Hollyhock Trimming off the top

by Jimmy
(Owensboro, Ky., USA)

Do You Trim Dianthus pixie

by Marion
(New York State)

Do you trim the dead flowers after bloom?

Doug says - yes. Simply prune or pinch off the dead stems as low to the rest of the plant as you can. If you pinch off the seedpods, you'll have a bunch of ugly "sticks" sticking up over the plant. Pruning off the stems lets the leaves show up over the rest of the summer and you can hope for a bit of a rebloom. :-)

coreopsis tree pruning

by Lupe
(Michigan)

Doug,

I live in Zone 5 and 3 yrs ago, I bought 2 coreopsis trees from Lowe's. They have been very healthy and bloom all summer. I bring them into our sun room during winter. This year I noticed about 4 shoots out of the bottom of the trunk. How do I make these shoots into a seperate plants? How do I make them trees?

Doug says he's not sure if you're talking about one of the herbaceous or annual coreopsis or C. gigantea a California native that does grow into a tree.

If the herbaceous or annual forms, then you should be able to take a tip cutting but if the C. gigantea I really don't know (hey, I don't garden in California) but a tender tip cutting might indeed work.

Pinch back mums one more time?

by Amy
(Rochester, NY)

I've pinched back my mums a few times this year, but still they are very large and I am afraid they will flop over when they bloom. There are a few tiny buds at the tips, but I vaguely recall pinching back in early August a few years ago without losing the flowers. How risky do you think it would be to try it now (August 9th - Rochester, NY)?

Doug says that he seldom pinches back more than once or twice. The rule of thumb for me is to do it when the plant gets to 12-18 inches tall - cut it back to half that. Repeat with a fast-growing mum but have never done it after mid-July.

I want a big tall plant with tons of flowers. If your plants are flopping, you may have too little sun or too much fertilizer.

cutting back perennials

by Rick
(Minneapolis, MN)

Should coneflowers and black-eyed susans be cut back to the ground in the spring?


Doug says they should be cut to the ground in the fall if possible and if not then, for sure in the spring.

With the possible exception of ornamental grass, all perennials can be cut down to the ground in the fall or very early spring. The decision-point is whether you want your garden to look neat in the fall (leave your garden in the fall as you'd like to have it look in the spring) or whether you're happy with a messy garden for the winter and doing the work in the spring.

Those who recommend leaving the garden usually say it either adds winter interest or is good for wildlife. But it's your call.

Properly deadheading shastas

by Joie
(Warrenton, VA)

How far down do I trim to properly deadhead shasta daisies? I planted these in the spring. They are fairly tall (2.5'). After the first blossoms, the leaves got brown and tired looking on the stalks where the flowers were dying. There are new stalks coming up. I noticed that after cutting off the dead flowers (but not cutting almost to the ground) the stalk usually did not produce a second blossom. So, seeing that nothing new was coming up on the stalks and seeing that new stalks were coming up from the ground (and thinking that they need air and sun), I cut the old stalks almost to the ground. Was this the right thing to do? I am so confused.

Doug says - cut off the flower stem and a bit of leaf (but not all the way to the ground - about an inch from the top). The bit of leaf you cut away will encourage the plant to produce new shoots and new growth and new plants.