Performing the Chelsea Chop: A Guide for Pruning Lavender and other Late-Blooming Plants
In the delightful season of spring's twilight, give the 'Chelsea chop' a whirl to amplify your perennials' floral extravaganza. This Old-World pruning technique, named after the coveted RHS Chelsea Flower Show, is performable on a smorgasbord of perennials, such as phlox, penstemons, sedums, and more exciting choices like black-eyed Susans, anise hyssop, tall verbena, salvias, coreopsis, hardy geraniums, catmint, yarrow, goldenrod, and asters.
A Bountiful Blooming Spectacle Awaits
The art of 'Chelsea chopping' can trigger your perennials to delay flowering by four to six weeks. You can either slash the entire clump's stems, staging a delayed floral spectacle, or simply hack half of them, tin-man style, with the other half continuing to flower according to their original schedule.
Chopping entire plants is a neat solution when you're managing a border where all the plants tend to bloom simultaneously - lengthening the show. If you'd like a varied floral display, opt to trim half the stems.
Beyond Phlox, Penstemons, and Sedums
Eager for a diverse cascade of colors? Give these recommended perennials a haircut:
- Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) - A scintillating yellow and dark center for your garden.
- Anise Hyssop (Agastache) - Fragrant leaves and purple flowers, shaped with a trim.
- Tall Verbena (Verbena bonariensis) - Airy texture and a more bushy appearance.
- Salvia (Salvia nemorosa) - Attract pollinators and encourage more flowers.
- Coreopsis - More blooms with a bit of cutting.
- Hardy Geraniums - Rozanne and friends benefit from pruning.
- Catmint (Nepeta cataria) - Tamed lavender flowers and bushiness.
- Yarrow (Achillea) - Fern-like texture, improved with a pruning session.
- Goldenrod (Solidago) - Wide-ranging benefits for this chattier perennial.
- Asters (Symphyotrichum) - Late blooms with extended flowering seasons.
Penstemons
For a protracted flowering season, chop only half your penstemon stems in May.
Sterling Tools and Sharper Techniques
- Ultra-sharp, squeaky clean secateurs.
- Make a sloping cut just above a leaf joint.
- Quick or gradual reduction. Opt for either chopping all the stems by one-third or by half for leggy plants, or go for a subtle, creative trim by cutting back the stems on one side or every other stem throughout the clump.
Spruce up your home-and-garden lifestyle by experimenting with a 'Chelsea chop' on a range of perennials beyond phlox, penstemons, and sedums, such as black-eyed Susans, anise hyssop, tall verbena, salvias, coreopsis, hardy geraniums, catmint, yarrow, goldenrod, and asters, for a more vibrant and prolonged flowering spectacle in your garden.
To achieve a varied floral display, adopt a tactful approach when Chelsea chopping - trim half the stems of perennials like black-eyed Susans, anise hyssop, or hardy geraniums, while leaving the rest to bloom according to their original schedule.
