Now is the time to start spring cleaning in the garden and tidy up those plants to be in tip top shape for the spring and summer. Mid February to mid March is the time to start working on those ornamental grasses.
Here’s some tips from the pro’s on how to get started...
First thing, put on some gloves, especially if dealing with larger grasses as they can be sharp as razor blades. All ornamental grasses should be cut between 2’’ and 12’’ from the ground depending on the size of the plant. A good rule of thumb is to cut the grass 1’’ high for every foot of growth it grows in a season. Therefore if it grows 4 feet every year, cut it 4 inches from the ground. Pampas grass gets 8-12’ tall, therefore you will cut it at 8-12 inches from the base of plant or ground level, however liriope only gets 12-18’’ from the ground so you will cut this very low, about 1-2’’ from the ground. This is a rough estimate, but it gets you close.
The most important piece to pruning ornamental grasses is timing. We recommend pruning ornamental grasses in this area around mid February to mid march. The worst scenario, is after you prune we get a heavy snow or freezing rain that can rot the crown out, if it weren’t pruned the crown would not be exposed and the grass would protect itself. Most winters you won’t have that worry. Another great tip is after you prune, pull out some of the loose grass from the middle of the plant to allow more new foliage to break through the surface. Many times a grass will get so thick after many prunings that it can begin to not produce foliage in the center of the plant, giving it an odd look. If this happens, you can always dig up the entire root ball and split into multiple plants, best time to do that is the beginning of April.
If you have further questions, please feel free to visit any of our garden supply shops at our three year round locations and we can help you get started.