Daisies are a garden staple, loved for their various colors, bright bulbous centers, and slim elongated petals. Daisy plants come in more than 15,000 different species. They look good in any garden, whether you like to plant them in pots, on the ground, or as big or small flowers. Growing daisies is also relatively easy, even for those who wouldnt say they have a green thumb. Aside from fertilizing and watering, a large part of their care is the deadheading process. Deadheading is the simple act of cutting off a plant’s wilting flowers. This keeps the plant from self-seeding too much. Allowing a plant to self-sow can lead to unwanted starters in less-than-ideal places. Additionally, removing flowers before they have a chance to rot will lower the risk of pests and diseases.
It makes sense that once a flower blooms, its life cycle starts to end. It will try to reproduce by spreading its seeds. This process can be stopped by cutting off the spent flowers. This will let your plant keep growing and producing new, healthy leaves. With gardening shears and gloves, you can quickly and easily cut off flowers that are dying just above the growth points so that the plant’s energy can go to the new leaves. You shouldn’t cut off flowers too early or too late. Instead, watch for petals that start to turn brown all through the growing season.
When you start to remove the flower heads from your daisies, you should have clean, sharp gardening shears and gloves to protect your hands. You won’t just be safe from cutting yourself with the gloves; you’ll also be safe from sesquiterpene lactone, a chemical compound found in plants in the Asteraceae family that is known to make skin swell up (1994). And clean tools will prevent any pathogens from spreading in your garden. When you cut back daisies that are dying, you should get rid of more than just the flower bud. If you don’t, the plant might end up with stems that are trying to hold up no flowers. From the dying daisy’s length down to the side bud, cut the stem just above the new growth point, about ¼ inch below it.
A lateral bud grows between the mature leaves and the stem. It gives a new bud its life force. So, its essential to be sure you are not severing new life and only clipping away the old. Your daisy bush should have many smaller flowers on one branch. If it does, you can cut off the whole shoot about ¼ inch above the base of the oldest, dying flower. Instead of throwing away your dead flower heads, put them in a compost bin. This way, nothing will go to waste.
Daisies are some of the most beloved flowers in gardens for their cheerful disposition and variety of bright colors. I’ve grown many types over the years and have found daisies to be consistently easy care plants. However, to keep them looking their best and blooming nonstop, proper deadheading is a must. In this article, I’ll cover everything you need to know about deadheading daisies.
What is Deadheading?
Deadheading refers to the pruning practice of removing spent flowers from plants. Gardeners deadhead faded blooms for both aesthetic reasons and to improve future flowering. It keeps plants looking tidy and encourages more buds to form. Deadheaded flowers can no longer produce seeds, so the plant’s energy gets redirected back into new growth and blooms instead.
Why Deadhead Daisies?
Here are the key reasons deadheading benefits daisies:
-
Removes unsightly dying blooms
-
Encourages continuous reblooming
-
Avoids unwanted self-seeding
-
Stimulates bushier, more compact growth
-
Deters pests and disease
-
Extends the flowering period
-
Produces larger, showier blooms
Simply put, deadheading is the secret to keeping daisies flowering nonstop all season long. It maintains their beauty and productivity.
When to Deadhead Daisies
Timing is important when deadheading daisies. It’s best to remove spent blooms before seeds have a chance to form.
For most types, begin checking for faded flowers about 1-2 weeks after the first blossoms appear. Signs a bloom is fading include:
- Wilting, drooping, or browning petals
- Closed petals
- Darkened central disc
Deadhead daisies as soon as you spot these indicators. Make deadheading a weekly chore to encourage continuous waves of flowers.
How to Deadhead Different Daisy Types
Deadheading technique varies slightly depending on whether daisies produce single flowering stems or multi-branching stems:
Single-Stem Varieties
These daisies form basal rosettes with each stem producing just one bloom. Examples are Gerbera and Oxeye daisies.
- Cut back the entire faded stem to the base of the plant.
Multi-Stem Varieties
These daisies produce clumps of stems with leaves and multiple blooms. Examples are Shasta and Marguerite daisies.
-
Cut faded stems back to the nearest leaf junction with healthy buds.
-
If no buds are present, cut back to just above a new leaf set.
How to Discard Faded Blooms
Add deadheaded daisy flowers to your compost pile or work them shallowly into garden beds to enrich the soil. Or place freshly deadheaded stems around daisy plants to possibly self-seed new plants.
Common Daisies to Deadhead
Below are some of the most popular daisies that benefit from regular deadheading:
-
Shasta daisies – Large, classic white daisies with yellow centers. Deadhead weekly by cutting back spent stems to the next healthy bud.
-
Gerbera daisies – Beautiful hybrids with large, vibrant single blooms. Snip off each faded stem back to the plant’s base.
-
English daisies – Cute, low-growing daisies in white, pink or red. Shear off each expired stem back to the basal leaves.
-
Marguerite daisies – Prolific bloomers in white, yellow, pink or red on multi-branching 2+ foot stems. Cut back to lower buds or leaf nodes.
-
Oxeye daisies – Similar to Shasta but smaller. Deadhead by removing spent stems to the base.
-
African daisies – Bright, long-blooming daisies great for containers. Cut back spent stems to new growth.
Deadheading Tips and Tricks
Follow these tips for expert deadheading results:
-
Use clean, sterilized pruners for deadheading to avoid spreading disease.
-
Deadhead in early morning when flowers are fully open to identify and remove faded blooms.
-
Always cut stems on a diagonal which allows water to run off and avoids trapping moisture in crowns.
-
Disinfect tools regularly by wiping blades with isopropyl alcohol.
-
Pour a diluted bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) over tools after deadheading diseased plants.
-
Deadhead diligently at least once a week for best reblooming.
-
Apply a balanced fertilizer monthly to fuel new growth after deadheading.
-
Watch for and pinch off developing seed pods regularly to direct energy into more flowers.
The Takeaway on Deadheading Daisies
Keeping up with weekly deadheading improves daisy’s appearance and productivity exponentially. A little effort goes a long way to avoid leggy, untidy plants with few blooms. Proper technique tailored to the daisy type maintains beauty and flowering all season long. Simply put, deadheading brings out a daisy’s full potential to delight!
Deadheading Daisies for More Blooms Home Gardening Quick Tips
FAQ
How do you keep daisies blooming all summer?
How long do daisies last after they bloom?
How to get a second bloom from Shasta daisies?
Do Daisy Deadheads need to come off?
Fading and brown daisy deadheads need to come off unless you’re trying to save seed. Cut spent blooms from the plant when they fade. When deadheading daisies, you give the plant a special signal to keep blooming and produce even more flowers! Identify daisy blooms that are past their prime.
How do you Deadhead Daisies?
The process of deadheading merely involves removing spent or fading blooms from the plant. Keeping your daisies fresh and removing spent blooms encourages new flowers to grow and keep growing. Deadheading daisies is one of those tasks that even the kids can do.
When should you Deadhead a daisy plant?
Also, more foliage will be created to make the plant look more luxurious and the roots will become stronger. If you want to save the seeds that are produced by your daisy plant, then you can deadhead the dead blooms near the start of the blooming season. Then only deadhead near the end of the season.
Are daisies deadheading?
When you see your Daisies in a deplorable condition like this, there is no point in keeping them intact in the plant. Deadheading Shasta Daisy, Marguerite Daisy, Oxeye Daisy, and almost all the daisy varieties are not as difficult as you may have imagined.
Should you Deadhead a flower?
Deadheading is a very simple process. All you have to do is remove any fading or decaying blooms. This will encourage the plant to keep growing and regrow any blooms that you have removed. Therefore, the plant won’t be wasting any energy on any blooms that are dying. It can focus its energy on new blooms that will make your garden look attractive.
Should you Deadhead daisies after the first frost?
Even after the first frost, you should give your daisy plants an excellent prune. After the first frost, your stems should be barely visible. This is so that the frost and winter weather doesn’t damage your plants. A helpful tip to know when deadheading daisies is to keep your tools clean and sharp.