Many people assume that flowering plants can be neatly divided into two categories: those that bloom and rebloom throughout the season, and those that only bloom once. The truth is a little more complicated. Careful deadheading of the first wave of fading flowers can trigger a rebloom on a few so-called one and done flowers.

An ornamental flower isn't just blooming to make your yard look pretty – it is flowering to reproduce by setting seeds. Once pollination occurs and seed heads form, the plant receives a signal that its seasonal work is effectively complete, causing it to transfer energy into seed maturation. By stepping in with some well-timed snips, you interrupt this cycle.

These cuts essentially trick the plant into believing its mission is not over, driving it to develop a vibrant, bonus round of fresh flower blooms. So don’t fret about summer’s charms fading all too soon. You can cheat the system and secure a stunning second flush of blooms with this simple, well-timed trim.

Simple Snips for Reblooming

First, it helps to know which flowers will not rebloom, no matter what cuts you make. These include peonies, oriental poppies, irises, and true lilies. Timing is key: you also need to avoid trimming plants back while they’re still actively blooming. Conversely, don’t want too long. Don’t wait until the spent flowers have developed seeds to deadhead, as then it’s too late.

A good pair of sharp pruning shears can be your best friend when it comes to extending summer blooms. Slicing through tender stems with dull, rusty blades creates ragged, bruised wounds that invite bacterial rots and fungal infections. For soft-stemmed bloomers, use precision shears, scissors or snips. Our team rates the Fiskars Micro-Tip Pruning Shears from Amazon for clean, surgical snips. Cut right above emerging nodes so you don’t tear surrounding foliage.

USDA hardiness zone also impacts timing. In USDA zones 3-5, trim in early July to give the second flush enough warm days to flourish ahead of late fall and first frosts. Meanwhile, in the south, summer soil conditions can be parched. Trimming in a drought can be stressful for plants. Always give your borders a deep watering 12-24 hours before you deadhead. Water again after trimming, especially on hot days. Avoid feeds with excess nitrogen, which encourage leaves rather than flowers.

1. Delphinium

Delphinium (aka larkspur) is beloved for its dramatic, tall spikes of early summer flowers. But regal perennial giants (hardy in zones 3-7) fade way too quickly, and if left alone, they won’t rebloom. So it’s tempting to think they are true one-and-done flowers. But you can get a secondary flush if you cut the first spent flower spikes to the base, or to where you can see a side shoot forming. Do this after the flowers fade and before they develop seeds, and you’ll get secondary spikes.

While the secondary flush won’t be the same towering columns as the first wave, these bewitching blue spires will look stunning alongside late-season ornamental grasses. If you neglect to deadhead them, the plant will produce unsightly brown seed pods, rapidly declining into a tatty mound. To nourish that second wave, mix a few spoonfuls of phosphorus-rich Down to Earth Fish Bone Meal from Lowe’s into the surrounding topsoil immediately after deadheading.

2. Roses

There are a few different categories of roses, including modern types that have been bred to rebloom throughout summer. Older rose varieties generally only bloom once, though, unless you do some attentive deadheading. If you have an older variety that only gives you one flush of flowers, trim back spent blooms as soon as you see the flowers fade. You should get a small additional rebloom late in the season.

When tackling classic shrub, old garden, or hybrid tea roses, the way you deadhead matters. Rather than simply snapping off the faded flower head, follow the stem down to the first leaf axis with 5 leaflets. Make a clean 45-degree cut, one-quarter inch (0.6 cm) above this outward-facing bud. If left untrimmed, roses grow decorative but energy-consuming rose hips, shutting down future flower production. To help roses bushes bounce back from summer heat stress, treat them to a bi-weekly application of Neptune's Harvest Fish & Seaweed Fertilizer from Amazon.

3. Catmint

Catmint (nepeta) is a perennial that gives a spectacular flush of purple flowers in early summer. Hardy down to zone 3, it is a joy for low-stress gardening. But once the flowers are spent, you’re left with a mess of floppy stems. When you see the flowers fade in midsummer, cut the entire mound back to about half its height. Grasp the floppy outer stems and shear the entire mound into a tight, neat dome using sharp hedging shears. It is very forgiving and responds well to this simple trim.

If you don’t deadhead, you’ll wind up with a sprawling, messy center that looks untidy for the rest of the year. Water well after trimming for a vibrant second round. Nepeta prefers lean, poor soils, so avoid heavy fertilizers. Instead, enrich the bed with Worm Bliss Premium Earthworm Castings from Amazon. This slow-release treatment boosts moisture retention while encouraging a lush second wave of lavender-blue.

4. Coreopsis

Also known as tickseed, coreopsis is a cheerful perennial that blooms abundantly in early summer. But when the spent blooms go to seed, they look messy. Coreopsis can keep blooming well into fall and responds well to deadheading. Do this regularly, whenever you see spent blooms. Treat threadleaf varieties like catmint and shear the top third of the plant away once the first massive wave finishes.

For large-flowered varieties, use micro-tip snips to cut spent stems down to the nearest healthy side bud. You might find it helps to add some Hoffman Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix from Walmart around the root zone for drainage. Follow up with a sprinkle of Dr Earth Premium Gold All Purpose Fertilizer from Amazon as the optimum foundation for non-stop color well into fall.

5. Salvia

Salvia is a popular perennial that gives a dramatic profusion of early-season flowers in shades of blue and purple. Perennial salvias (such as 'May Night' or 'Caradonna') thrive in zones 4-9, and are loved for their rich texture and high drought tolerance. Once they fade, the plant can look messy, but the show doesn’t have to be over. Right after the first flush fades, trim plants back by one-third. When deadheading, locate the main stalk and cut it down to the base, where you’ll see new shoots.

If you don’t deadhead, these vibrant spikes dry into brittle black sticks that ruin the neat look of your borders. After deadheading, water deeply and add a light feed. New flower spikes should appear in weeks. Because dense salvia clumps are highly susceptible to powdery mildew, keep the foliage healthy with a little Arber Organic Bio-Fungicide Concentrate from Walmart. This protects the new, emerging leaves from fungal pathogens without harming the local pollinators that will drop by.

6. Garden Phlox

Once the large clusters of flowers stop blooming on this hardy perennial (Phlox paniculata), it’s easy to assume that’s it. But as soon as your garden phlox looks spent, trim back the flower clusters, cutting just above the upper leaves. The second flush triggered by deadheading will consist of smaller, more delicate terminal flower clusters, extending your color window by up to four weeks.

If you leave the old heads intact, they drop inferior, non-true-to-color seedlings that can crowd out your original.Keep your deadheaded plants well-watered and add some fertilizer to encourage side shoots to develop where you’ve made cuts. To stop your phlox drying out during its secondary bud formation, dress the soil surface with a good organic mulch, like Back to the Roots Organic Premium Mulch from Amazon. This locks in vital root moisture and shields the soil from intense summer sun stress.

7. Shasta Daisies

These pretty daisies flower in spring and summer. Shasta daisies are tough in zones 5-9, but they turn a muddy brown as they fade. And once they fade, they look unsightly, and turn into seedheads if you leave them in place. Instead of letting that happen, cut spent Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum × superbum) flower stems to the base or a side bud. Do this regularly as each individual flower fades. Keep the plants watered to encourage fresh growth, and remove any foliage that goes yellow.

Slide your shears down the flower stem to where it connects to the foliage clump, making your cut hidden. Plants push out dense growth to support secondary blooms, so they are highly vulnerable to drying out. Give your Shastas a deep drink, and add a handful of Espoma Organic Chicken Manure from Walmart. This provides the slow-release nitrogen punch required to fuel fresh white blooms through to first frost.

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