Should I cut my ornamental grasses in the fall or wait until spring?
Q: Should I cut my ornamental grasses back now or wait until spring?
A: For Colorado gardeners, I recommend leaving most ornamental grasses standing through winter and cutting them back in early spring.
Dried grasses may look a little untidy, but they provide winter interest - frost and snow on ornamental grasses can be beautiful in the landscape. The foliage helps insulate the plant's crown against cold and temperature fluctuations, plus it provides shelter for beneficial insects and other small wildlife. You can remove the old growth just before new shoots emerge.
Most warm-season grasses like switchgrass, little bluestem, big bluestem, and ornamental fountain grass, green up late, typically in May. Cut back in late winter or early spring, usually March or April along Colorado's Front Range, before new growth starts. Leave approximately 4–6 inches of stubble.
Cool-season grasses like feather reed grass and blue oat grass green up very early. Cut back in late winter or early spring, usually February or March along Colorado's Front Range, before new growth starts. Leave approximately 2-4 inches of stubble.
Don’t wait too long in spring. Once new green shoots begin emerging from the base, cutting the entire plant back can damage that fresh growth.
Read our Q & As with Keith Funk answering common Colorado gardening questions here. See his website: gardenwiseguy.com and hear him on the Garden Wise Radio Show.
