They don’t lose their flavor. Cutting the plants back forces them to grow more leaves, allowing them to be useful longer. The first time they should be cut back is early on in their life to create branching. Then, at the first sign of flowering……snip snip.

Basil, I keep the flowers pinched off. Parsley is a biennial, so shouldn't flower the first year. Many people dislike second-year parsley because it is strong, but when I've had it overwinter I've appreciated its existence in fairly early spring. Mint I let go. However, we seem to have once again overeaten our mint, so I may have to start pinching to make more grow.

Hmm, I don't know much about herbs, but I always thought it was just the opposite - NOT deadheading, or letting the plants go to flower, made them more bitter. So I always pinched the beginnings of blooms. I now let my oregano go because it's an absolute bee magnet, and the only thing I really grow is basil and parsley, so I can't comment on much more.

I too love that overwintered early parsley. So nice to have it so early!

:)

Dee

Diggerdee is correct. Basil that flowers has a completely different taste, and to most the taste is not pleasant.

Rosemary blooms, and letting it bloom doesn't affect the taste. No need to remove the flowers.

I remove incipient flowers from parsley (look like umbrellas) to prolong its season, and thymes and marjoram get flower buds removed.

This is a really interesting thread. I didn't realize flowering might affect flavor. I never could figure out why late season basil isn't as good -- I don't deadhead, so that must be it.

This is the first year I've ever had parsley flower, and only one of the plants did. I left them, thinking they might attract some swallowtails. I grow a fennel bulb every year, not for me (although I will eat eat), but for the butterfly caterpillars.

Yes, deadheading can impact flavor. Once the flowering cycle begins, the plant isn't putting it's best into the leaves, and they can get big ole bitter. Like how some lettuce can get from good to bitter between young leaves and older bolting time leaves. Pinching back flower buds can help promote fresh growth that is tastier than the older growth. With basil in particular, pinch back to the node under the flowering node- it will promote fresh growth and branching. But by this time of year the drive to produce flowers and seed drives the basil so hard, they kind of start to go ptttht regardless of pinching. Then I start a pot for indoors.

I do my parsley in bins and grow curly in one and flat in another. Since they are biannuals I let them roll. In the spring I'm harvesting last years plants still, but once last years seed grows big enough I'm harvesting off that and letting last years plants go to flower and seed. In the fall I crumble off the seed heads right into their bins. Since I cap my bins, I have some fresh parsley through the winter, though not much.

Thyme, oregano, sage, and mint I don't bother deadheading because I have so much of it growing and the bugs love them. And they are all perennials here, so I want them to stay put. I got savory and marjoram in there somewhere too, some lemongrass, catnip that I let keep sowing itself...

I keep a small stand of bronze fennel for the bugs- it can seed and weedy forever, but I think it's worth it. Last years bulb fennel I left to go to seed to start creating a perpetutal bed with that since it too self sows so easily.

I am unresolved whether flavour changes are related to flowering or just aging plants. I will eat my second year parsley until growth more or less stops because it has seeded ...not really noticed much difference in flavour, just a bit more toughness

Deadheading or cutting back basil, mint, and parsley can help maintain their flavor and encourage more growth. Removing flower buds before they fully bloom can prevent the herbs from becoming bitter. However, if the plants become too woody or lose their vigor, it's a good idea to replace them with fresh ones. I read one article https://goodhealthbyyourself.megawecare.com/herbs-and-spices-to-improve-bone-and-joint-health/ long back ago about herbs which really helped me personally. As for herbs for joint pain, some options include turmeric, ginger, and rosemary, which have anti-inflammatory properties that may help alleviate discomfort.