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Shop for plants that don't need deadheading

Why would you ever choose an oven that doesn’t have a self-cleaning option?

The same option is available when selecting plants for hanging baskets.

Most annuals need to be deadheaded.  The term ‘deadheading’ means removing the old spent flowers.

If you don’t do this the plant switches gears from making flowers to forming seed heads. So, if you want to fool the plant to keep blooming you remove the old flowers, or pinch the plant back to make it bushier and begin flowering again.

There are some great new varieties out there that don’t require deadheading, giving you more time to sit on the deck sipping your beer.

‘Superbells’ are Proven Winners’ latest Calibrachoas. They look like little petunias but aren’t sticky, bounce right up again after it rains, stay compact and they don’t need deadheading.

Hummingbirds are attracted to the long trailing branches filled with blossoms.

Another new annual that doesn’t require deadheading is Breathless Blush Euphorbia.

From a distance these plants are reminiscent of baby’s breath.

The self-cleaning flowers are a showy mass of pink-flushed blooms. They are long lasting, fill in quickly and look great planted alone or in a mixed container.

Breathless Blush is the first dark foliaged Euphorbia making it even more unique looking.

An old fashioned   variety that comes to mind for low maintenance is the Gartenmiester Fuchsia. It is a fabulous plant. This fuchsia is upright with small tubular coral flowers, unlike the common trailing fuchsia with large flowers.

The Gartenmiester looks great planted in the background or the center of a container. It’s lovely bronze foliage and coral pink blooms put on a show well into fall.

If you do want to reduce deadheading in annuals, apply more water soluble fertilizer to your plants. Increase the number of times you fertilize or feed them a weak strength at every watering.

The City of Quesnel doesn’t deadhead their petunia beds or baskets and they always look great. That is because they use half strength fertilizer with every watering.

If you keep forcing the vegetative growth the flowers will follow.

Now, I just wish someone would develop a self-cleaning car.

Jean Atkinson is a horticulturist with Richbar Golf and Garden and a regular Observer columnist.