How to Trim Coreopsis

Deadheading

• 1

  Examine the coreopsis plants for faded or spent flowers once or twice a week during the summer. Plants stop blooming after their flowers set seed. Regular checks ensure flower removal before that happens.

• 2

  Grasp the spent flower's stem between the thumb and forefinger of one hand. Check carefully for buds developing beneath the old flowers.

• 3

  Snip the flower off with pruning shears. Avoid clipping the new buds. Repeat for each dead bloom.

Shearing

• 4

  Shear your coreopsis to speed the trimming process. Deadheading individual blooms takes time, especially if you have several plants.

• 5

  Trim off the outer blooms from your coreopsis with the hedge trimmers. A light cut protects developing buds and keeps them intact for the most part.

• 6

  Cut further down the stems if you see no buds. Heavier trimming often revives the plants and stimulates bud development.

Pinching Back

• 7

  Examine your coreopsis for new terminal buds. Choose one-third of the buds that are evenly distributed around the plant for pinching back.

• 8

  Pinch off the bud and first set of leaves from the selected stems with your thumb and forefinger. Alternatively, trim them with pruning shears. The pinched stems produce laterals, or side stems, that eventually bloom.

• 9

  Remove the remaining two-thirds of the terminal buds in two batches spaced a week apart. Staggered, evenly distributed pinch trimming results in uniform blooming over an extended period.