Expert: Mike Mascio - 7/30/2009

Question
I have two yellow straw flower plants in hanging baskets that were beautiful when I bought them. I followed the care instructions on the card that came with them, and they did well for quite some time. The instructions did not mention deadheading to prolong bloom time, so I have never deadheaded them and now they are quite shabby looking. Should a straw flower be deadheaded, and if so, if I do it now will they produce more flowers?

Answer
All flowering plants need to be deadheaded. Otherwise, they expend all of their energy into producing seed rather than blooming. You can still cut the plant back by 1/3. This should stimulate side shoots and additional blossoms. Within a couple of weeks, the plant should be flowering again. Once the plant recovers, deadhead on a regular basis. This will result in constant blooming the remainder of the growing season.

Good luck, and please write again if I can ever provide assistance.

Regards,

Mike