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Deadheading - I'm confused.

ren.bren.b Posts: 164
in Plants
Okay - I wanted to know how to (or if I should) deadhead my Hotshot Variagated Rhodo (or Azela - says both on label).  I planted it last year and it has produced a lot of flowers which are now looking worse for wear, sorry picture only shows it when I bought last year. It's now three times the size and looks gorgeous - apart from the raggedy flowers.



Found a page on deadheading (RHS site) and saw this specifically about rhodo's - using finger and thumb to snap off directly under the flower head.

I continued down the page and saw this -
The 'aim to remove the flower with it's stalk' bit is confusing me - what stalk?  And at the bottom of the page it says to cut back to a bud or leaf - so do I just take off the immediate flower and don't go any further down?


<3

Posts

  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Rhodo and azalea flowers are held in little bunches on the end of thin stalks and they break off easily at the bottom of the 'bunch', leaving the main stems clear, so you just remove the bunch. The flowers eventually will break off naturally at this point if they have not been fertilised, while those that have remain to develop seeds. :)
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited May 2022
    As @Buttercupdays says  :)
    Many people don't bother deadheading them at all, and they will drop by themselves, so it depends how you feel about it, but it's quite easy to see where the point is to remove them. They come off easily using your fingers   :)

    Re - the label All Azaleas are Rhododendrons, but not all Rhodos are Azaleas. It's just how the classification works   :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ren.bren.b Posts: 164
    Thanks ladies, just nipped out to have a closer look and took some photo's.  Just touching the flower heads makes them drop off - is that thin red line in photo 2 the stalk then?  God it's hot out there - beautiful weather ... need to get some watering down later tonight.

    How confusing is ' All Azaleas are Rhododendrons, but not all Rhodos are Azaleas' - it reminds me of 'all mediums are psychics but not all psychics are mediums'  :)



    Thank you for your advice - much appreciated as always!
    <3

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