How and When to Do the Chelsea Chop

I know, you thought you were reading an article on a gardening website, and here we are talking about some sort of new haircut?

Nah, the Chelsea chop isn’t the latest lob. It’s actually a method of pruning flowers to encourage more blossoms and stronger growth.

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Knowing when to use the Chelsea chop and how to make use of it can completely change up your garden.

It improves blooming, allows you to change up the blossoming schedule, and can prop up droopy stems.

This guide will help you, from start to finish. Here’s what we’re talking about:

The Chelsea chop was popularized at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, England, though gardeners were informally using this method of pruning long before.

For tall, herbaceous perennials, this is a fantastic method to know and use. Especially if you have plants that tend to want to reach for the sun, so they end up looking a little lopsided.

Each stem you chop will be encouraged to form side shoots, meaning you’ll have more blossoms than you would have had otherwise.

It doesn’t take much to make this method happen. You simply need sharp, clean secateurs or scissors.

The other vital tool is a bit of bravery on your part. I know it feels a bit scary to whack a plant down without any finesse. But I promise, it will all work out in the end.

The key to doing the Chelsea chop right is nailing the timing.

It won’t do you any good at all if you slice down your plants in the fall. Well, it might, but then you won’t be doing the Chelsea chop method.

For those living in England (and areas with a similar climate, like the