How do I dead head Pinky Winky?

14 years ago

This is my first year with Paniculatas but I can clearly see where to dead head all but the PW. I bought it as a four foot tall plant this fall and it has blooms on every stem . Most of them are over a foot long. The problem is

they have leaves mixed in with the flowers. Should I ignore the leaves and deadhead down to the last flower coming from the stem? What will happen if I don,t dead head at all? I want to take some of the weight off the stems by deadheading this year but don,t really want to cut the plant back so far. By deadheading to the last flower I would be cutting back the entire plant a foot to a foot and a half. What is the growth rate of this plant ? If I cut it back that far can I expect it to regain that length on the stems and then some next season? I would really like this plant to gain some height as fast as possible so I can see it from the deck. This year it just barely comes to the top of the rail so I have to lean over the rail to see it. Thanks for any help you can give me .

Comments (4)

morz8 - Washington Coast
14 years ago
You don't need to reduce the height of a 4' plant to 1 1/2' by deadheading, just removed the dried flower heads only at the base of the faded petals. Next years growth buds will appear in the leaf axils (where leaf joined stem). You can shape your plant when those buds begin to swell in Spring and you can see where to make cuts if shaping is needed.

First dry day we have I will probably remove the old flowers from my own pee gee, not Pinky Winky and many years old - or I'm finding the flower heads blown around to be picked up after winter storms. Any major pruning or shaping I will do earliest Spring.
madeyna
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the reply .I have been really watching it during these rain storms and its taking them really well even with the flowers on. I was afraid the weight of the wet flowers would bend it over . I had to weigh the whole plant down with big rocks to keep it from coming out of the ground with our big winds but the stems arent bending over at all. It hasn,t made it threw the winter yet but this appears to be one sturdy paint.
unprofessional
14 years ago
You can leave them on for winter interest. I think they're quite striking, personally.
morz8 - Washington Coast
14 years ago
unpro, not nearly what I would call striking laying on top a dwarf boxwood border, plopped in the middle of black ophiopogon 'nigrescens', clogging up a gutter/downspout or plastered to the side of my car. :) Nothing as messy like a wet storm off the ocean....

I do leave the flower heads on macrophyllas most years.