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Trimming Sedum

Isle of Wight, United Kingdom

I have several Sedum, probably Autumn Joy and it grows really big and gets leggy and the flower spikes fall over squashing and taking light from other plants. I know you can trim the plant when it sets off earlier in the year, but I'm not too sure how to do this successfully, does anyone have any tips??


On plant Sedum


Answers

 

I have the same problem, and have been told of the `Chelsea Chop` which basically means that around Chelsea time (May) you need to be brave and cut the plant right back, this will result in it flowering a little later than normal but should solve the drooping problem. I am going to give it a try this year!

9 Jan, 2008

 

Flopping is also a problem with large clumps of sedums.Don't be afraid to dig the whole thing up in early spring and chop it into bits, replanting a small section. I do this every 3-4 years and it doesn't mind a bit - you can be quite brutal with it! Surplus pieces can be potted up for plant sales or given to friends

9 Jan, 2008

 

Cut it back hard in the Spring and then do as Andrea suggests but do be careful of the white milky sap that appears it can be extremely painful if it gets on your skin or in your eyes.

11 Jan, 2008

 

Hi Andrea. I did the Chelsea chop thing on my Sedum last year and it did no harm at all. In fact the cuttings when repotted took very easy. I ended up with over a dozen of these cuttings and gave most away to family and friends. The remainder I simply dotted around a few gaps in the garden to see how they'd go. No problem. They're already showing healthy buds on the soil suface.

13 Jan, 2008

 

Thanks guys, I will make sure I do that in May. We are putting the house on the market and we will be moving in June/July so i probably won't get to see the results in my garden in Notts, but I've got a whole garden to plan and landscape and I'm going to use all sorts of sedums in that, this will help to keep them under control
Andrea x

13 Jan, 2008

 

One of the nice things about Sedum is that it is a very maleable plant to what I call "finger pruning". Let the plant start to grow in Spring (assumming that you have cut it back from last season). Then around the end of May ,pinch back the plant about 1/3 of length of growth. At the end of June pinch back again about two inches on each branchlet. You do this pruning using your thumb and forefinger and applying pressure on the stem (or branchlet) and "snipping" it.
Depending on where you are located - you may also do another two inch "snip" by mid to end July - then leave it alone to flower.
You should end up with a nice bushy flowering plant!!
Good luck!
Fred

21 Jan, 2008

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