Dead heading

[Waffler]

As some of you know, we're having our wedding reception at home this August, so I'm doing my best to get it in tip top condition and to keep it that way. I realise many of the plants will have flowered and gone over (shrubs etc) but I'm a little unsure of certain plants which may or may not benefit from deadheading. So, obviously all my annuals I'm doing, plus roses, poppies and probably some others besides. Can someone tell me what to do with lupins once they've flowered; one seems to be developing seed pods; do I cut it down to the base or what? Also, we have quite a show of Nigella, which I think I recall flowering all through the summer, BUT... having left them to their own devices last year, I now can't remember, so should I be cutting off the dead flower heads or not, and how long can I expect them to last?

Sorry for all the questions; I'm just trying to avoid mad rushes out to the garden centre to fill gaps closer to the big day!!

[nick the grief]

If you let them go to seed they will stop flowering so I'd dead head

[valmarg]

Waffler, regarding the lupins, once the flowers are finished, cut back virtually to ground level. Being perennials, you could have a second flush in time for your reception.

Hope all goes well, and 'don't panic' as Corporal Jones used to say!!!

valmarg

[Alice]

Hello Waffler. Good luck with getting your garden looking good for the wedding. If your lupins have finished flowering you should cut the flowering stalks off or they will just make big seed stalks (very heavy) which will pull the whole plant over. The plant will then make more flowers, much smaller than the originals but nice. I fear they will still be gone by August.

[Leeder]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I have a question of a similar vein.

I am very pleased with my lupins this year (which I grew from seed last year, this is their first year of flowering), my intention was to remove each flowering stem as it goes over and continue this until the end of the season, when i would let the last lot of flowers go to seed, which I would collect for sowing next year to furnish my bare front garden with lots and lots of lupins.

This all seemed quite straightforward to me and now I am worried that perhaps it is too straightforward. Can anyone see a problem with this, am I missing something that would stop me from getting seed from my lupins?

I am very keen (as are the bee's who are truely/madly/deeply in love with my lupins) to have as long a flowering season as possible, hence I don't want to let the first flowers go to seed and stop the plants from flowering anymore, but I am equally as keen to make sure I can collect seeds from my plants to grow on next year, as I have only ever grown shop bought seeds and never any I have grown and collected myself.

Thanks for your help and good luck with the wedding Waffler.