you still may be stressed out about it if you have never done it before, consider this simple guide to help you.
Before you begin, you need to know when it is appropriate to deadhead Liatris. Understanding the timing of this process is almost more challenging than actually doing it. As previously mentioned, a clear signal will be sent to you from the plant when the blooming season ends and its appearance starts to degrade in the following weeks.
Once the visual appearance of your Liatris starts to deteriorate, it’s going to most likely be a great time to start the deadheading process. Approach your Liatris plant and make a simple cut of the dying flowers by removing the stem just below the expired flower. Make sure not to cut any of the new healthy growths below it, or you might accidentally harm your plant’s growth in the future.
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Does Liatris Need to be Deadheaded?
Keep in mind that not all plants may require deadheading. There may be some Liatris plants in your garden that need it, while other Liatris plants in your garden don’t. You will learn how to detect dying flowers with experience, but it’s generally quite easy to spot a dying flower on a plant such as Liatris spicata.
You should keep an eye on your garden often and always try to carefully evaluate each of your plants right as the blooming season comes to an end. These days are just as important as the days before the blooming season begins because there are still some forms of maintenance like ‘deadheading’ that can be beneficial, especially when done properly by an experienced gardener.
Deadheading can not only help the health of your Liatris, but it can also make the plant more pleasing to look at. Source.
See our article on Liatris Care here.
Is Deadheading Liatris Hard To Do?
It can be confusing for somebody that has never done it before, but honestly, deadheading isn’t that hard. You just need to understand exactly where to cut the stem so that you remove the dead flower but not any new growths that may be starting to develop.
Once you do it a few times, you will only gain confidence and have more experience for deadheading your plants in the future. Remember, mistakes happen, but try to make sure that you learn from your mistakes so that you can have a fantastic garden filled with your favorite Liatris ‘blazing star’ varieties.
Did you know some varieties of Liatris are hardy? See our article for 28 Hardy Perennials
Related Questions
You don’t have to remove the dying flowers on your Liatris, but it can be recommended in some situations. Your Liatris plants will adapt and still manage to grow, but they might have a blooming season that ends a bit earlier than expected.
If done correctly, deadheading will only help the growth of the Liatris. There is a chance that you may cut off too much, or clip a part of the plant that you don’t mean to, but that shouldn’t happen if you have any experience with gardening.
You can put the flowers in a vase or you can compost the dead Liatris flowers. Composting is a great way to improve soil quality and provide more nutrients to your flowers and plants.
