05/27/2026
The Chelsea Flower Show came to a close this past weekend, and it's once again time to consider cutting back (aka "Chelsea Chopping," "Whacking Back," etc.) tall summer-blooming perennials to create a lower, bushier plant - so we're bringing this guide back for 2026!
Candidates should be plants that bloom later and have branching structures, like asters or bee balm. You might choose to do this on plants that grow taller than you'd prefer or flop over easily. This can also be done to extend the bloom time of a species by selectively chopping part of a group. You can also create tiers of heights and bloom times by chopping front-row plants shorter than back-row plants. If a plant already has flower buds, try earlier next year.
To cut back, snip above a node where the leaf grows off of the stem. New growth will emerge from the axillary bud above the leaf itself. If possible, cut at a 45 degree angle to help prevent water from collecting in the open stem. You can take a plant down by 1/3 to 1/2 of its total height this way. For large groups, you can use shears to cut large clumps at once, but check for any short stragglers that might shoot above the cut stems.
Shown are two plants that recovered just 10 days after being cut back. Two species were cut back on May 20th, 2024 - false sunflower (๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ด๐ช๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด) and Oswego tea (๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ๐บ๐ฎ๐ข). As you can see, they moved on with new stems quite quickly. In contrast, a Joe-Pye was also chopped, and it produced smaller inflorescences that year, likely due to receiving less than ideal sunlight. Experimentation and knowing your garden is important!
In their native habitats, plants are often damaged by browsing, wind, and other conditions. Cutting plants back can mimic natural damage and gives gardeners a way to manage their plants. For some plants like milkweeds (๐๐ด๐ค๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ช๐ข๐ด), the fresh foliage is actually preferred by monarch caterpillars. That said, there is NO compulsion to cut any of our plants back at all... it's up to your preference on how you want to manage your landscape!
