Some of my harvested vegetables. Mini cucumbers, mini tomatoes and cayenne peppers.

I received some questions from one of our fellow gardeners regarding deadheading, cutting and pinching with regards to her Zinnias and Marigolds. I thought that there were probably other gardeners in our community that have pondered these same questions with regards to these garden terms. I wanted to answer those questions here so anyone that is wondering when to do what would benefit from the discussion. 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: "What I wanted to ask is for my Zinnias and Marigolds, how to I cut them so they will grow more flowers. But also I want to have them in vases in my house. I keep hearing about deadheading and cutting. Can I do one or do I have to do both? I keep hearing about pinching Zinnias too. When would I do that?" 𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞: Hi! Great questions and the good news is that Zinnias and Marigolds are both "cut-and-come-again" flowers, which means the more you harvest them, the more flowers they usually produce. 🌼 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐬. 𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 means removing old blooms 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 they start to fade or go to seed. This tells the plant, "Don't make seeds yet, make more flowers instead!" 𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐭𝐬 does the same thing, as long as you cut the stem back to a set of leaves or a branching point. Every time you bring flowers inside for a vase, you're essentially deadheading and harvesting at the same time. So no, you don't have to do both. If you're regularly cutting flowers for bouquets, you're already encouraging the plant to produce more blooms. ✂️𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐭𝐬𝐬 When harvesting Zinnias, don't just snip the flower head. Follow the stem down and cut just above a set of leaves or where another side stem is growing. New stems and blooms will emerge from those leaf nodes. 🌼 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐮𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 The same idea applies to Marigolds. Remove spent flowers or cut stems for bouquets back to a leaf set. This keeps the plant looking tidy and encourages continuous blooming. 🤏 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐙𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐬? Pinching is something you do when the plant is still young. When a Zinnia seedling is about 8–12 inches tall and has several sets of true leaves, you can pinch or snip off the top few inches of growth.

Have you ever looked around your garden in June and noticed something? The vegetables are growing. The herbs are thriving. But some of the containers still feel a little... plain. That's where flowers come in. Whether you're gardening on a patio, balcony, porch, or deck, flowers can transform an ordinary container into a colorful focal point that brightens your entire space. And here's the good news: 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬. If you have an empty pot or a container that could use a little extra personality, these flowers are ready to get to work. 🌼 𝐙𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞: 3 gallons or larger 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Full Sun 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦: Zinnias are one of the easiest flowers you can grow from seed. They love heat, tolerate summer weather, and produce blooms in a wide range of bright colors. 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬 The pollinators love them too. Bees and butterflies will visit frequently once the flowers begin blooming. 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐢𝐩 Remove spent blooms regularly to encourage even more flowers. 🧡 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬: 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞: 1–3 gallons 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Full Sun 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦: Marigolds bring cheerful yellow, orange, and gold blooms to containers all summer long. They're also known for helping attract pollinators and beneficial insects. 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 Try tucking marigolds into vegetable containers alongside tomatoes, peppers, or cucumbers. 🌺 𝐍𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐮𝐦𝐬: 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞: 2–5 gallons 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭:: Full Sun to Partial Sun 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦: Nasturtiums offer beautiful flowers and attractive round leaves. But here's what makes them unique: Both the flowers and leaves are edible. Many gardeners add them to salads for a colorful, peppery kick. 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬 They spill beautifully over the edges of containers. 🌞 Cosmos: Effortless Summer Beauty 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞: 3–5 gallons 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Full Sun 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦: Cosmos thrive in summer heat and produce delicate blooms that sway in the breeze.

I’m brand new to this whole planting with soil fun. My husband got me some tulips for my birthday in April and I wanted to “save the pot with the soil” after the flowers wilted 🥀 and died. I want to use it for my avocado 🥑 plant, once it’s ready to be put in soil. Is there a way to salvage that old dry soil, or is it not reusable for a home plant? 🪴 Tia for taking the time to help

More containers blooms and future blooms