There are several methods of pruning, all with intended results.

Nostalgia can evoke either sadness over life remaining to be somewhat restricted: The glass is half empty. Or it can bring back a memory that brings a smile and a feeling that the glass is half full.

The longer days prompts a gardener to start making to-do lists. I thought about what needed to be pruned and recognized the fact that I needed a refresher session with my pruning file.

The nostalgia came to the forefront when I revisited an article referring to the Chelsea chop.

The Chelsea chop is a method of pruning. The name was derived from the famous flower show in England, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show that takes place in May. My thoughts went immediately to the Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle to run Feb. 9-13.

In 2013, another master gardener and I boarded a plane for a glorious and overwhelming experience of lectures and breathtaking demonstration garden exhibits from plant nurseries and landscapers. There wasn’t enough time or enough money in the checking account to take advantage of all there was to see or purchase. The trip created a memory I will never forget. Would it have the same impact if I went again? I wonder.

What is the Chelsea chop? It is a “method of pruning perennials that limits the size, control the flowering season and often decreases the flopping of a number of herbaceous perennials.”

Keeping plants compact

In England the Flower Show takes place in late May which is historically when the pruning takes place there. The general rule of thumb is to prune when the plant has a fair amount of vegetation, not a particular date on the calendar.

Many directions for pruning flowering perennials is to cut the entire plant by one-third or half to delay blooms and limit plant size. The Chelsea chop offers an alternative option to the one-third cut back , in which the gardener chooses to delay summer flowering and to keep plants more compact.

That option is to randomly cut only half of a stem back which will extend the season of flowering rather than delay it.

Another reason to become familiar with pruning flowering perennials is that some perennials are valued more for their foliage than their flowers. Some flowers detract from the beauty of the foliage, either in their appearance or by causing decline in the health of the foliage. Those unwanted flowers should be pruned out before the buds open.

I have never thought of pruning as a means of pest control until I read “The Well-Tended Perennial Garden” by Tracey DiSabato-Aust. Thinning stems on mildew-prone perennials can increase the air circulation around the plant and decrease the incidence of disease. The better air flow might discourage pests from landing.

The following plants are good candidates for the Chelsea Chop:

• Garden Phlox , Phlox paniculata.
• Yarrow, Achillea.
• Bellflower, Campanula.
• Aster. Symphyotrichum.
• Coneflower, Echinacea.
• Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia.
• Penstemon, Penstemon.
• Golden marguerite, Anthemis tinctoria.
• Goldenrod, Solidago.
• Shasta daisy, Leucanthemum.

Pruning can seem intimidating and for that reason it is put aside for another day. Pruning is based on common sense and comes naturally with experience and working with plants. Think in terms of sculpturing: shaping, forming and trimming.

Perhaps you have a tatty-looking older perennial that you had just about decided to dig out this year. Why not try the method of cutting back the entire plant using the one-third or one-half method? You may be surprised at the growth results.

I am no further ahead on writing my early spring to-do list, but due to rereading the article, I have had a wonderful trip of nostalgia remembering the Flower Show in Seattle.