How To Dead Head & Care for Annuals and Perennials

Oakridge On-Site
Julie, an outdoor specialist at Oakridge Nursery & Landscaping, shows you how to best care for your annual and perennial plants. We’ll touch on everything from dead heading to fertilizing.

Annuals vs. Perennials.

Annuals live for one year. When the frost comes they die, unless they reseed.

A perennial is planted in the spring, grows all season, and when the frost comes it dies completey back but the roots rest. The following spring the plant will regrow from the root.

Dead Heading

This is the art of taking off the dead blooms.

• Clip back fading blooms. This forces new growth and new blooms to grow earlier.
• When the majority of a bloom has faded, simply snip out the entire bloom at the base.

Watering

• You do not want to keep the soil wet all the time. It’s important for the soil to dry between waterings.
• It’s best to water only once per week.

Fertilizing

• Use a slow release fertilizer in the spring, and allow the plant to feed the whole season.
• Or use a quick release fertilizer, mixed with water, and fertilize once a week.