All my lady in red and coral nymph are doing quite well. I was wondering if I am supposed to dead head the plant or simply cut back the parts that are no longer producing flowers. I searched for this information, but I haven't been able to come up with an answer.

Thanks in advance!

Brian I deadhead mine when the flower stalk is completely spent - it is easy to tell when they are done. I just cut or pinch out the spent stalk and that encourages side blooms to grow and bloom. I'll try to get some pictures later when I am outside tonight to show you what I mean.


Charlotte Passinger-Ehrhart
Middletown, PA
South Central PA
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6

Coccinea is a very forgiving plant. Regular dead-heading certainly keeps the plant looking fresher but they are blooming machines so it is only for cosmetic reasons. Later in the season you might want to let them set more seed. Besides being a very good food for fall and winter birds like goldfinches the seeds will also overwinter and volunteer next May.

In my mind it is always good for the plant to remove any spent flowers or any stems that are no longer producing .

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

Brian here are the pictures I took this evening of my Lady in Red before and after dead heading. I hope it helps







Charlotte Passinger-Ehrhart
Middletown, PA
South Central PA
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6

Ok so after deadheading or whatever do you save the spent stems and save the seeds? (after drying out) But Charlotte's looked dryied out already. I have started saving seeds for next year, but sometimes don't get to them ASAP...I have taken stems and let them dry out (like on a paper plate) then take out the seeds...so I guess my question is should I let them dry on the plant (and risk loosing them) or take them before they are ready and let them dry out?

Chris
Burlington County
NJ

Salvia coccineas are so prolific that they don't really need deadheading for continuos bloom. I always leave the seedheads for the goldfinches to enjoy, and for volunteers. I also have way too many of them to deadhead, so it works out well.

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

Good point Priya of leaving the spent stems on the plants for the birds and volunteers. Basically you can do it either way. Toward fall I always let mine go.

The stems I removed already had seeds formed that I could shake out in my hand. I don't save the stems this early in the season - I just held them up for some of the new hummingbird gardeners to see what we were all talking about.

I only have 6 plants due to lack of space but can imagine if you had a lot you would never be able to keep up with dead heading them. I just think my few plants look neater if I do it.

Thanks a ton for the info. I snipped the dead stalks and put them on the ground around the plants. In all cases it was the very grown first stalk that I snipped off. When I planted them I remember wondering why they needed 12" of space, but as many now have 4-5 stalks I finally see why they need the space.