Experts say the deadline for giving your plants the Chelsea chop is looming – 5 plants to tackle now for extra blooms and late summer colour
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Ever heard of the Chelsea chop? It’s a pruning technique that’s typically carried out between late May and early June – and since June is whizzing by at speed, there are a fair few plants you should give the Chelsea chop before the window closes.
The Chelsea chop is as simple as cutting herbaceous perennials back by a third, and it can work magic on their performance. It’ll delay flowering for a couple of weeks, but then you’ll enjoy a fuller, stabler round of blooms later in the season.
As long as they haven’t already started flowering yet, you can give these plants the Chelsea chop now. This list is by no means extensive – a broad range of herbaceous perennials benefit from the Chelsea chop – but I’ve rounded up a few of the most popular types.
What you'll need
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1. Summer phlox
Summer phlox (Phlox paniculata) generally begins flowering from mid-summer, so now is the time to give your plant the Chelsea chop.
‘Also known as the ‘Chelsea Chop’, this is the best time to give plants like phlox a hard prune, removing up to half the foliage and stems,’ says Tim Clapp, head of range and qualified botanist at Verve. ‘This helps to delay flowering and create an overall sturdier plant, preventing them from becoming too floppy and leggy.’
Make sure you use a sharp pair of high-quality secateurs, like these Spear & Jackson Razorsharp Advantage Bypass Secateurs, which you can buy from Amazon.
2. Verbena
If you want to encourage bees and butterflies to your garden, verbena is one of the best herbaceous perennials you can grow. Flowering usually begins in June, so if your plant hasn't quite burst into bloom, it’s worth squeezing in the Chelsea chop this weekend.
‘I give my Verbena bonariensis a modest ‘Chelsea chop’ in May, cutting them down by about a third,’ says Annelise Brilli, Thompson & Morgan’s horticultural expert. ‘This results in stockier, shorter plants with more flowering side shoots.’
Although Annelise gives her verbena the Chelsea chop in May, you can still perform the pruning technique if your plants haven’t started flowering yet.
3. Asters
Asters offer vibrant pops of colour in garden pots and borders, and their potential as an autumn-flowering perennial only gets bigger if you give them the Chelsea chop.
‘The Chelsea chop works best on a wide range of late-flowering perennials,’ says Julian from British Garden Centres. 'June is the best time to prune plants like asters. 'Make your cuts just above a set of leaves or buds, which encourages new growth from that point.'
It's wise to clean your garden tools before and after pruning, and you can buy eco-friendly solutions like Agralan Citrox Ready to Use Natural Disinfectant Spray (available at Amazon).
4. Coneflowers
Coneflowers, or Echinacea, are another plant you should give the Chelsea chop now. They typically begin flowering from mid-summer, so they're excellent examples of perennials to cut back in June.
'After pruning, give your plants a good watering and consider applying a liquid plant feed to help them recover and encourage strong, healthy growth,' advises Julian.
This Miracle-Gro All-Purpose Concentrated Liquid Plant Food from Amazon is budget-friendly and highly rated.
5. Penstemons
Penstemons are another recommendation of Julian's for plants you should give the Chelsea chop, but you'll have to act fast before they start flowering.
'Early June is the sweet spot to prune some of the plants in your garden, and the Chelsea chop is a simple way to make sure your outdoor space is thriving throughout summer,' says Julian. 'This simple pruning method can dramatically improve the appearance and health of your gardens, so get chopping now!'
This list of plants you should give the Chelsea chop covers some of the most popular herbaceous perennials, but you can also give varieties like campanula, hardy geraniums and upright sedums a prune this week, too. Just make sure they haven't started flowering already!
