Ornamental Grasses are a perennial favorite in the landscape, but how do you take care of them? They need to be cut back. Those plants left for winter interest need to be cut back in the spring. If the grasses are too messy for you, prune them back in the fall. I use my hedge trimmer to cut back the grasses unless they are smaller in size, then I use my pruners. I prefer to divide them into two groups: upright and mounded.
Upright Ornamental Grasses
Tie up with a bungee cord just above the cutting height making sure the bungee cord is tight. You may need to adjust this as you are pruning. This step keeps most of the debris in a bundle making an easier clean-up.
Cut the grass straight across at the determined height. You want to cut the grass back as low as possible while staying above any drip lines.
After cutting the grass back with the hedge trimmer, I go back to remove any dead material and clean-up the edges.
Mounded Ornamental Grasses
These I prune so they look like a hedgehog. I keep these grasses just above the green material (normally about 4-6 inches). The pruning is done with either my hedge trimmer or pruners.
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