These gardening techniques have a lot in common, but play different roles in plant maintenance.
Creating one involves building a bed, possibly erecting fencing, and, of course,planting seeds.
After a garden is established comes the careful work of maintaining it for the months and years to come.
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This maintenance can involve tactics likepruningand deadheading.
So what exactly is deadheading, and how is it different from pruning?
We asked gardening experts to break it down.
What Is Deadheading?
Deadheadingis the process of removing dead or dying flowers from a plant to encourage more blooms.
Doing so directs the plants energy toward healthy growth for an overall better appearancethough its not solely for vanity.
What Is Pruning?
Pruning, on the other hand, is broader than deadheading.
Pruning is carefully cutting back branches or stems from your plants or trees.
Like deadheading though, this will improve your plant’s health and increase the number of blooms.
Pruning helps you shape plants so they fit your garden space more effectively.
How Is Deadheading Different From Pruning?
Pruning requires cutting stems, branches, or roots to remove unhealthy growth and strengthen the plants structure.
Pruning requires cutting stems, branches, or roots to remove unhealthy growth.
Youre cutting a live branch, as opposed to deadheading, when youre popping off a dead flower.
Overall, pruning is the preferred method for shaping and training plantswhen its done correctly.
Clarke notes that when its done incorrectly, it can damage plantslike hydrangeas.
Researching the plant variety youre planning to manipulate is key.
Some species will stop blooming altogether after deadheading if you remove too many dead flowers, Clarke says.
