Is it possible to chop Centaurea and Achillea plants to stop them from flopping? As my centaurea flower from mid May, I guess they may need chopping earlier. Expert advice welcome!
My Centaurea flower in May. I regularly deadhead them back to a side flower shoot which prolongs the flowering season but eventually theyvget straggly and floppy. I then cut them to the ground, they reshoot and produce a 2nd burst of flowers in August.
I guess you could Chelsea chop them in April but the idea of the CC is to get sturdier, bushier plants and I dont think it would necessarily have that affect on Centaura. I grow mine through flower supports which helps keeps them upright.
I don't grow Achillea so can't advise on those,
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Achillea doesn't flop when it's grown hard. In too fertile soil it gets lax. I moved some from one bed I was clearing to treat bindweed and put it in a nursery bed in the veggie plot - loads of compost at least every other year. It is flopping all over. I don't think trimming it in May would be a solution.
I do the same as Topbird with my centaureas. It suits them and extends flowering.
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Thank you for your help. I really like my centaurea but the achillea just appeared - no idea where it came from! It sounds as if it needs to be dug up and split and then left alone! Thanks again.
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My Centaurea flower in May. I regularly deadhead them back to a side flower shoot which prolongs the flowering season but eventually theyvget straggly and floppy. I then cut them to the ground, they reshoot and produce a 2nd burst of flowers in August.
I guess you could Chelsea chop them in April but the idea of the CC is to get sturdier, bushier plants and I dont think it would necessarily have that affect on Centaura. I grow mine through flower supports which helps keeps them upright.
I don't grow Achillea so can't advise on those,
Achillea doesn't flop when it's grown hard. In too fertile soil it gets lax. I moved some from one bed I was clearing to treat bindweed and put it in a nursery bed in the veggie plot - loads of compost at least every other year. It is flopping all over. I don't think trimming it in May would be a solution.
I do the same as Topbird with my centaureas. It suits them and extends flowering.
Thank you for your help. I really like my centaurea but the achillea just appeared - no idea where it came from! It sounds as if it needs to be dug up and split and then left alone! Thanks again.