Pinching Back Phlox or Chelsea Chop

After several years my phlox are really coming into their own. Last year several clumps got way too tall. Some I have moved to different locations, but I would like to keep them shorter, but still flower all summer. What is the latest I should be pinching back? Here is what they are looking like now.


Phlox chop? ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

Here is last summer.


pathway after clearing lamb's ears and ferns ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

 

I had to pinch myself to wake up. I was lost in that last photo and could smell the Phlox.

I know Sjoerd cuts back his Phlox, but with my fishnet memory I can't remember when or how much.

 

Hi Jewell,..the Chelsea Flower Show as you probably know is in late May,..so the Chelsea Chop is given around now so the Phlox or others will be in flower for then,..that's of course the timing for the UK,..it would of course vary where you are though i expect only a tad.

 

Droopy it was here I rediscovered phlox, but it was your woodland plant posts that have captured my fascination. If only money was no object

Philip, I'm going out to finish pinching now. I just find it all wrong for flowers to be taller than me...except roses of course.

 

I do my Chelsea Chop during or right after the week that the Chelsea Flower Show takes place. (This year the Chelsea Flower Show occurs May 21–25 2013).

There are two ways of doing it.

One: Cut the heads off all the flowers at the same time. This delays the blooming date of all the flowers to later on in the season.

Two: Cut the heads off only half of the flowers in the stand. This will give you and extended flowering time.
One half will go ahead and bloom as Nature had intended and the other half will begin blooming as the others have finished.
It is a way of lengthening the amount of time your stand of flowers continuously bloom.
(This is the way that I do it).

Good luck with your experiment.

 

Thanks Sjoerd. Once mine started blooming it seems the phlox bloomed into fall. I'll have to look at my photo diary to determine the chop that will work best.