When tending to a garden, proper care and upkeep is necessary for a healthy and beautiful gathering of plants and flowers. Roses are one of the most popular and stunning flowering plants available. However, to ensure plant owners get the most out of these flowering beauties, proper upkeep, regular pruning and deadheading is necessary.

Faded flowers can be displeasing to see in a garden and can give the impression a flowering plant is unhealthy.  Deadheading is the process of removing the faded blossoms of the plants. When the bloomed flowers are dead, the time has come to trim them off.

Hybrid tea roses and repeat blooming roses can all benefit from deadheading. Sprucing up the plants by trimming off the faded flowers will encourage more blooms to grow, and will make the overall appearance of your roses more attractive. Even better, many repeat-flowering plants will benefit from deadheading, because their blooms will not only flower better, but they will flower longer.

Use appropriate tools

The first thing one will need to do to prepare to deadhead their roses is to make sure they have the correct supplies. Proper pruners, long-handled loppers, and thick working gloves are needed. Whatever tools you choose, make sure they are both clean and sharp.

Watch this video how to deadhead roses:

Using your pruning tools, start at the base of the plant and begin by cutting off the faded flowers. Flowers should be cut below the bloom and just above the first leaflet. For plants like hybrid tea roses, cut each faded bloom back above the leaf joint. This should be about nine inches below the flower. Doing this will result in a greater number of stronger flowers. To encourage even more blooms, feed the roses with a good rose fertilizer.

Regular pruning is also necessary to keep plants healthy. Begin pruning at the base of the plant to improve air circulation. Remove all debris from the roses, and begin removing old, dead, and diseased wood. Keep an eye out for any wood that appears dry, shriveled, or black. Prune until the inside of the cane is white. You may prune any excess foliage, as well. Wait until your roses are dormant, usually in the spring, before pruning.

A gardener shouldn’t be intimidated about pruning and deadheading their roses. Taking proper care of your roses can be an easy and relaxing procedure. By following these simple steps, any gardener can have beautiful, stronger, and more plentiful roses in no time.