Now is the time to start tidying up your grasses. Which varieties do I cut down and which do I tease out dead foliage?
Now is a good time to start tidying up any grasses in your garden. Not all grasses should be cut back. Evergreen grasses like Stipa varieties are best just raked out. Even if you did this in the autumn there will be more dead to clean out now especially after this winter. You can either cut all dead stems out carefully, rake out or pull out with a gloved hand. I often find that I pull out and prune carefully.
Deciduous grasses such as Miscanthus, Molinia and Calamagrostis, need to be cut back. Now is a good time as they should be showing signs of new growth. If they are not it is best to leave them a little longer as they might be sllower to start into growth this year especially if your garden is still suffering very cold temperatures.
Check carefully that your grass has not rotted away by gently pulling at small clumps. If these come away in your hand then look carefully to see if there is any sign of new root growth. Sometimes you can replant a small section even if the main plant has rotted away.
Cath