New gardeners are often confused about the meaning of 'deadheading'. It simply means removing spent blooms. Then come more questions. "Do I just pull the flower off or cut the stem?" "If I cut the stem, how far down?"

The main reasons for deadheading are to prevent seed formation and thereby conserve the plant's energy, and also to make the plants look tidier in the garden. And get this: some perennials and most annual flowers will have extended bloom periods if you are diligent about removing blossoms before they go to seed.

Here are some deadheading examples

Petunias: Pinch or snip off the flower, cutting back to just above a set of leaves. Don't just remove the petals. You need to remove the developing seed pod too.

Day lilies can be deadheaded either daily by removing the individual spent flowers, or you may wait until all the buds on that stalk have opened and then remove the stalk at the base.

Carnations: Cut the whole wiry stem off at the base (leaving the basal foliage) or, if you want to try to encourage re-blooming, cut the stem just above a leaf. Note that the tendency to re-bloom depends to some extent on what type of carnation you are growing.