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| I have a series of flowers that always get too leggy. Most notably daisies but also cone flowers and phlox. I know I should (or at least I CAN) chop them before they set buds to keep them more squat, but it makes me nervous that they won't set buds at all then. Totally irrational concern? Anyone have experience? When to chop? How far back to chop? Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ken_adrian MI z5 (My Page) on Mon, May 19, 14 at 21:42
| crikey peony.. you have a 6 foot square swath of them ... do a one foot square bunch... and observe how they react.. if in a week or two.. you clearly see what you want to see chop the rest ... 99% of what i learned.. and the key.. retained.. i did thru experimenting .. and any visitor who commented.. was fascinated to hear about teh project.. and the results.. failure or success ... live wild and free.. and mow some of it down .. ken ps: what the heck is a chelsea chop ... sounds like some sheep dish in britain .. flora probably knows about it.. or campy .. lol .. |
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- Posted by BlueBirdPeony 5b NE Ohio (My Page) on Mon, May 19, 14 at 22:07
| I heard the term from Camp and I love it! It just seems fitting. So you're saying I should divide these, eh? Admittedly this will be summer number 3 and I've never touched them. It takes a while to figure out what things are at a new place. I've got the observing part down now and am trying to be a bit proactive. The pic is from last summer. Right now foliage is maybe 6-8". Too early to chop? |
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| You can prune the front ones leaving the back ones taller which may give you a tiered effect when they bloom. Deer "chop" some of my phlox each year. They may bloom a week or two later but still have good bloom. The later you wait to chop the later they will bloom. Daisy are great spreaders and dividing will depend on if you want a larger patch or a smaller patch. They do look thick so I would consider dividing them after bloom. |
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- Posted by shadeyplace 7 (My Page) on Tue, May 20, 14 at 7:35
| I am thinking of doing this to my asters which flop because of less sun I guess. I am assuming this CC is just cutting back for more tidy appearance and or deadheading. I have found that cutting back some late blooming perennials gives a smaller flower ie: sedum autumn joy, which never is great in my garden anyway with not enough sun>>>but I somehow have it anyway. |
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| It's called the Chelsea chop because it is carried out around the time Chelsea Flower Show is on. i.e. now. Whether that timing would work in other climates I have no idea. Remember, we have relatively cool, wet summers so things can recover. I don't know if it would work in a place with hot summers and low rainfall. |
Here is a link that might be useful: The Chelsea chop
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- Posted by ken_adrian MI z5 (My Page) on Tue, May 20, 14 at 11:06
| got it from campy??? .. and bobs your uncle .. lol ... i like the idea ... of chopping them in descending order from the center .... it would be cool to give it a layer cake form ... they should probably be divided in early spring.. or later fall .. if you do it now... they might take some hard stress... but probably make it ... TAKE A SHOVEL FULL OFF THE BACK SIDE ... AND EXPERIMENT ... the more soil.. the less stresses.. for sure its not a bare root project ... just throw a shovel full of soil from elsewhere back into the hole you leave ... i would do that.. and then chop them so the disturbed roots dont have too much foliage to sustain.. while they get pumping again ... this really is great plant.. in sufficient volume.. for you to try all kinds of things with ... it will help you get over your fear of doing things ... and it makes great sense about the chelsea flower show.. but i am still thinking lamb chops... see link .. try cutting a piece.. putting it in a small pot with damp media.. and putting a baggie over it.. in full shade.. or in the house .... and see if you can get it to root.. not that you need more.. lol .. but just for the sake of trying it ... or google for how to do it .... ken ps: i have actually.. never tasted a lamb chop .... |
Here is a link that might be useful: now this is from the way back machine ... lol
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| You can chop all those, Bluebird. Essentially, any tall, late flowering dicot (it does not work with monocots) since the flowering buds will respond to the chop as if munched by a passing herbivore or careless strimmer - it is sometimes called pinching back and, in chrysanthemum culture, 'stopping'. Yes, the flower buds will definitely initiate....the key to doing any chopping back is to do it before seeds have set. Once that happens, the plant considers it's job done and will quickly fade away to conserve energy for future root growth. Although we so it in our short, cool summers, the longer, hotter summers of the US are an even better bet. Bear in mind that the resulting flowers will be smaller (but often appear much more floriferous) and the flowering will be a couple of weeks later than usual. Yes, Bluebird and Ken, you can do this piecemeal - shaping the plant so that some stems are left on while others are cut to varying shorter heights. This will actually lengthen the bloom time as flowers will be opening in stages. You can be fairly brutal and cut the plants back by as much as half (especially phlox and asters) but a third is usually the amount removed. As always, when pruning (which is all this is) bump up the water and even a top dressing of balanced fertiliser (but maybe a tad heavier on the potassium ratio). I have been out with my shears chopping back the asters and achillea, along with some eryngoes which tend to flop over. |
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