How To Deadhead And Trim Your Heucheras In Late Summer To Give Them New Life

By the time late summer rolls around, you might notice that there are quite a few old, dried up leaves on the heuchera plants in your garden. This obviously takes away from the beauty of the stunning leafy plants, but it can also prevent them from thriving throughout the rest of the season. It is important to deadhead and trim your heucheras in late summer to give them new life. This way, you will be able to enjoy a healthy-looking plant even as the weather cools down. To accomplish this, simply snip those old leaves and flower stems off at the base using pruning shears. Repeat this process all over the plant until only new, healthy leaves are left.

This process will help make room for new leaves to grow. Unfortunately, that old, dried plant growth can prevent your heucheras from reaching their full potential. This is because dead leaves take nutrients that are needed to help new leaves grow. With this in mind, deadheading and trimming your heucheras is a vital component of late summer plant care. After you get a hang of how to remove those dead leaves, you can look forward to maintaining lush and perky heuchera plants.

To remove dead flowers from your heucheras, which are also known as coral bell flowers, you will need to pull them away from the rest of the plant and use your pruning shears to cut them at the base of the stem. As for the dead leaves, pull them away from your plant so that you can get to them without accidentally snipping the healthy leaves. Next, cut the dead leaves off at the stem. That's all there is to it. If you have a compost pile, the dead leaves that you trimmed off would be a great addition there.

There are a few other tips that will help your heucheras remain healthy throughout the seasons. For example, consider spreading mulch over the plants' soil. This will not only help prevent weed growth, but it will also keep moisture in the soil when the weather heats back up next summer. When applying mulch be sure to avoid the center, or crown, of the plant.

It is also important to ensure that these plants are watered properly each season. Until the weather cools down for good, any heucheras you plant in containers will need to be watered daily to prevent the heat from drying them out. After summer comes to an end, you can transition to watering them regularly. As with most plants, just ensure that the soil is able to drain properly. You may use drainage materials to help with any excess moisture if needed.