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| Should I deadhead Fritillaria |
As far as ornamental flowering corms and bulbs go, Fritillaria species have to be rated amongst the best. At least they are in my opinion. However as gorgeous and structural as they are they can also be expensive and so most gardeners like to cultivate them to the highest quality standards. With this in mind the question of whether you should deadhead Fritillaria often comes up. But first, why should you even ask?
If you are hoping to encourage further blooms then you're out of luck. Unlike most annuals and some perennials, Fritillaria will not produce further flowering stems once the initial inflorescences have bloomed. This is a one time only production and once its over its over, so there is no need to deadhead for this reason.
If you want to collect the seed from your Fritillaries then of course there is no point deadheading until the seeds within the seedpods have matured and dried ready for harvesting, At that point they can be deadheaded. If you are not planning to collect the seed then the seed pods be removed as soon as the blooms are spent. There is good reason for this as seed production takes a lot of energy from the corm which, if the seedpod is removed in a timely fashion, will remain in the corm to power next years blooms. However in this scenario leave the stem in place to die back naturally as this will help replenish the corm with valuable nutrients and carbohydrates.
If all you want to do is maintain a tidy looking specimen then by all means remove anything that you consider unsightly. Be aware that this may cause a reduction in blooms the following year, but this can be mitigated by providing a high potash, liquid soluble fertilizer in the spring prior to the flowers appearing.
For related articles click onto the following links:
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HOW TO GROW THE GIANT HIMALAYAN LILY FROM SEED
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