Ornamental grasses have become a wonderful staple in our Colorado landscapes and they are very easy to care for. In late winter, we generally cut back grasses to about 8” above the ground line. It does not hurt the plant to cut the grasses back in the fall either, but you will miss the continued beauty of the grasses through the winter. Excessive snow may cause the grasses to splay out earlier and they may need to be cut back earlier.
As the temperatures begin to rise through the season, you will start to see green show. Some varieties of grasses are cool season grasses and this green will show in March, like with the Karl Forrester Feather Reed Grass and Switch Grass. While other varieties are warm season grasses that do not start to grow until late April or early May. Some examples of the warmer varieties are Miscanthus Grass and Dwarf Fountain Grass. A handful or two of lawn fertilizer will help to give you that rush of growth that we love to see. Too much fertilizer will make the grasses soft and they will tend to have a different structure than what we have come to expect. Do not spread the fertilizer directly on the crown of the plant.
As plants start to age, they may become a little bare in the center of the plant. At this point, your grass needs to be dug up and divided.
We hope this helps you enjoy the wonder textures and movements of your grass plants throughout the changing seasons.
