From my perspective as a hollyhock plant, my entire biological purpose is to reproduce and ensure the survival of my genetic line. I channel a tremendous amount of my energy, drawn from the sun through my leaves and nutrients from the soil via my roots, into producing flowers. These flowers are not merely for your aesthetic pleasure; they are my reproductive organs. Once a flower is successfully pollinated, my focus shifts entirely to developing the seed pod (the fruit) at the base of that spent bloom. This seed development is an incredibly energy-intensive process. As long as I am directing resources into maturing these seeds, I have little incentive to produce new flower buds. My primary job for the season would be considered complete.
When you engage in deadheading—the practice of removing my spent, fading flowers before they can form seed heads—you are fundamentally tricking me. By snipping off the flower stem just below the spent bloom and above the next set of leaves or buds, you are removing the site of that potential seed pod. From my point of view, this is a reproductive failure. The signal that "seed development has started here" is abruptly cut short. This intervention is something I respond to favorably because my imperative to reproduce is so strong. To compensate for this perceived loss, I am compelled to try again. I will redirect the energy that would have gone into seed production into creating new flowering side shoots and additional flower buds further down the stalk, or from the base of my plant.
This redirection of energy has several direct benefits for my health and longevity. Firstly, it results in a significantly longer flowering period for me. Instead of blooming for a few short weeks and then retiring for the season, I can continue producing flushes of flowers for many weeks, often right up until the first frost. Secondly, it encourages a bushier, more robust growth habit. By promoting the growth of lateral branches, I become a fuller, sturdier plant, which is better able to support my often top-heavy flower spikes. Furthermore, by removing the fading blooms, you are also removing potential sites for disease, such as fungal infections like rust, to take hold and weaken me. This helps me stay healthier and stronger throughout the growing season.
While I greatly appreciate your efforts to prolong my blooming, it is crucial for my long-term survival that you allow the final cycle of flowers in late summer or early autumn to go to seed. These seeds are how I, a biennial or short-lived perennial, ensure I return to your garden next year. When the very end of the season approaches, please stop deadheading me. Allow those last few seed pods to brown and mature on the stalk. This gives me the opportunity to self-sow, dropping seeds that will germinate and produce a new generation of plants, guaranteeing my presence in your garden for years to come. This final act completes my life cycle and fulfills my most fundamental purpose.
