Lychnis viscaria (German Catchfly) - what to do now?
Planted two of these early this year and because I have a very small garden, I sited them individually to give a touch of pink whilst other perennials still at the foliage only stage. They look lovely in the evening light.
Have read conflicting details on how long they last (e.g. one site said April/start of June, other said April/May) but read that deadheading would produce more flowering within that period. Trouble is - I don't know how to 'deadhead' them - whether I cut the stalk at the base, or cut the flower stem down to the first leaf. As the stems are sticky sticky - it's a fankle pulling them apart when they stick to each other.
Both plants look pretty awful now and I want to 'deadhead' to see if I can get any new blooms. The last photo is how the plants are now. The first two photos were a week ago after a fairly long flowering period. Can anyone advise me how to 'deadhead'? Thanks everyone.
Pic 1 a week ago
Pic 2 - flowers on stem close-up a week ago
(Oops - don't know why it came up so big - it's a small file size)
Pic 3 - scraggy looking plant today after first flower flush finished and need to try 'deadheading' but not sure where to snip. (The leaves were brown-tipped when I bought them - not sure what caused it).
Have read conflicting details on how long they last (e.g. one site said April/start of June, other said April/May) but read that deadheading would produce more flowering within that period. Trouble is - I don't know how to 'deadhead' them - whether I cut the stalk at the base, or cut the flower stem down to the first leaf. As the stems are sticky sticky - it's a fankle pulling them apart when they stick to each other.
Both plants look pretty awful now and I want to 'deadhead' to see if I can get any new blooms. The last photo is how the plants are now. The first two photos were a week ago after a fairly long flowering period. Can anyone advise me how to 'deadhead'? Thanks everyone.
Pic 1 a week ago
Pic 2 - flowers on stem close-up a week ago
(Oops - don't know why it came up so big - it's a small file size)
Pic 3 - scraggy looking plant today after first flower flush finished and need to try 'deadheading' but not sure where to snip. (The leaves were brown-tipped when I bought them - not sure what caused it).
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