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I have some dianthuses(sp?) whose blooms are finally dying and going to seed(they lasted a long time, I was impressed!). My question is, do I cut off just the flower head, or the stem all the way down as far as I can? I'd like to collect the seed. Also, will they continue setting flowers or are they done now? Thanks in advance!
Hi Kristie, could you let us know what kind of Dianthus you have, you do deadhead all of them, but I would need to know if these are the annial ones or the perennial type, so I can tell you if they will come back next year, if annials they wont, so you can get seed from them, then discard the whole plant, if the grey foliage ones that are perennial, (Carnations) then you just snip off the flower head AND the stem and leave all the foliage, they will flower again next year, from these types, you can increase from cuttings. hope this helps you a bit, WeeNel
Thanks WeeNel. They are perrenial. I've had them for awhile, but being ignorant(more like hard headed), I planted them in a shaded area thinking they'd still bloom. This year I finally moved them into the sun and they bloomed! I have already cut a few, stem and all, and I'm collecting the seed. Will they send up more flower shoots throughout the year? Some that I've cut I've noticed it looks like they are sending up so more...I was just wondering if I could expect to see more throughout the summer. I really like these flowers...they smelled like lilacs, but weren't over powering, and the flowers lasted for quite awhile! Thanks for any help, WeeNel!
Hi Kis, as you deadhead your perennial Dianthus, look at the stems on the spent flowers, as they sometimes have tiny little flower buds already forming on the same stems, so if they do, you just have to nip off the dead flower and not the whole stem, if no bud, then cut the stem, you should get lots more flowers over the rest of the summer, and you will know when the season is finnished due to the lack of new buds, dont cut any foliage in winter as that is needed to keep the plant healthy over the winter, I love the ones that smell like cloves, as we used to grow them when I was a little girl, they were a deep maroon colour and also pink stiped and also white, I cant grow them here as my soil is too acid and they hate that, they seem to like a touch of limey soil, my dad used to add lime around the roots in the autumn, never forgot the smell though. good luck, hope they bloom for years to come. WeeNel.
Thanks, guys! I hope they will bloom a lot this year, I really love them! They're also special because they are the first things I ever planted at my new house, or ever for that matter. I planted them around a tree where it was shaded, not even thinking they wouldn't bloom. I forgot about them, didn't think they came up until a couple years later these "weeds" I thought were growing around the tree had one single bloom. So, I moved them from around the tree to another shaded spot(stupid) and they grew for a few more years, producing one puny bloom. Then, I really started getting into this gardening thing, so I finally figured out to move them to full sun this year. I'm surprised the little guys lasted so long under my ignorance! Thanks so much for your guys' help!
Hi Kis, so glad that you are enjoying the gardening, it is facinating and at time hard work and thow in frustrating, expensive and full of surprises, but once you get the bug, that's it, so good for you, even though I have been gardening forever it seems, believe me, I am still learning new things, and everyone has different wys of doing things, but you get there in the end, just stick with it and enjoy, good luck and happy gardening. WeeNel.
Thanks WeeNel, you're always so helpful. I really have gotten into gardening...sometimes I think, "Gee, I have too much stuff going to keep track of" and next I'm sitting around looking to find something to do. Either way, it is a lot of fun, and very addicting! Happy gardening to you, too!
