Applying the Chelsea Chop

What is the 'Chelsea Chop'?

The term Chelsea Chop is one that is commonly used in the English horticulture world and it is in reference to cutting back the growth of certain  summer and autumn blooming perennial plants halfway with your pruners or secateurs.  When cutting these plants back like this, we get a more sturdy plant once it flushes out new growth again and it can also delay bloom time by up to a week. It can also result  in more smaller blooms for autumn perennials such as Asters.  Other plants that can benefit from this are upright Sedums, Phlox, Geraniums and Heleniums. This gardening technique occurs around the end of May, which also coincides with the date of the Chelsea Flower show, hence the name Chelsea Chop.  - J