together color combinations that I end up not liking. Though I may not want to
move the plant because I like it where it’s planted, I don’t want it flowering at the
same time as one of its neighbors, so I prune it back to flower later.
Individual plants will flower longer but not as profusely if a few stems are cut
back to delay bloom. Many summer- and autumn-flowering plants can be delayed
by cutting stems back by about 4 to 6 in. when the flower
buds start to form. This can delay flowering by several
weeks or more. If a ‘Clara Curtis’ mum (Chrysanthe-
mumrubellum ‘Clara Curtis’) is sheared while in bud,
for example, flowering can be delayed by 1 to 2
months. With some perennials, cutting the plants
back when the flowers are forming will result in no
bud development and consequently no bloom.
A delay in flowering can also be useful for the flower
arranger who would like to have, perhaps, beebalm
into August for arrangements. The smaller flowers
that result from pruning before flowering are also
often a better size for cut arrangements.
I have several clients who travel for several
weeks or even a month during the summer. Often
they will cut the majority of their garden down by
about a third or half, depending on the time and the
plants, before they leave. They return to lush new
growth and flowering on plants that other-
wise would have flowered with no audience
and would have looked finished and
shabby upon the owners’ return.
Although in many cases either
Many perennials can be sheared
and shaped after flowering, such
as Baptisia australis.Pruning summer-flowering
perennials by cutting back
(deadheading) by a third or half
to a lateral bud, followed by
cutting down to basal foliage,
here showing Achillea
‘Moonshine’.cuttinG BacK 113