Deadheading flowers in Exeter
Professional deadheading flowers services in Exeter and surrounding areas. Local, reliable handyman - no job too small.
Price Guide
£60-£85
Typical Duration
1-1.5 hrs
Location
Exeter, Devon
Spent flowers removed from roses, bedding plants, and perennials to keep them flowering longer. Proper deadheading technique used for each plant type - simple maintenance that extends your garden's flowering season.
Why Deadhead?
Because most flowering plants are trying to make seeds, not please you.
Once a flower's pollinated, the plant switches energy to seed production. That means fewer new flowers. But if you remove the spent blooms before seeds form, the plant keeps pumping out flowers trying to complete its mission.
It's basically tricking your plants into flowering for months instead of weeks.
Plus, deadheaded plants just look better - tidy, healthy, intentional. Not sad and covered in brown faded flowers.
💡 Pro tip: Deadheading also prevents diseases. Old flowers rot, get mouldy, and spread problems to healthy growth. Removing them keeps plants healthier overall.
What Regular Deadheading Achieves
| ✅ Deadheaded Plants | ❌ Left Alone |
|---|---|
| Flower continuously all summer | Bloom once then stop |
| Look tidy and well-maintained | Brown spent flowers everywhere |
| Healthy (no rotting petals) | Disease spreading from old blooms |
| Put energy into new flowers | Put energy into seed production |
What I Deadhead
🌹 Roses The classic deadheading candidate. Regular removal = continuous flowering all summer. I cut back to the next five-leaf junction (proper rose deadheading technique).
🌺 Bedding Plants Geraniums, petunias, marigolds - they flower non-stop if deadheaded. Just pinch off spent blooms and they keep going till frost.
🌸 Perennials Depends on the plant:
- Delphiniums, lupins, foxgloves - cut whole spent spike
- Salvias, nepeta, geraniums - trim back faded flowers
- Dahlias - remove spent blooms to keep them producing
🌼 What I Don't Deadhead
- Self-cleaning plants (impatiens, begonias)
- Plants you want to self-seed (forget-me-nots, aquilegia)
- Late-season flowers for winter seed heads (echinaceas, sedums)
- Things too fiddly to bother with
The Process
📋 Assessment
| What I Look At | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Which plants benefit | Not everything needs deadheading |
| How much is spent | Might be 10 minutes or 2 hours |
| Any pest/disease issues | Flag while I'm working |
| Whether to cut back further | Some plants need more than just deadheading |
✂️ The Deadheading
- Roses cut back to next five-leaf junction
- Bedding plants pinched or snipped
- Perennial spikes removed entirely
- Climbers (jasmine, honeysuckle) tidied
- All spent material collected and removed
📦 You Get
- Plants flowering longer and more prolifically
- Tidy, healthy-looking garden
- All debris cleared away
- Advice on which plants need what going forward
Pricing
| Garden Size | Estimated Time | You'll Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Small garden, few flowering plants | 1 hr | £60 |
| Average garden, typical borders | 1-1.5 hrs | £60-£85 |
| Large garden or cottage garden style | 2-2.5 hrs | £110-£135 |
Based on £60 minimum (first hour) + £50/hr after. Regular maintenance visits can be booked fortnightly/monthly.
Perfect For Your Garden If...
✅ You want flowers all summer - deadheading makes it happen
✅ Your roses stop flowering - they'll rebloom if deadheaded properly
✅ Garden looks scruffy - removing spent blooms instantly tidies it up
✅ You can't bend/reach easily - let me do the fiddly cutting
Why Choose Us for Deadheading flowers in Exeter?
More flowers produced over longer period
Plants look tidier and healthier
Done properly without damaging plants
Can be booked as regular maintenance
What to Expect
Step 1: Walk the Garden
I look at what's flowering, what's spent, what needs attention. Work out realistic timings.
Step 2: Systematic Deadheading
Work through beds methodically. Roses first (they benefit most), then perennials, then bedding. Proper technique for each plant type.
Step 3: Clear & Advise
All debris collected and removed. I'll mention anything else I spotted while working (pests, diseases, plants that need cutting back harder).
🔧 DIY Tips
Want to deadhead your own plants? Here's how:
🧰 What you need
- Sharp secateurs
- Scissors or snips for delicate plants
- Bucket or trug for debris
- Gloves (roses!)
✂️ Deadheading techniques by plant type
Roses:
- Cut spent flower back to next five-leaf junction
- Cut at 45° angle, sloping away from bud
- Don't just snip the flower head (too high up)
Bedding plants:
- Pinch off with finger and thumb, or snip with scissors
- Remove whole flower plus short stem
- Quick and easy
Perennials with spikes (delphiniums, salvias):
- Cut whole spent spike back to base or next bud
- Encourages side shoots to flower
Perennials with individual blooms (geraniums, potentilla):
- Snip off spent flowers individually
- Or shear the whole plant back by third for fresh flush
Dahlias:
- Cut spent flowers back to next set of leaves
- Keeps them producing till frost
⚠️ Common DIY mistakes
- Cutting too high (leaves ugly stub)
- Cutting too low (damages next bud)
- Forgetting to collect debris (looks messy, harbours disease)
- Deadheading plants that should go to seed
- Using blunt tools (damages stems)
💡 Pro trick: Do a quick deadheading round every week during peak summer (June-August). Takes 15 minutes and keeps everything flowering beautifully. Once a month isn't enough - flowers move fast in summer.
Rather leave it to a pro? No problem - that's what I'm here for. Give me a call.
Good to Know
🌸 Regular visits work best: Fortnightly deadheading through summer keeps gardens looking brilliant and flowering continuously. One-off visits help but regular maintenance gives best results.
Peak season is June-August - that's when most things are flowering and benefit from regular deadheading.
Some plants need cutting back harder than just deadheading - geraniums, nepeta, alchemilla benefit from being sheared back mid-summer for fresh growth. I can do that too.
Weather matters: After heavy rain, spent flowers go mouldy fast. That's a good time for deadheading - removes disease risk.
Devon's mild climate means roses often flower into November if deadheaded properly. Worth keeping up with it.
Want me to come monthly through summer? I can book you in as regular maintenance - same day each month, garden always looks its best.
Frequently Asked Questions
What actually is deadheading?
Removing spent/faded flowers before they set seed. Tricks the plant into producing more blooms instead of focusing energy on seed production. Works brilliantly on roses, bedding plants, many perennials. Simple task, big impact on flower display.
Won't this take forever if I've got loads of flowers?
It's rhythmic work once you get going. Average garden with typical rose bushes and perennials takes 1-1.5 hours. Big cottage garden with tons of flowering plants might take 2 hours. I work efficiently - it's quicker than you'd think.
Can you do this regularly through summer?
Yes - that's actually ideal. Fortnightly or monthly deadheading keeps plants flowering continuously. I can book you in as regular maintenance if you want, or just do one-offs when needed.
Do all flowers need deadheading?
No - some are self-cleaning (drop their own petals), some you want to go to seed for next year, some are too fiddly to bother with. I know which is which. I'll deadhead what benefits from it and leave what doesn't.
Will you damage the new buds?
No - I deadhead carefully, cutting just above the next bud/leaf. The technique varies by plant type but the principle's the same: remove spent flower, don't damage what's coming next.
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