Gardeners urged to do 1 job in July to 'ensure continuous flowering'

Gardeners are being encouraged to spend a few minutes deadheading their plants this July to help keep gardens blooming for longer throughout the summer. According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), regularly removing faded flowers encourages many plants to produce fresh blooms rather than putting their energy into making seeds.

Deadheading is simply the process of removing flowers once they have started to fade. As well as keeping beds, borders, pots and hanging baskets looking tidy, it can help many popular garden plants continue flowering for weeks. The RHS advises removing spent flowers as soon as they begin to look past their best.

While some fast-growing summer bedding plants may benefit from deadheading every day, many perennials only need attention once a week or every couple of weeks. Even if you miss a few days, it is unlikely to make a significant difference.

For most plants, deadheading can be done by pinching off the faded flower and its stalk using your fingers. Plants with thicker or woody stems, however, are best trimmed with secateurs or garden scissors, cutting just above the next healthy leaf or bud.

Many favourites, including petunias, pansies, roses, pelargoniums and lilacs, all respond well to regular deadheading. Some plants, such as hardy geraniums, catmint and lady's mantle, can even reward gardeners with a second flush of flowers after being cut back once they have finished blooming.

The RHS says deadheading offers several benefits beyond encouraging new flowers. It also helps prevent petals from falling across the garden, keeps displays looking neat and can stop vigorous plants from self-seeding where they are not wanted.

However, not every plant should be deadheaded. Gardeners may want to leave flowers on sunflowers, rudbeckias and cornflowers if they wish to provide seed for birds later in the year. Likewise, many roses are best left untouched if you want them to develop colourful hips during autumn.

Some plants, including fuchsias, salvias and bedding lobelias, naturally shed their faded flowers, meaning there is little need to remove them by hand.

For most flowering plants, though, making deadheading part of your regular gardening routine throughout July can help keep displays looking their best and ensure continuous flowering well into the rest of the summer.