During winter, I leave my perennial grasses standing tall for as long as possible so the birds can get to the little seed pods. And then there’s a third type of perennial grass that falls in between—and benefits from a simple technique I have developed of brushing the blades.
Photography by Rob Co for Gardenista.
(Nothing is worse than when you see a grass pruned totally hacked to the ground without cause.
Grasses to Brush
To brush, simply take hold of a bunch of grass as you would long hair.
Use any old type of brush, even your worn-out hair brushes.
I find that a good rule of thumb for pruning grasses is to cut about 4 inches from the ground. The goal is to remove excess dead foliage, but we don’t want to tax the plant to the point of weak growth.
Grasses to Prune
Grasses to Brush and Prune
With these grasses, I prune every other or every two years, not yearly.
Some grasses don’t need any pruning what so ever. But generally speaking, I don’t touch these two grasses at all.
Grasses to Leave Alone