PinchinG, disBuddinG, thinninG, and deadleafinG 121
Pinching, Disbudding,
Thinning, and Deadleafing
PINCHING
Pinching is one of the best-known forms of pruning perennials, associated in
particular with garden mums (Chrysanthemum ×morifolium). Anyone who
considers themselves so much as a weekend gardener knows the supposed
attributes and glories of pinching mums. But very few gardeners take full
advantage of this valuable technique, which can enhance the habit and flowering
effect of innumerable other perennials. Pinching is also a good alternative for
the timid gardener who may be hesitant to do dramatic cutting back for height
control. Pinching allows for experimentation; you can pinch just a few stems on
a plant, observe, and then decide what approach to take in subsequent years. If in
doubt, you may not want to pinch an entire plant, although a bit of adventure is
healthy. Always remember that perennials will come back next year in their
original state—it’s not like an apple tree, which may be marred for life with a
single improper pruning.
As with cutting back, pinching can be used to help keep plants in bounds, to
prevent plants from growing tall and straggly, and to stagger the bloom period of
an individual plant or a group of plants. Pinched perennials often produce more,
but smaller, individual flowers than a plant that hasn’t been pinched. You can
also shape a plant by pinching the outer stems shorter than the central stems.
Flowers will be distributed more evenly over the entire plant with shaping, and
plants will have leaves to the ground rather than bare lower stems, which often
require a hiding facer plant. This problem is sometimes overlooked during the
design process, so pinching can compensate for that oversight.
Although pinching and cutting back are often talked about interchangeably,
the practices differ in the amount of plant material that is removed and the tools
that are used to remove it. Pinching usually involves removing only the growing
tips and first set of leaves, or approximately 1/2–1 in. (at the most 2 in.), of each
shoot. Fingers work best for this task and are the most portable garden tools
available. A sharp thumbnail is particularly handy, and I know some perennialGorgeous in bud, flower, and
fruit, solitary clematis (Clematis
integrifolia) benefits from
deadleafing after flowering to
look its best later in the season.