This may be a silly question but after a bloom is done blooming do you clip it off or wait for it to dry up completely and fall off. Just wondering. The spent blooms kind of take away from the new blooms. Kim

We usually snap them of right away, as you say ,they are unsightly, and can interfere with the other blooms when they open...Arlyn

Yup. What Arlyn said. Be careful in the snapping, though -- not to snap off the bud next to the spent one. Guess who's done that?

Me

You're in good company, Paul. Doesn't it just KILL you????

Thanks Arlyn! Kim

Another reason to remove the spent blossoms [and seed pod] is to stop the seed production by the pod just below the blossom. It takes energy for the plant to bring that pod to maturity. There are other reasons of course. And of course I too have broken off the nearby bud.

I must also confess that I am much better at doing this at the first of the season...by the end of the season....oh well

Dead heading always makes me sad especially when I accidently snap off a new bud....but then I have to remember that I couldn't be removing spent blooms if I had not been blessed with them to begin with!

I know better, but sometimes I have something in one hand,and try to remove a spent bud with one hand, and sure enough off comes the new bud too. But then I learn, and use two hands. With this many plants (over 450) I just can't keep up. What makes me even madder is when I do snap one off, and find it was one that I made a cross on, and I wanted the seed pod! OUCH, haven't done that yet this year.

Oh -- double ouch on that one, Tom.