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May Night Salvia: Deadheading for a Summer-Long Flower Show

By stacy ling

Gardening Tips & Tricks

Keep your May Night Salvia blooming all summer long! Learn the simple technique of deadheading to encourage a vibrant second (or even third!) flush of flowers.

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When flowers fade and start to die, the plant focuses on seed production rather than creating new blooms. Deadheading removes  these spent flowers, signaling to the plant that it’s time to focus its  energy on producing more flowers instead of seeds. This results in a  surge of new blooms.

The best time to deadhead your May Night Salvia is when the individual  flowers or the entire flower stalk starts to fade and lose their color.

Step 1: Identify the Spent Blooms Grab a set of clean pruners and carefully examine your May Night  Salvia. You’ll see individual flowers fading at the bottom of the flower  stalk first, gradually moving upwards.

Step 2: Make a Clean Cut Using your sterilized pruners or garden snips, make a clean cut just above a healthy set of leaves. This is where new  growth will emerge, giving rise to fresh blooms. Aim to remove the spent  flower stalk where it meets the main stem.

Step 3: Entire Flower Stalk or Individual Blooms? If the entire flower stalk has faded, you can remove the entire stalk by cutting it at its base. However, if only some flowers on the stalk have faded, focus on removing just those individual flowers, leaving the healthy ones intact. 

Step 4: Deadheading Frequency Consistency is key! Regularly deadhead throughout the blooming season to maximize flower production.

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