lancemedric said: If I am not going to be collecting seeds, is it beneficial to the plant to remove dead flower pods?
Lance
And...I'm answering your post a year late!
I think in a lot of cases, this is up to the grower and the size of the plant.
I have no scientific proof for this assertion, but I BELIEVE deadheading allows the plant to put its energy into making more blooms vs making seed pods. (In my case, it's "liveheading" because I hate how slimy the flowers are the next day.)
What I meant by the grower preference is that some less anal-retentive growers may not be bothered by past blooms...or they may be hybridizing or growing plants from non-hybrid plants' seeds.
As for plant size, I mean sometimes deadheading just isn't viable. When my white Texas Star swamp hibiscus grew to 13' tall, I was able to bend the stem back to the ground, albeit 13' from the base. I wouldn't try that with less spry varieties, though.
I'll leave you with this random note...a botanical garden one town east of me has (had?) a Hibiscus paramutabilis "Shanghai Pink." It was easily 8' wide and 10' tall. Ain't nobody deadheading that. 😉
