The No Mess Way to Cut Back Ornamental Grasses
Saturday February 16, 2008
Way back when I asked you all if there was such a thing as winter interest in the garden, the overwhelming majority of you said you like to keep your ornamental grasses up all winter. I’m sure many of them are coated in ice and snow right now, but pretty soon it’s going to be time to cut them down. You don’t want the new blades growing up into the dead foliage. Here’s an easy method taught to me by a Master Gardener friend, for cutting down your ornamental grasses without making a mess in your garden.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti (2007) licensed to About.com, Inc.
Comments
We use cotton twine or jute to tie ours together, then just zip across the bottom with the weed whacker or a chain saw. Much less back-breaking then hand-pruning several mature clumps of grass.
It works. I tried the technique this afternoon, and was done with the pruning and clean up in 20 minutes. Great!
A couple of friends reminded me that bungee cords are also good for this job. They’re quick and easy and can be wrapped pretty tightly. I still like the tape, because I don’t like having to rake up the stragglers.