chelsea chopping perennials
Memorial Day weekend, or thereabouts, is a great time here in southern New Hampshire to reduce the growth of perennials to promote fuller, stronger and slightly shorter plants in summer. The Chelsea Chop is an appropriate technique for phlox paniculata, monarda/bee balm, helenium/sneezeweed, solidago/goldenrod, asters, rudbeckia ‘Herbsstonne’, rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Little Henry’ and others. NOTE: I do not recommend chopping rudbeckia maxima!!
what’s in a name?
I demonstrate the Chelsea Chop on my Jeana phlox, bee balm and honeysuckle bush.
This technique got it’s name from the English flower show held in May and has become well known to reduce and prevent tall, leggy growth and the need for staking later in the summer.
how we do it!
After enduring our New England winters, it can be hard to imagine cutting back our perennials that just started to put on growth. Trust me, you will be very glad you did this come mid July and into August when your plants aren’t flopping all over the place. Here’s a video demonstration of how to make the cuts.
benefits of the chop
In addition to the benefits stated earlier, if you stagger your cuts as shown in this video, you will not only create a healthier plant, but you can lengthen the bloom time. I typically cut back about 60% of the stalks, leaving some of the shorter ones uncut at this time. Those will grow and bloom at the usual time and the cut stalks will be delayed about 10 days, but will bloom profusely and extend the overall floral display for a couple weeks.
