Garden Tip 211

It is now late May, and perennials have reached the stage in their spring growth where it is time to consider applying the Chelsea Chop. This is a type of pruning of herbaceous perennials, so named because its timing coincides with that of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show.

This pruning technique consists of cutting back taller-growing perennials by one-third to one-half of their current growth, resulting in bushier, more compact, stronger plants. It also delays flowering, as plants need time to regrow and set buds. Thus, the flower season can be extended by leaving some plants alone, cutting others, or partially cutting back individual plants.

Perennials that benefit most from the Chelsea Chop include shasta daisy, phlox, sedum, rudbeckia, aster, echinacea, and heliopsis We have talked about this in the past, but it is a time-sensitive task important enough to mention again. The Chelsea Chop, now is the time, so chop, chop, get to it.