By mid-summer, even the best-looking patio pot and hanging basket may appear rather bedraggled. They have become thin on flowers; petals may be found among the soil, and the colors, while still there, are no longer vivid. According to the Royal Horticultural Society, dead-heading, removing faded blooms, is one of the most common causes of containers quickly becoming drab.
As dead-heading suggests, the process involves the removal of faded flowers from the plant. This activity should not be confused with pruning, which requires more knowledge than simply knowing when to do something. Dead-heading requires routine maintenance of the plant.
