There comes a moment every spring when my garden threatens to run away from me. One minute, everything is barely waking up, and then I blink, and I’ve got a jungle on my hands. (It usually happens when I’m complaining about the nonstop rain.)
With all that rain, my perennials grow with the grace of one of my teenage boys—tall and leggy.
Which is great, but I also know that in a few weeks, I’ll have a big problem on my hands. Once those plants start flowering, the whole thing is going to flop over like a Jane Austen heroine on a fainting couch.
Speaking of Jane Austen, I’d like to introduce you to a little trick that gardeners across the pond swear by: the Chelsea Chop.
What on earth is the Chelsea Chop, Tracey?
The Chelsea Chop is a simple but powerful pruning technique used to:
- encourage bushier, more compact growth
- delay or stagger flowering
- prevent tall perennials from flopping over
- and ultimately give you a garden that’s tidier, more floriferous (what a great word, right?), and a lot easier to manage in the long run.
It’s named after the Chelsea Flower Show in London, which takes place in late May, right when many herbaceous perennials are tall and leafy but haven’t yet set buds. British gardeners take their shears to the garden beds that week, cutting back the tops of certain plants by about one-third to one-half.
The result? Stronger, fuller, more manageable plants.
When to Do the Chelsea Chop Here in the States
Here in the U.S., we’ve got a broader range of climates, so it doesn’t make sense to time the chop strictly to the British flower show. Instead, you’ll want to:
- Watch your plants, not your calendar
- Aim to prune when they’re 6–12 inches tall and haven’t budded yet
That usually means:
- Zone 4–5: Early to mid-June
- Zone 6: Late May to early June
- Zone 7–8: Mid- to late May
- Zone 9+: Late April to mid-May, depending on your spring temperatures
If you’re unsure, the easiest thing to do is to take a look at your plants.
If they’re getting tall and lush, but you don’t see buds yet, it’s Chelsea Chop time. But not all perennials need a spring haircut. We’ll get to the ones that do in a moment.
How to Do It
Grab a pair of sharp, clean pruners or garden scissors, and cut back the top growth of the plant by one-third to one-half. That’s it, that’s all there is to it. The plant will respond by branching out below the cut, giving you a shorter, sturdier, and often longer-flowering plant.
You can do the chop to:
- the entire plant for a uniform bloom delay and compact shape
- just the front or outer stems, which will stagger the blooms on that plant, giving
- only half the plant if you’re feeling cautious (a great way to dip your toes in)
And no, you don’t need to fertilize or baby them afterward. They will bounce back just fine.
Now, let’s talk about the real magic—which ornamental perennials get the chop and what benefits you’ll see.
Perennials That Love the Chelsea Chop
Here’s a list of perennials that benefit from the Chelsea Chop
Sedum (Stonecrop)
Too often, sedum always ends up looking like my muffin top spilling over my jeans by August. Chop it by half, and it’ll grow back sturdy and compact, with blooms that stay upright instead of splitting down the middle.
Phlox paniculata (Garden Phlox)
Gives you stronger stems, better airflow (which means less mildew), and a slightly delayed bloom that helps fill in the late-summer lull. Bonus: a chop on just part of the clump can extend flowering time.
Nepeta (Catmint)
This plant wants to sprawl like it’s lounging in a sunbeam. Chop it back, and you’ll get a neater mound and more flowers over a longer period. You can prune it more than once a season to keep it from getting floppy; it grows back quickly. If you prune it more than once, prune stalks from all over the plant so it doesn’t look like a military crew cut in the middle of summer.
Achillea (Yarrow)
Tends to get leggy and lean if left alone. A mid-spring chop keeps it short and encourages fuller flower heads that don’t collapse the moment it rains.
Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan)
Chopping in late spring results in bushier growth and slightly delayed blooms—which means they keep going longer into the season.
Helenium (Sneezeweed)
A late-summer bloomer that benefits from being cut back earlier to encourage branching and more flower heads.
Aster
If your asters always bloom in a single wild burst and then collapse into a floppy mess, give them a chop. You’ll get bushier plants and more flowers in the fall.
Anthemis (Golden Marguerite)
Delicate yellow daisy flowers on fine, ferny foliage. Prone to flopping without a chop. Responds well to being halved in late spring.
Echinacea (Coneflower)
The chop creates more branching, which means more blooms, though they’ll be a bit smaller. A good trade if you want a fuller plant.
Campanula (Bellflower)
Tall varieties benefit from a prune to keep them standing tall and blooming longer. You can also pinch just the outer stems for a staggered bloom effect.
Coreopsis (Tickseed)
Responds beautifully to a chop—bushier plants, more blooms, and less of that late-season splay.
Solidago (Goldenrod)
Goldenrod is naturally robust but can get a bit top-heavy. A cut-back helps keep things upright and tidy. (It always makes me giggle that people grow this on purpose elsewhere in the country. It’s everywhere here.)
Monarda (Bee Balm)
Pruning helps prevent overcrowding, which in turn reduces the risk of powdery mildew. The result is shorter plants, more blooms, and better airflow.
Liatris (Blazing Star)
You’ll get slightly shorter but more manageable flower spikes. Especially helpful if yours tend to fall over once they bloom.
Heliopsis (False Sunflower)
Benefits from a haircut by becoming more compact and less prone to leaning. Plus, more blooms.
Tanacetum (Tansy)
Strong grower that can benefit from a chop to prevent legginess. Keeps things looking intentional rather than wild.
Filipendula (Meadowsweet)
Responds well to a partial chop for bushier shape and later bloom. Doesn’t always need it, but a good candidate if it’s getting too tall.
Leucanthemum (Shasta Daisy)
Tidy, bushier plants with more controlled blooms. Partial chopping lets you stagger flowers.
Pulmonaria (Lungwort)
Doesn’t always need it, but a chop post-bloom helps refresh foliage and keeps it from getting leggy.
Stachys (Lamb’s Ear)
Chop for cleaner, denser foliage. You’ll sacrifice flowers, but honestly, the foliage is why you grow this one.
Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower)
Chopping encourages reblooming and keeps the plant from getting spindly.
Penstemon
More blooms, longer bloom time and slightly more compact plants. Definitely worth a partial chop.
Lychnis chalcedonica (Maltese Cross)
This cottage garden favorite gets too tall and floppy without intervention. Chop back a third to half and enjoy upright, vibrant red flowers.
Verbena bonariensis
This one’s a favorite with pollinators, but can get leggy. A strategic prune encourages branching and gives you that lovely, airy bloom effect at different heights.
Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)
Responds well with more, slightly smaller flowers over a longer season.
Perovskia (Russian Sage)
A light chop—not a full Chelsea Chop—can encourage more compact growth and stagger bloom time. Too much, and it sulks, though.
Delphinium
Best known for post-bloom cutting, but some gardeners use a soft chop to encourage branching and later bloom. Handle with care.
Salvia
Some varieties respond well with longer flowering; others less so. Try chopping half the plant and see what happens.
The Chelsea Chop isn’t just a clever name—it’s a practical tool for making your garden look fuller, bloom longer, and stand tall. Think of it as a late-spring tune-up: a little snip now for a bigger payoff later.
The best part? You don’t have to chop everything. Try it on a few plants and see which gets you better results – a late spring prune or none at all. Experiment to find out what timing works best in your climate, soil, and with your perennials.
A good rule of thumb is if it flops over in the summer after a hard rain or from all the flowers, it’s probably a candidate for the Chelsea Chop.
Get the famous Rural Sprout newsletter delivered to your inbox.
Join the 50,000+ gardeners who get timely gardening tutorials, tips and tasks delivered direct to their inbox.