Deadheading hasn't been the same since Jerry Garcia died.

That is one gardening task tailor made for people with too much time on
their hands with nothing better to do! Its micromanagement at its obsessive
best!!

I disagree it takes micromanaging. What it takes is a tiny bit of
knowledge. Some flowers rebloom whether or not you deadhead; some won't
rebloom even if you deadhead; a very few will actually be slowed down in
their blooming if you deadhead (those which bloom multiple times on the
same stems in particular). Often all one is trying to do is keep them from
going to seed, either to limit their spread or induce rebloom, since many
things stop blooming after fulfilling their destiny to cast seeds. So
basically what it takes is a tiny bit of knowledge as to which ones are
worth the bother & will provide the greatest reward for the time spent;
that often turns out to be only a few plants, & even those might get "de
facto deadheading" for other purposes anyway, such as:

If one has multiple uses for the garden, taking blooms for bouquets for
for drying or for dry flower arrangement or tea has the same effect as
deadheading.

Not wanting a completely trashy-looking garden with lots of dead stuff
poking out of it has the same effect as deadheading.

Some perennials require different types of pruning & in many cases this is
in the first post-bloom moment, so deadheading occurs as a natural
side-benefit of actually taking care of that plant.

There are occasionally plants so heavy with bloom it would take too long &
really has to be skipped for time consideration even if it means a shorter
bloom time. In most cases though, a snip here, a snip there, it's done, &
the plant is healthier, more beautiful, & reblooms for having taken a
half-second to care for it. To call that micromanaging is rather like
saying it is micromanaging to bother to weed, which takes infinately more
time & patience, or to bother to mow, which is the only thing I personally
find hateful to do, being no great lawn fan, or to mulch tender things or
to bother with getting rid of aphids or even to bother to water, a lost
cause since you only have to water again.

The Garcia line was good though.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/