That Chelsea Chop - and Red Hot Pokers

I visited a beautiful garden yesterday and saw these wonderful Red Hot Pokers.







And this is what happens to Sedum plants when they are not given the Chelsea chop!!

Fuschias and Sedum

I love Fuschias. To me they always appear to be perfect wax models, and they come I so many shapes, sizes, colours. And many are hardy. My really tough ones (the red ones below) even survived last winter and this year's drought. I have several bushes that are just in front of my kitchen window so they make a magnificent display at this time of year. And the bees also love them.



And they are really so easy to look after. Every spring I simply cut them down quite hard, as the flowers all appear on the year's new branches, so it is very easy to keep them as compact and shapely as you want.

There are also many varieties available now that are superb in hanging baskets.

Yesterday I spoke of the Chelsea Chop on my Sedums, and feared I had been a little too over enthusiastic this year with the secateurs. Their flowering has certainly been delayed perhaps longer than I intended, but you can see here that the flowers are now beginning to open, and they will make a super display very soon. Because of the "chop" they will not splay out from the middle as Sedum plants otherwise have a tendency to do, keeping them neat and compact in the border. do And again, the bees love them, so a bonus for biodiversity.

The Chelsea Chop revisited

Up at the allotment today after 10 days away from it I managed to cut the grass around the plot and trimmed the edges to make it look neat and tidy. I know that doesn't add to the productivity of the plot but I do like it to look manicured (a shame, I can hear my husband muttering, that I do not direct as much effort to house work!)

One thing I noticed is that the Sedum I Chelsea Chopped, (see May posting - named after the Chelsea Flower Show held in London every May, when the chop should be done) is still not in flower. I think I must have chopped them back a little too enthusiastically - but they will surely be brilliant when they do finally flower.

Here are the photos before and after the chop in May. I meant to take a photo of how they look now, but forgot! I will post one up soon.