We deadhead for two reasons:
- Roses, like all flowering plants, create blooms as part of their life cycle. If a flower is pollinated and seeds are formed then the plant believes it has finished that stage of its cycle. To encourage more blooms the old flowers are removed before seed pods, rose hips, are formed.
- The old withered blooms are not attractive, so removing them keeps the garden looking its best.
There are 2 types of compound leaves on the stems of roses. Hybrid tea roses usually have one or two 3-leaflet leaves immediately below the blossom. Next are two or more 5 leaflet leaves. Understanding this leaf arrangement is important as the procedure for deadheading roses during the first growing season differs from established roses. On a recently planted rose, remove the faded flower above the uppermost 3-leaflet leaf.
Removing a large amount of foliage reduces the young plant's food manufacturing capacity and may weaken it. When deadheading established roses, cut the stem back to an outward-facing, 5-leaflet leaf. Retain at least two 5 leaflet leaves on each shoot. Use sharp tools (preferably bypass pruning shears) to remove the faded flowers. Cut about 1/4 inch above the leaf that faces the direction you want the new growth to go.
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Deadheading is done by removing the spent bloom and stem down to the first 5 leaflet leaf. |
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The stem is cut ¼" above the leaflet. |
