Deadhead To Promote Bloom & Growth, By Tony Tomeo

A Lady Around Town

Meet the elegant Miss Lady! (A282918) This sleek girl is a 2 year old, black and tan German Shepherd who has become our favorite brew dog! Lady has been on several brewery excursions and has lived up to her name every time!

Volunteers report that she rode wonderfully in the car and was well behaved both inside and outside the brewery. She found a comfy spot on a bed next to the table and was focused on her chew toy for nearly an hour! She was also friendly when approached by new people and greeted them with kisses.

This is just one great example of our Lady, Lady! Overall she is a wonderfully sweet girl who can be enthusiastic but also quiet and reserved. This shyness causes her to be nervous around children and some other dogs. With that said, we recommend that she be the lady of her own castle! That way she can have all the face-licks and lap-sits to herself!

Adoptions are first come, first served! Please view available animals on our website and then visit the Shelter to turn in your application. All adoptions require proof of home ownership or landlord approval. Please have this information prepared. If an animal is in Foster Care, please bring in your adoption application and schedule an appointment to meet the animal. Call 831-454-7200 x0 during business hours or visit www.scanimalshelter.org for more information! n •••

Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter’s full-service, open-admission shelter:

Santa Cruz Location (Public Entrance): 1001 Rodriguez St., Santa Cruz, 95062 Hours: Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Watsonville Location: CURRENTLY CLOSED 580 Airport Blvd, Watsonville, CA 95076 SCCAS Main line: 831-454-7200. Animal Control: 831-454-7227. After-Hours Emergency: 831-471-1182 • After Hours: jillian.ganley@santacruzcounty.us

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FEATURED COLUMNIST Deadhead To Promote Bloom & Growth

By Tony Tomeo

Seed and fruiting structures develop immediately after bloom. Such processes consume valuable resources that could otherwise sustain subsequent bloom or vegetative growth.

That is why it is helpful to deadhead some of the many blooming plants that do not need to produce fruit or seed. Deadheading diverts resources to more constructive application.

Deadheading is simply the removal of deteriorating bloom prior to the maturation of seed or fruiting structures. Besides diverting resources, it removes unappealingly deteriorated bloom, as well as unwanted or potentially invasive seed. Deadheading can be delayed if seed from particular flowers is desirable, (although some types are genetically variable).

It was time to deadhead spring bulbs as they finished bloom earlier last spring. Now it is time to deadhead some of the summer bulbs. It eliminates unsightly faded floral stalks of gladiolus, and diverts resources into developing bulbs. It eradicates invasive montbretia seed. For canna, it conserves resources to enhance subsequent bloom through summer.

It is helpful to deadhead some types of annual bedding plants too. Marigold, zinnia, floss flower, pincushion flower and petunia should bloom better with systematic deadheading. Of course, all will continue to bloom without deadheading, but might be slightly subdued, with fading flowers. Modern sterile varieties that produce no viable seed are less reliant.

Fortunately, there is no need to deadhead alyssum, lobelia, nasturtium, moss rose, busy Lizzie or verbena. Their bloom is so abundant that it constantly overwhelms older bloom. Grooming tiny alyssum and lobelia flowers would otherwise be incredibly tedious. Moss rose, alyssum and nasturtium are pleased to self sow, but revert to simpler feral varieties.

Some branched types of sunflowers produce several blooms on several separate stems. Others bloom with only a single flower on top of a tall single stem. If deadheaded prior to the maturation of their seed, the stalks of some single sunflowers generate a few smaller axillary flowers by autumn. This technique inhibits seed production, but prolongs bloom. •••

Highlight: Petunia

There are too many varieties of petunia to be familiar with nowadays. The species name is Petunia X hybrida because almost all are hybrids of two primary species, as well as a few others to complicate the situation. The color range of the bloom of these hybrids now lacks only a few colors. (GMO orange petunias are only beginning to become available.)

Besides an impressively extensive color range, bloom can be spotted, speckled, striped, Petunias are quintessential warm season annuals. blotched, haloed or variegated by too many means to list. Flowers can be rather small or as wide as four inches. Some are surprisingly fragrant. Some have frilled double flowers. Stems of cascading types may sprawl wider than three feet while only a few inches high.

Petunias are warm season annuals that perform from spring until frost. They can survive as perennials for a few years if cut low for winter. Cool season annuals can obscure and shelter them until they resume grown in spring. They prefer rich soil, systematic watering and sunny exposure. Although mostly sterile, some appreciate occasional deadheading. Trimming during summer may promote fluffier growth for lanky stems. n •••

Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at tonytomeo.com.