I am tempted to try this with my perennial geraniums. they are all over the place right now.

I sometimes “chop” half of something to see what happens and to maybe stagger blooms. You could try that.

Anonymous wrote:Chelsea chop: https://gardenerspath.com/how-to/pruning/chelsea-chop/

Joe Pye is on that list!

I think I'd like to do my lavender this year, also on that list.

You can. It will delay bloom time. Another option is to chop some, and leave some. It will sort of extend the bloom time, and if you screw up and do it too late, you will still get some blooms out of it.

I cut the stems back in July — close to the 4th if I can. That keeps them from getting too tall. Also I am not shy about pulling stems out when they start to spread.
Not sure that qualifies as a Chelsea Chop?

I chop my Joe Pye all the time - they are so vigorous they never seem to even notice. Now is a great time, but you can trim them back up to July and they will still flower, I’ve found.

We have “little Joe” and it is a very manageable size.

If you ever get a chance to visit the Biltmore Estate in summer, it’s lovely to see the giant Joe pye weed in the woods as intended. There’s a lot of work they’re doing of course to keep out invasives to allow it to happen.

I cut almost everything, I’m sure I’ve done the Joe pye weed. There’s no reason not to try it unless you have some high stakes photo shoot coming up. It’s not going to kill the plant.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t done it but I’m interested in what others say. My Joe Pye is MASSIVE—the tallest non-tree in my yard. I’m inclined to let it go because it looks so happy.

Mine is too. But, sometimes some of the stalks flop over. And if it wasn't quite so tall, even just a few inches, I'd like it even more.

Same- it’s the floppiness that’s annoying! I Chelsea chop my asters but haven’t tried the joe pye weed before

You can get a smaller variety:

https://www.bluestoneperennials.com/EUBJ

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t done it but I’m interested in what others say. My Joe Pye is MASSIVE—the tallest non-tree in my yard. I’m inclined to let it go because it looks so happy.

Mine is too. But, sometimes some of the stalks flop over. And if it wasn't quite so tall, even just a few inches, I'd like it even more.

Chelsea chop: https://gardenerspath.com/how-to/pruning/chelsea-chop/

I haven’t done it but I’m interested in what others say. My Joe Pye is MASSIVE—the tallest non-tree in my yard. I’m inclined to let it go because it looks so happy.

What’s a Chelsea chop?

I've never done it and am worried to try. LOL. My joe pye are now well-established and are HUGE and beautiful. the birds, butterflies, etc. LOVE them. But, I'm hoping to tame them just a tad more this summer. If I tried to cut back now just 1/4 of the size do you think that would make a difference?

Any experiences?