One of the most popular annual garden shrubs found in southeastern gardens is the Dill Plant. It is a perennial, which means it comes alive for only one growing season. What should you grow from a single-season garden? For starters, try to group two or three sets of four plants together. The beauty of the Dill Plant is its bright yellow flowers that are perfect for early spring blooms.
Care for a flowering, low height dill plant is easy, provided you prune it regularly. What should you do if you wish to have a crop of flower buds for fall planting? Remove all of them except the main stem. Cut the entire plant back to about a foot tall. Use sharp clippers and remove the dead flower buds and cut again about one-inch lower than where you removed the buds.
Keep your young plants healthy and happy by removing any brown, dry areas from the flower canopy. Remove the dead flowers on a weekly basis, but keep the young ones in a sunny window. When the flowers appear, re-pot the plant seeds into a shallow dish of water, and allow them to remain there for about five days. Then, replant the seeds and press the flower buds gently until dry. Harvest as soon as the flower buds are dry.
For optimal growth, plant the Dill Plant in loose soil, about one inch deep. Avoid clay if possible. Dill likes a sunny location, but can be grown successfully in a shady area as well. Make sure to sow seeds only, not grass. The young leaves will be covered with a powdery white sap when they first appear, but this material will harden as the plant matures.
Water the herb thoroughly when you plant it. Overwatering causes the plant to stop growing and deflates the flower heads. Allow the young leaves to sprout and the flower heads to drop off. Cover young foliage with new soil as it forms, and then use mulch, wood chips or straw to cover older areas. The result is a lush, green display that will quickly bloom into a colorful showpiece.
If you wish to preserve the flower heads, make certain they are removed from the garden plants as soon as they appear. The stems will dry out and die, allowing the leaf to wither and fall off. When the weather turns cold, move the plant indoors. The winter freeze will hasten the wilting process. This is not a disease or a problem with the herb. It is part of its normal herb growing process.