First of all, congrats! (It is soo exciting to see these things bloom for the
first time ... I've got first-time flowers on S. alata, rubra and purpurea
venosa this year, and I'm psyched)
I always let mine bloom if they're doing it for the first time. Part of the
experience, in my mind. The next year, I only do it if they're really pretty,
or if I need/want some seed.
I always hack off my VFT flower stalks these days. Adrian Slack wrote that
they have a "decidedly weakening effect upon the plant." Besides, they're
ugly, in my mind. <g>
I have noticed of late, however, that in the past few seasons, when I have
cut off the growing tip of the flower stalk, most of my VFTs will send up
another, and another, and another .... So I'm not sure how effective the
practice is anymore.
Jay Lechtman
L235@aol.com