These Flowers Will Not Benefit From Cutting Down
Plants are simple: they start with a seed, then grow stems, leaves and stems. Flowers form, but then the plants begin to produce seeds. At each stage of this process, the plant is good at focusing energy on the part of the plant that needs it. Once a plant devotes itself to producing seeds (sometimes called splicing), it stops wasting energy on anything else, including producing more flowers.
Descorching is the act of cutting off spent flowers on a plant so that instead of wasting energy producing seeds from them, the plant immediately begins producing more flowers again. In most cases, this works well—most annual cut flowers, including zinnias, snapdragons, and even basil and other herbs, benefit from devastation. But in the plant world, there are flowers that always produce only one stem and one flower, so destroying a plant means you are essentially killing it.
In most cases, it’s not hard to figure out which is which – the seed packet or plant tag will tell you. However, a single stem flower has less of an impact on your garden. It exists for a limited period of time, so you need to consider whether it is worth growing at all. Most people grow them for high-turnover cutting flower beds. Here are some of them that you should pay attention to.
Stock
This snapdragon lookalike produces a scent far more intoxicating than any other cut flower I can imagine, making it ideal for home bouquets. There have been so many new varieties on the market in recent years that you can find quite a wide selection of soft pastels.
Peonies
Investing in peonies is money well spent, no matter how small the plant you start with. This plant should grow about 30% more each year and is one of the reliable plants that germinates every spring. Although you can trim peonies to improve the plant’s appearance, this will not cause the plant to bloom again. Peonies set buds early.
Sunflowers
There are single-stem and multi-branched sunflowers, but the classic sunflower you see in the field most likely has a single stem. By cutting a sunflower, you not only kill the atmosphere for every local squirrel and bird, but you also send the plant into a giant bouquet vase in the sky. In the case of sunflowers, it is best to wait until the entire head has formed seeds and those seeds are easily dislodged.
Tulips
Ironically, tulips can come back year after year, but commercial growers replant the bulbs every year because to cut a tulip for sale, you remove the leaves that the plant needs to gain enough strength to come back the next year. . Even if you leave the bottom two leaves of the plant in the compost to ensure the roots get the nutrition they need, cutting the flower when it has withered will not cause the tulip to bloom again. Tulips are classic, ready-made.
onion
Another flower that you usually get in bulb form, the bulbs are actually related to the onion, they climb high into the garden, sometimes four feet, and produce one giant big clump of seeds. They are quite impressive, sometimes reaching ten inches across. Unfortunately, removing them has no effect other than depriving your garden of a beautiful looking flower that has some staying power.
Gladiola
Gladioli, part of a family of flowers I call “tall and spiky” that includes delphiniums and larkspur, come in a variety of vibrant colors and form giant spiers of color. The birds and bees love them, and if you could get them to bloom again, your garden would be full of them. But they are single-trunked, so pruning is useless.
mallow
Unlike the glades mentioned above, these tall and spiky flowers have a softer shape, but retain the same single stem feature, making aging pointless.
Celosia
Just buying one from a nursery is a disservice: these fantastic flowers need to be grouped together. Celosia comes in two types: feather or cockscomb. Personally, I’m drawn to the latter option, but both are gorgeous and come in the most vibrant jewel tones. In my garden everyone stops to ask about them. Unfortunately, many varieties also have a single stem, so their availability in your garden is limited; enjoy them while they last.