As winter slowly gives way to early spring the days gradually lengthen and this is the signal for many plants that it is time to begin their annual cycle of growth. Grasses are no exception to this and as a group they are comparatively easy going, requiring minimal attention to keep them happy. This is the time of year when a little timely care will keep them performing beautifully with little subsequent effort.
While early spring is generally the ideal time to cut down deciduous grasses a combination of milder winters and the presence of early season bulbs may mean that the grasses in such areas will need cutting back rather earlier in order to avoid damage to the emerging foliage of bulbs and other early season plants such as primroses. Much depends on each season, but some of our areas with bulbs are cut down in early January or even pre Christmas.
There is no one best moment to care for your grasses. What you do, and when, will depend primarily on which group of grasses you are dealing with; evergreen, deciduous or semi evergreen. The individual grass descriptions on our shop pages will show which grass belongs to which group, along with some care notes for each plant.
Deciduous grasses: Require last seasons growth to be cut back to the ground each year to make way for the new seasons growth. Most cutting back is usually done from late winter onwards, with exact timing depending on your geographical area, and the weather conditions in any given season.
Evergreen grasses: Longer lived evergreens such as acorus, many carex, ophiopogon and liriope may not need any attention for some years. Shorter lived evergreens such as anemanthele, some carex, festuca and nassella will need a little more regular attention, some annually, some every other year or so. Most evergreens can be trimmed when required but this should be done only when the grasses are in active growth – and not when dormant.
Semi-evergreen grasses: These include grasses such as elymus and sesleria which may remain virtually evergreen in warmer and drier climates, but tend to perform better in the UK climate for an annual trim, to within a few inches of the ground, in early spring.
For more information take a look at our recently updated gallery ‘How to Care for Grasses’ – which is intended as a practical guide, with pictures, to help you get the best out of your grasses.
Hakonechloas are amongst the first of the grasses that we cut down each year as they start into growth relatively early. The hakonechloa macra that we have in pots on our driveway for example have now been cut down, divided and re potted in readiness for healthy lush growth this spring.
For more information take a look at our recently updated gallery ‘How to Care for Grasses’ – which is intended as a practical guide, with pictures, to help you get the best out of your grasses.