Chelsea chopped!

Are you a Chelsea chopper? Either before, to delay flowering (as they do for Chelsea Flower show)- or immediately post flowering to get second flush later?

Hi Kali2. I do a Half Chelsea Chop! I have lots of perennials in large clumps, such as Phlox, geraniums etc. and I chop the front bit of the clump but leave the back bit alone. That way I get flowers at the back first, and then later on when they are looking a bit bedraggled the front bit grows up and shields the ones that have gone over. I've done this for a few years now and get the benefit of a longer flowering season.

I usually do mine but right now I'm just snipping individual stems as they are so abundant I don't want to cut them all down. I would do them if like you I was going away for a while.

Posted too soon! What I meant to add was that I do exactly what you normally do

It didn't work with my perennial geraniums last year as they didn't flower again but this year they are better than ever.

I didn't chop the Rozanne as it just carried on flowering for months and I couldn't bear to chop it.

Thanks for the reminder, Kali. I must cut back my geraniums which are already sprawling. I find anthemis and catmint are plants which respond well to having half their stems reduced now so that they don't look too gappy later on.

Callistemon

It didn't work with my perennial geraniums last year as they didn't flower again but this year they are better than ever.

I didn't chop the Rozanne as it just carried on flowering for months and I couldn't bear to chop it.

There was a good reason Rozanne was voted the best plant by RHS members .
Like you I never have the heart to cut it back but as you say it simply goes on giving and bees etc. love it.

I thought I'd posted a reply hazel93 but it's not here.

The one I chopped has purple flowers, but it's a common type of geranium, I think. It flowers profusely, the bees love it and then it's over very quickly.
It could be geranium x magnificum.
It's probably more showy than Rozanne but Rozanne just keeps on flowering.

Callistemon - good to know there are other cranesbill lovers !
Seem to have gone out of fashion for some reason which I think is really sad.
Any weather they just come back each Spring when I split them and bung into any gaps where they do their own thing with zero attention on my part !
Premium plants in my view.

I've got a pink one which I keep rooting out because it flowers so briefly and tends to go woody; at least I think it's a cranesbill, the leaves look like it.

I should buy more, they are good plants for filling gaps in borders.
The only other one I have is Wargrave which is pretty.

I only Chelsea chop my early Crainsbills, I also love them. There’s one for every situation. I do like the little ones like Elkie and Splish Splash.
I’ve started split and planted some of the bolder spreading ones under a leyllandi hedge to bright up the space and they’re doing well.
Like Trisha I only half Chelsea Chop my Phlox.

Don’t need to chopours. The deer do it!!

I have a few cranesbill, one is Johnson's Blue, and the others are a short smaller pink variety (not sure of the name). I generally chop the Johnson's after the early flowering, but we have had a really late cold spring and they are just flowering now. The little pink ones I just leave alone., but deadhead after the main show.

But reading up on pruning the helenium; it seems like a good idea, a partial chop anyway. My plant is quite tall and not well supported so maybe by pruning down 1/3 now I will get a more balanced plant with longer bloom time.

Thanks for mentioning this, I hadn't heard of Chelsea chop before.

Cranesbill geraniums come in many sizes and colours. I have some tall pure white, and soft pale blue, the medium sized Johnson's blue, and pink, and dark maroon ones, some small white with grey veins, and a later very tall dark puce with dark centre. They are such wonderful flowers.

Will also Chelsea chop the perenial sweet peas, pale pink and dark pink- not in flower yet, but to delay flowering until we get back, and some of the pink and white phlox.

As said, never done it when first flowering or even before- exceptional circumstances this year.

Ooh Callistemon, have you chopped geranium magnificum before? Mine never repeat flowers.

For the first time ever, I have also cut off all the roses. I normally dead head, but this time, I've chopped all of them at their peak beauty, in the hope they will be ready to flower again when we return in 3 weeks.

SpringyChicken

Ooh Callistemon, have you chopped geranium magnificum before? Mine never repeat flowers.

I only chop it now after it finishes flowering just to tidy it up SpringyChicken and it has never repeat flowered whatever I do.

It's doing well this year yet I lost a very prolific clematis planted in the same bed behind it, I think due to the late cold snap.

Kali2

For the first time ever, I have also cut off all the roses. I normally dead head, but this time, I've chopped all of them at their peak beauty, in the hope they will be ready to flower again when we return in 3 weeks.

If you'd left them they would have gone to rose hips and thought they'd completed their job for the year, so it should work.?

Let us know if it works

Yes, I am curious. I have to say I found it hard to do- they are late this year due to bad weather and cold in Spring- and they were covered with buds ready to burst. I had to alsmost close my eyes to do it.

Just going out to see what else I can Chelsea chop before we leave. We normally never go on holiday late June, early July, as it is the very best time here in the garden, and with wild flowers all around in the countryside.

Making huge bouquets for neighbours- some of the peonies are finished, but the bowl of beauty and huge pink ones are about to burst.

How are everyone's plants doing if they had the Chelsea chop?

I looked at a cranesbill today and the leaves have grown but only a solitary flower, the roses have a few new buds, one geum has more buds, the other refuses to deliver as yet.
Penstemons are flowering well but I only deadheaded them.

I forgot - some sad buds on the peonies which I will chop off as they're going brown and I don't think they'll flower again this season.

Well, there y' go..... after all these years of being asked I never knew that what was reseeding all over my garden was Cranesbill geraniums. Very pretty and voluminous with wonderful powers of reproduction. Thanks everyone.