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Deadhead - you'll be grateful

Article by: DEB BROWN , Contributing Writer
Updated: August 10, 2010 - 4:09 PM

Removing faded flowers keeps plants producing and looking good, but it does take some time.

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mensanAug. 11, 10 6:13 AM

I grow many native plants and leave the flowers alone (except for bouquets). The seeds provide energy for migrating birds and other wildlife. I love looking out my windows and seeing a bunch of goldfinches having breakfast, or the cedar waxwings stoking up for a long day of flying!

alicegtwAug. 11, 10 5:21 PM

Please rethink your answer to the person who wanted to get rid of white clover in their lawn. Clover is BENEFICIAL to lawns because it adds nitrogen to the soil. Before broad-leaf herbicides were so prevalent, clover seed used to be included in grass seed mixes. Clover is a very environmentally-friendly lawn fertilizer and should be encouraged. It's also pretty.

JIMF1Aug. 12, 10 2:54 PM

My backyard has lush grass and! clover. I love the white flowers. When I was a youth, grass seed often had clover seed mixed in because clover fixates nitrogen, which grass needs. Today we are fixated on a grass monoculture, which depends on chemical fertilizer and herbicides. This improves the profit margins of chemical companies, but at a cost to the environment and to human health. Monoculture is overrated. Clover and grass are great companion plants. -JF

secchidiskAug. 17, 1010:17 PM

Clover is too good of a competitor and will often choke out turfgrass in large patches. Also think about your neighbors since clover spreads easily from one yard to the next.