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What should you do with your ornamental grasses in the fall? Do they need cutting back, or is it better to leave them standing throughout the winter months? And what about dividing them—can that be done before winter?
These are common questions that arise every autumn, especially given the popularity of ornamental grasses in home landscapes. It’s easy to understand why so many people have inquiries!
Ornamental grasses are fantastic perennial plants. They’re drought and deer resistant, and pests generally steer clear of them. Even better, they require very little ongoing maintenance—aside from the occasional trimming and dividing of clumps that may have outgrown their space.
Ornamental grasses add vibrant color and interest throughout the growing season, but it’s in the fall—when their stunning plumes emerge—that they truly come alive! The graceful movement of these plumes in the breeze and their beautiful hues can transform any landscape, making them a standout feature in your garden as the seasons change.
One thing’s for certain: there’s a lot of conflicting information and misinformation out there about when and how to cut back ornamental grasses. The same goes for determining the best time to divide them.
With that in mind, we thought it was the ideal opportunity to clarify what you should do with your ornamental grasses this fall—and what you should avoid! Let’s set the record straight on their care during this season.
Ornamental Grass Care In The Fall
When Can Grasses Be Cut Back?
Let’s start by addressing the question of cutting back ornamental grasses. You can trim them back in early or late fall, as well as early or late spring. In fact, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can even cut them down during a winter snowstorm!
The important thing to remember is that the clump-style root systems of ornamental grasses are incredibly hardy. They don’t require their foliage to insulate them from winter’s harsh conditions.
So, when is the best time to cut them back? There are several good reasons to consider either trimming them in the fall or leaving them up throughout the winter. Ultimately, the choice depends on your specific situation and preferences.
Leaving grasses standing through winter not only offers crucial protection for wildlife, but it also adds stunning winter interest to your landscape. The delicate silhouettes and textures of the grasses can create a beautiful contrast against the snow, enhancing the visual appeal of your garden during the colder months. This natural beauty makes for an inviting winter scene, while also supporting the ecosystem.
Keeping Grasses Up Through Winter – The Pros
Leaving your ornamental grasses standing through the winter offers several benefits. For one, many varieties don’t develop their stunning plumes until mid to late fall, so they can add visual appeal to your landscape all winter long.
The tall plumes and robust grass foliage provide excellent texture and interest, brightening up an otherwise bare winter scene. Beyond their aesthetic value, they also play a crucial role in supporting winter wildlife.
By allowing your ornamental grasses to remain upright, you provide essential shelter for various animals. Additionally, the seed heads offer a great food source for birds, making your garden a haven for winter wildlife.
Keeping Grasses Up Through Winter – The Cons
Given all the benefits of leaving grasses standing through winter, you might wonder why anyone would choose to cut back ornamental grasses in the fall. However, there are certain situations where trimming is necessary.
For those with ornamental grasses in their yard, it’s hard to ignore the mess that some varieties can create during the long winter months, especially the larger species with their towering plumes. The accumulation of snow and ice can weigh them down, leading to a tangle of broken stems and an untidy appearance in your garden. In such cases, cutting them back can help maintain a cleaner and more manageable landscape.
Large grass plumes can definitely create quite a mess as they dry out over the winter. For those with heavily mulched flowerbeds or close neighbors, cutting back in the fall might be the best option to minimize spring cleanup. This proactive approach can help maintain a tidy appearance in your garden and prevent the hassle of dealing with scattered debris come springtime.
As the plume heads and stems start to break down, they can scatter everywhere, creating quite a mess and making spring cleanup a headache when you’re trying to tidy up flowerbeds!
For us, it’s always been a bit of a compromise when it comes to cutting back. For grasses located in flowerbeds and close to our home, we tend to trim them back in late fall to prevent the spring mess. However, for grasses farther away from the house, we leave them standing until spring to add winter interest and provide food for the birds. This approach allows us to enjoy the best of both worlds!
Dividing Ornamental Grasses
Now, let’s discuss dividing ornamental grasses. It’s generally recommended to divide grass clumps every three to five years to maintain their strength and health.
Ornamental grasses produce new growth from the outer edges of the clump each year. As the clump matures, the center begins to die off, leading to a larger dead area over time. This can result in a less attractive appearance and make the grass less capable of standing upright throughout the growing season.
By dividing your grasses every three to five years, you can prevent these issues and ensure that your ornamental grasses remain lush and vibrant in your landscape.
Fall Is Not The Time…
Unfortunately, fall is not the best time to divide ornamental grasses. Unlike most perennial plants that can thrive with fall division, dividing grasses at this time can be detrimental to their health.
When the root clumps are split in the fall, they often struggle to re-establish themselves in the soil before winter sets in. This can lead to the roots freezing when the colder temperatures arrive. The ideal time for dividing grasses is in early spring, just as new growth begins to emerge from their base. This timing allows the plants to recover and thrive in their new locations.
Cutting Back Grasses – A Few Extra Hints
Whether you decide to cut your grasses back in the spring or fall, one of the easiest methods is to use a good pair of electric hedge trimmers. Forget the back-breaking labor of hand shears—hedge trimmers make quick work of cutting through grasses with ease, saving you time and effort. It’s a simple and effective way to maintain your ornamental grasses!
We typically use a two-prong approach to cutting back our grasses. First, we trim off the grass heads to remove the plumes and seed heads. This is important because we want to keep them out of our compost pile, as those seed heads can cause issues later on by sprouting unwanted grass in the compost. By separating them out, we ensure a cleaner and more manageable compost process!
Next, we cut the remaining stems of the grasses down to just a few inches above the ground. This leftover material is actually fantastic for the compost pile, especially if you shred it a bit using a shredder or a lawn mower. Shredding helps it break down more quickly, enriching your compost with valuable organic matter!
