Plant Maintenance - Proven Beauty

Container Gardening

Plant Maintenance

Trimming & Plant Maintenance

At the height of summer, you might notice that some of your container plantings have started to look a bit unruly. Some more vigorous varieties might start bullying out their neighbors, dominating a container or trailing longer than you might consider tidy. It might be time for a small haircut!

While not strictly necessary, lightly pruning and deadheading* many annuals grown in containers can help keep them healthy through the remainder of the season and allow you to shape any leggy or overgrown plants. Read on for tips on how to keep your containers looking fresh.

*Deadheading: When we say ‘deadheading’, we aren’t referring to followers of a certain rock band. It’s gardener-ese for pinching off a plant’s dead blooms, allowing it to shift its energy to new growth.

• Pruning Tips •

BUSHER, HAPPIER, HEALTHIER:

Not all annuals benefit from regular, light pruning, but many do! Vigorous annuals like the ones listed below, will have a healthier, bushier habit if lightly pruned throughout the season.

LIGHT PRUNING = MORE BLOOMS!

When it comes to flowering plants, by encouraging a bushier habit, you’re increasing the number of stems on the plant and especially when paired with a little fertilizer, more stems = more blooms!

Petunia
Lightly trim as needed to maintain a bushy habit. Prune 25% of the plant or less at a time.

Verbena
Lightly trim as needed to maintain a bushy habit. Trim back 30% of the plant or less at a time. Although not necessary, deadheading regularly can encourage new flower buds.

Calibrachoa
Lightly trim as needed to maintain a bushy habit. Prune 25% of the plant or less at a time. A mid to late-season trim is especially helpful to encourage new growth and branching through the end of the growing season.

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Coleus
Once established, pruning stems regularly can shape of coleus dramatically, resulting in a much bushier habit. Trimming any bloom spikes as they appear can also help the plant put energy back into foliage growth.

Ipomoea
Lightly trim as needed to maintain a bushy habit. Sweet potato vines are very vigorous growers and in container plantings, they may need to be pruned back more than other plants in order to keep them from crowding out their container companions.

Lantana
Lightly trim as needed to maintain a bushy habit. Prune 25% of the plant or less at a time. When grown as a perennial shrub in warm climates, lantana benefits from pruning in early spring. Plants can be pruned back to remove dead branches and promote new growth in the same way as other woody perennials.

HOW TO TRIM PORTULACA IN A PLANTER

Check out this step-by-step look at how to trim back overgrown plants in containers and keep them looking neat all season long. Use the left and right arrows to browse through the slideshow.

Portulaca
In mid-summer, portulaca can be pruned by up to half their size if they have grown leggy. Light fertilization after pruning will help keep them healthy and looking good through the remainder of the season. Portulaca is self-cleaning and does not need to be deadheaded.

VIDEO: HOW TO TRIM PLANTS TO ENCOURAGE FURTHER GROWTH

It might seem contradictory, but trimming plants back in summer encourages them to grow healthy new leaves and more flowers that bloom longer. See how it’s done.

VIDEO: HOW TO TRIM A HANGING BASKET

Hanging basket plants actually love to get a haircut in midsummer. They’ll thank you with fuller growth and more blooms that last into the fall months.

USEFUL LINKS

CONTAINER TRELLISING

Check out five ways to support your climbing plants with a trellis that complements the style of your home and garden!

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COMBINATIONS FOR SUN & SHADE

Check out these versatile plantings for sunny and shady areas.

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DEADHEADING GUIDE

To deadhead or not to deadhead, that is the question! Learn about the do’s and don’ts with this in-depth article.

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