Are you a Chelsea chopper or a Hampton hacker...＼(◎o◎)／

12 comments

Or perhaps like me you do both….ʘ‿ʘ for those of you who have no idea what I am talking about…….it is all to do with pruning your plants to keep them producing more flowers for longer, and you do this in May, the same time as the Chelsea Flower Show….hence the Chelsea Chop!!
the plants that can be chopped are as follows……..
Asters Anthemis…..
Achillea
Campanula….
Echinacea
Heleniums..
Helianthus perennial only!! esp Lemon Queen!!
Nepeta..
Penstemons…. Phlox……..
Rudbeckia….
Sedums, I pinch our flowers out, stops the plant from getting too heavy… and they flower later!
You can cut half the stems, the front ….and leave the back, or all the stems or every other one..it’s entirely up to you !..it’s your garden!!!(✿ ♡‿♡
……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Now the Hampton hack, same as above , but this time done around the time of The Hampton Court flower show, you’re getting my drift!
list as follows..
Astrantia…
Delphiniums…. cut and mulch!!
Euphorbia….
Hardy Geraniums.. very successful, but not all varieties!
Lupins
Phlomis
Philadelphus…
Weigela
This is only used on plants that flower more than once!!
So there you are, I hope this helps those who have never tried this pruning method, it does work, I can assure you, we have been doing it for years!
So which one are you? (・o・)

29 Apr, 2019
7 likes

Comments

Andrewr

I always give my heleniums the Chelsea Chop so they flower at 3 to 4 feet instead of 5 to 6 feet

29 Apr, 2019

Grandad_gar..

I'm a Chelsea chopper with the sedums

30 Apr, 2019

Seaburngirl

I'm neither! Though sometimes hubby manages to snap plants so then they get tidied up. But that can be any time of year ;o)

30 Apr, 2019

Callie1914

Hi DD I am a Chelsea chopper also,love having a good prune.

1 May, 2019

Lincslass

Oh I don't know what I would be classed as, like Seaburn I do it when I think they need it which can be any time, weather permitting naturally, mostly mine get done when I want to have a second flush of flowers, okay, I've read it all again and thinking about it I have realised I actually do both but it doesn't coincide with the date of any shows, lol, more to do with what stage my plants are at, this year everything seems to be opening earlier but the flowers themselves are lasting longer, that is a bonus obviously, weird and wonderful weather we've been experiencing this year, I don't know whether I'm coming or going and neither do my plants, could all be changed this year Dotty..

1 May, 2019

Dottydaisy2

Lincs I agree with you, it has been a rather strange year, so some plants will be chopped down a lot earlier here too....as you say confusing!!

2 May, 2019

Rose1949

At the moment I am neither as I have just finished planting all my perennials which I had previously cut back to move them all to their new garden.
But..I must admit and even after my close friend Libet, a
former goy member ( if you remember her ) kept telling me to give them the Chelsea chop, I just couldn't ! I just tidy them up when needed.

2 May, 2019