There’s a cruel little joke the garden plays on us gardeners every year. In June, all abundance – geraniums frothing over the path, catmint humming with bees, poppies blazing away in their scarlet tonalities – and then July arrives, and the whole thing sags like a party at two in the morning… Flopped stems, browning flowers, bare centres, seedheads everywhere. “That’s it, then,” you sigh, “done until next year.”
Wait! Put that deckchair away, because there is one job left, and – let’s be honest – it is the most rewarding of the whole season.
Those tired clumps are not finished, you see; they are resting, full of stored energy, and all they wait for is permission to start over. And the permission comes from a pair of shears! Us gardeners call this job the Hampton Hack – the bold July cousin of the famous Chelsea Chop – and done right, it turns a slumped, exhausted border into fresh green mounds and a second wind of blooms that can carry on into October, even to the frosts of you are lucky with the weather!
But not every perennial wants the same haircut. Some beg for a full scalping; others just a firm deadheading, and confusing the two males the difference between a glorious encore and a sulk that lasts till spring… So on our list ten perennials that repay the July chop most handsomely, from the legendary violet blue ‘Rozanne’ geranium to wine dark knautias and late burning penstemons. How and when to do the Hack, we will see a bit further on; first, let’s meet the plants. Off we go!
You’ve heard of the Chelsea Chop – but what is the Hampton Hack?
You’ve probably heard of the Chelsea Chop, that late May trick – named after the Chelsea Flower Show – where we cut back perennials before they bloom to delay flowering and keep them compact. Well, the Hampton Hack is its bolder mid-summer cousin, named after the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival in early July. The idea is beautifully simple: instead of chopping plants before they flower, we cut them back hard after their first flush has faded – and in return, they reward us with fresh new foliage and, in many cases, a whole second flowering that carries the garden right into autumn!
Now, when I say cut back, I mean it. This is shears work. Whole clumps taken down by half, by two thirds, some right to a few inches above the soil. Your border will look shorn and sorry for a week or two, and your neighbor may peer over the fence with concern – let them! Mid summer perennials regrow at astonishing speed, and a deep soak after the chop (plus, for the hungrier ones, a light feed) is all it takes to turn that stubble into a fresh green mound with buds on the way.
And the second flowering is only half the story. The hack tames the shameless self seeders before they sow themselves into your paving; it clears away mildewed, tired leaves before trouble spreads; it actually extends the life of short lived perennials, which exhaust themselves setting seed if we let them; and it keeps nectar on the table for bees and butterflies deep into autumn, when the rest of the neighborhood has gone quiet.
Not every perennial takes the same cut, though – some want a full scalping, others just a hard deadheading – so below, we’ll go through the best candidates one by one, with exactly where and how much to cut for each.
1. Hardy Cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’)
And we start our selection with a true superstar – a variety so loved that the Royal Horticultural Society crowned her Plant of the Centenary, on top of the Award of Garden Merit! Yes, ‘Rozanne’ is royalty among us gardeners, and for good reason…
Her large, saucer shaped blooms are a stunning violet blue, with luminous white centers and delicate purple veining, and they float above soft mounds of deeply cut, marbled green foliage from early summer all the way to the frosts. Each flower is a whopping 2.5 inches across – huge for a cranesbill! – and the whole plant weaves and scrambles through her neighbors in the border like a friendly guest at a party.
But – let’s be honest – by July, our lovely ‘Rozanne’ can start looking a bit… tired. The stems sprawl, they flop over the lawn edge, the center opens up and goes bare, and the first fresh flush of flowers thins out. You may think she is done for the year. But she isn’t, really!
This is exactly when the Hampton Hack comes to her rescue. In mid July, take your shears – yes, ordinary garden shears, no need for fussy snipping stem by stem – and cut the whole plant back hard, by half or even down to about 3 or 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) from the ground. It looks brutal, I know. “Surely I’ve just ruined my best perennial!” you are thinking… Wait! Within two to three weeks, a fresh mound of clean, bright green leaves will burst from the crown, followed by a brand new wave of those gorgeous violet blooms that will carry on, uninterrupted, right into October and beyond!
So, after the chop, give her a good drink and a light feed – a handful of balanced organic fertilizer or a splash of liquid seaweed is plenty – and she will bounce back faster than you can say “cranesbill.” In fact, because ‘Rozanne’ is sterile and sets no seed, she pours all her energy into flowering, which is why this second flush is so generous!
2. Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis)
Its soft, velvety and beautifully pleated leaves will catch the morning dew, making them glisten like tiny liquid diamonds against a bright green tonality! And – let’s be honest – this lush foliage acts as a brilliant weed-suppressing carpet for our gardens. It is also a generous flowering plant, bursting with frothy, chartreuse and lime green blooms in early summer. But when the intense July heat sets in, those exquisite leaves scorch, the flowers turn to a rusty mush, and the whole plant collapses. Many of us gardeners look at this untidy mat and feel our hearts sink…
But there is a very simple fix! Grab your sharpest bypass shears, gather the entire sprawling mass in one hand, and cut it ruthlessly. How much, exactly? Take it right down to about 2 inches (5 centimeters) above the soil, leaving only the very newest, tightest little leaves snuggled at the crown. It feels drastic, but wait! Within a fortnight, a fresh, vibrant flush of pleated leaves will flourish and bless you with a pristine new mound; and yes, often a surprising second dusting of blooms by late August!
3. Macedonian Scabious (Knautia macedonica)
Its softly textured, deeply lobed leaves form an airy basal mound in a lovely pale green tonality! It is also an incredibly vibrant flowering plant, dangling whopping, ruby and crimson pincushion blooms on very fine, wiry stems starting in early summer. The bees and butterflies will absolutely bless your garden, flocking to these rich nectar landing pads every single day.
However, because it blooms with such relentless energy, by mid-July the plant often exhausts itself completely. The tall stems become a tangled, sprawling mess that flops over your other plants, and it simply stops producing those magnificent ruby flowers.
So, you must step in with your bypass shears! Trace those long, floppy stems all the way down to the base. You need to cut every single flowered stem back hard, leaving roughly 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 centimeters) of stem above the ground. The most important technical detail here is to make your cut exactly above the tight, fresh rosette of new green leaves snuggled right against the soil. Do not cut into the rosette itself, as that is the engine of your late summer display!
Within a fortnight, that neat little base will push up fresh stems and bless you with a stunning, welcome second flush of intense crimson blooms that will carry your garden right into the cool days of autumn! Its weaving, airy personality makes it ideal for mingling through tall ornamental grasses or softening the front of a hot, dry border!
4. Red Valerian (Centranthus ruber)
Its somewhat fleshy, waxy and smooth foliage forms a robust, upright habit that keeps a wonderful silvery blue tonality all season! It is also a phenomenally vigorous flowering plant, exploding into dense clusters of tiny, star-like blooms in intense ruby and crimson from early summer. The fading blooms leave behind tiny fluffy seed heads that will blow everywhere if you aren’t careful! But because it grows with such astonishing energy, by mid-July it often becomes top-heavy, sprawling awkwardly over your other plants.
So, instead of the hard basal chop we give other perennials, we take a slightly different technical approach here. Trace those leggy stems down about halfway—roughly 5 to 6 inches (12 to 15 centimeters) above the ground. You will see tiny, fresh green shoots waiting at the lower leaf nodes; snip the old stalks just above these new shoots!
In no time at all, it will bounce back into a tidy shape and inject your garden with a massive second wave of crimson blooms that lasts until autumn!
5. Oriental Poppies (Papaver orientale)
Nothing in early summer matches that moment when an oriental poppy opens – huge, crumpled silk petals in scarlet, salmon or plum, each with an inky black heart, and bumblebees rolling around in the pollen like happy drunks. And then, a few weeks later… collapse. By July the whole plant is a heap of yellowing, dying leaves, and you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve lost it.
You haven’t – this is simply how oriental poppies live. They flower hard, then go dormant in the summer heat. So don’t tiptoe around the mess: cut everything, foliage and spent stems alike, right down to the ground in July. The crown sits quietly below the soil, and by late summer a fresh rosette of bristly new leaves pushes up, staying green and handsome into autumn. In a mild year, some plants even offer a bonus flower or two in September!
The July gap they leave behind is the one real drawback, so plant them behind later performers – gypsophila, asters, hardy geraniums – that grow up and fill the hole. And if you fancy more plants for free, this is also the moment to lift and take root cuttings; poppies multiply willingly from a finger of root, and your neighbors will happily take the spares off your hands.
6. Spiked Speedwell (Veronica spicata)
Those neat, upright spires! In early summer, spiked speedwell sends up dozens of slim, tapering flower spikes in violet blue – or pink and white in some varieties – like little candles above tidy mats of green foliage. Bees work them from the bottom upwards, flower by flower; watch one for a minute and you’ll see the whole system in action.
Each spike fades from the base up too, though, so by July the plant is a mix of brown tails and tired stems. Here’s exactly what to do: in early to mid July, as soon as most spikes have gone over, take a pair of clean, sharp secateurs – or shears if you have a big clump – and cut every flowered stem back by half its height, snipping just above a pair of healthy leaves. If the whole plant looks truly exhausted, go harder: cut all the stems down to the fresh mound of basal foliage, about 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) from the ground. Never cut into bare woody bases with no leaves below; always leave some green growth to power the comeback.
Water the clump deeply straight after the chop, and a splash of liquid seaweed or a light balanced feed helps too. Within three to four weeks a second set of spires rises for August and September – shorter than the first flush, usually, but just as welcome when the border starts running out of blue, and the bees will be back on them the day they open!
7. Catmint (Nepeta × faassenii)
If lavender has a laid-back cousin, this is her – billowing clouds of soft, aromatic gray green leaves smothered in hazy lavender blue flower spikes from late spring, with bees humming over it from morning to dusk. Brush past it and the whole path smells wonderful. And yes, the neighborhood cats may come to roll in it; many of us gardeners consider that part of the entertainment!
But catmint is also the poster child of the mid-summer flop. By July the clump has splayed open like a bad haircut, showing a hollow, tatty center, and the first flush of flowers is nearly spent. This is one plant where you shouldn’t be gentle: in early to mid July, take garden shears – secateurs will take you all afternoon on a big clump – and cut the entire plant back by half to two thirds, down to about 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) from the ground. Cut into the leafy growth, not into the bare woody base, and shape it back into a neat dome as you go. You’ll almost certainly find fresh gray shoots already waiting low down; those are your second act.
Water it in well after the chop – one deep soak is better than daily sprinkles – and skip the rich feeding; catmint on lean soil stays compact, catmint on rich soil flops all over again. Within three weeks or so the dome regrows fresh and silvery, and by August it’s back in full lavender blue bloom, often carrying on until the frosts. The bees barely notice the interruption!
8. Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum)
Its glossy, somewhat leathery and deeply toothed leaves form dense, lush basal rosettes that maintain a dark, rich green tonality! It is also a brilliantly festive flowering plant, erupting with whopping, classic white daisies centered with bright golden yellow eyes in early summer. The strong, stiff stems make them exquisite for cutting, and – let’s be honest – no summer border feels complete without a patch of them. Butterflies and hoverflies will absolutely bless your garden, landing on those wide golden faces all day long for an easy feast.
But by mid to late July, the first flush starts going over; you get browning petals, heavy seedheads forming, and the stalks begin to lean awkwardly. With this beauty, you actually have two levels of our Hampton Hack, and it pays to know both!
If your clump still has plenty of fresh buds coming, you simply deadhead. Take your sharp secateurs, follow each spent flower stem down, and cut it back exactly to the next side bud or fresh pair of leaves! This alone keeps the show running for weeks, because a Shasta left to set seed simply stops trying to bloom.
On the other hand, if the whole clump looks totally exhausted—mostly seedheads and tired stems with not much promise left—you must go for the full cut back! You need to shear every single flowered stem down to the fresh basal foliage, leaving exactly 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) from the ground. Do not cut below that leafy base; those low rosettes are the true engine of the regrowth! Afterwards, water the plant deeply and give it a light balanced feed…
In just three to four weeks, it will flush out again and reward you with a shorter, but very respectable second flowering through late August and September!
9. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
An old friend from the meadows, and one of the toughest plants on this whole list. Yarrow gives you flat, plate-like flower heads in white, pink, cherry, terracotta or gold – depending on the variety – held over ferny, aromatic, finely cut foliage that smells faintly medicinal when you brush it. Those flat plates are landing platforms, quite literally: hoverflies, butterflies, ladybirds and tiny beneficial wasps all use them, which makes yarrow one of the best insect plants you can grow.
By mid to late July the show is fading – the flower heads brown, dry out and turn dusty, and the stems start splaying. Here’s your move: follow each spent stem down into the plant and you’ll find a low tuft of fresh, feathery basal leaves. Cut every flowered stem back to just above that tuft, about 4 inches (10 cm) from the ground, using secateurs or shears on a big stand. If some heads are still fresh and buzzing, you can do it in two passes – spent stems now, the rest a week or two later – so the insects never lose their platform entirely.
Aftercare is almost embarrassingly simple: one deep watering and nothing else. No fertilizer – yarrow on rich soil grows tall, soft and floppy, and you’ll spend August staking it. On lean, free draining ground it regrows quickly and gives a second flush of smaller flower heads through late summer into early autumn.
And if you like your winter garden alive, leave that second flush standing at the end of the season; the dried seedheads feed the birds and look wonderful rimmed with frost.
10. Penstemon
“Aren’t those foxgloves?” visitors ask, every single time. Close – but foxgloves quit in July, and penstemons are just warming up! These bushy, semi evergreen perennials produce tubular bells in rich wine, garnet, blush pink, purple and white on and off until the first frosts, and bumblebees crawl fully inside each trumpet like guests who refuse to leave. If in doubt, start with ‘Garnet’ or ‘Raven’ – both hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
The trap with penstemon is treating July like a Chelsea Chop moment. It isn’t. Cut this plant to the ground in mid summer and you’ll get a sulk, not a second flush – the hard cut belongs to spring, once frosts are done. What July calls for is ruthless, systematic deadheading, and there’s a knack to it.
Take secateurs and work spike by spike. Each finished stem, follow it down until you meet a healthy pair of leaves or – even better – a pair of young side shoots poking out at a leaf joint. That’s your cut: just above it, taking off the top 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) of spent stem. The golden rule is green below the blade – always leave leafy growth beneath every cut, never slicing into the bare, woody base. Each side shoot you cut back to will race upward and flower within three or four weeks.
Written By
Amber Noyes
Amber Noyes was born and raised in a suburban California town, San Mateo. She holds a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of California as well as a BS in Biology from the University of San Francisco. With experience working on an organic farm, water conservation research, farmers’ markets, and plant nursery, she understands what makes plants thrive and how we can better understand the connection between microclimate and plant health. When she’s not on the land, Amber loves informing people of new ideas/things related to gardening, especially organic gardening, houseplants, and growing plants in a small space.