Farm Horizons
•
June 6, 2016
•
Page 24
Ornamental grass basics
Mary Meyer of the University of Minresult in winter injury and the plants
nesota has written a great book entitled
look perfect in the landscape on a winChristine
“Ornamental Grasses for Colder Cliter’s day.
Schlueter
McLeod County
mates.”
The grasses will grow in most soil
Master Gardener
The information in the book is based
types. Once they get established you
on the 25 years of field research results
may not need fertilization or irrigation.
from multiple locations in Minnesota
Wood chip mulch is the best way to preplus the Landscape Arboretum. The folvent weeds, do this every year.
lowing information is shared with you from her book.
Hand weeding or doing a spot treatment with a contact
If you have never considered growing grasses you herbicide is the best way to get rid of quack grass which
must include them in your landscape. Grasses change wil l pop up in the grasses along with other weeds.
dramatically with each season and give the garden a nice
All ornamental grasses do the best in full sun, alnatural look.
though there are some that tolerate shade such as JapaThere are many features of grass. They have a natural nese Golden Forest Grass.
almost prairie-like appearance. Require very little nuGrasses provide interesting foliage, attractive seed
trients. Have few insect and disease problems. Usually heads and nice fall color along with winter interest. It
little maintenance is needed, except in the spring when is a type of plant everyone should have in spots around
you should cut them back.
your garden beds.
You can enjoy them year round for their different
For a great slide show featuring ornamental grasses
looks. They grow fairly fast and most mature in three with in depth care of each go to: http://www.extension.
years. There are many different textures from fine to a umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/landscaping/ornamentallarge leaf coarse type. When you hear them rustling in grasses-for-minnesota/ n
the breeze, it is fun to watch them wave in the landscape
and the air movement sound is incredible to listen to.
To plant grasses you need a few basic tips.
Plant in the spring for best results. If you plant in the
summer, you will need to water regularly. If you plant in
the fall, be sure they get a full month of growth before
the cold weather sets in.
Spacing is very important. When the plants mature
they will be large so you need to space the plants equal
to their mature height or plant farther apart for a focal point grass. Space plants one-half their height for a
hedge or screen. Look at the tags carefully when you
purchase them.
Dividing plants is something that you will need to do
to keep the grass lively. The best way to divide the plant
is to dig up the entire plant or what you can if it is extremely large, and cut it into smaller sections with the
stems and roots. You will need to use a sharp spade. Division is not necessary for most grasses.
But if you see the grass is declining and not many flowers or dying in the center, dividing will help rejuvenate
the plant. Grasses do best when divided in the spring.
‘Karl Foerster’ can successfully be divided in the fall.
In the late winter or early spring, before you see new
growth, cut back the grasses to the ground to remove
the previous years growth. If you do not cut back, the
new growth can be delayed and large plants will have the
dead stems in the plant throughout the year.
Proudly serving the area for over 40 years.
An electric hedge trimmer or sharp knife work well
for smaller areas. Do not cut back in the fall as this may
FREE ESTIMATES
• Driveways & roads
• Manure pits
• Shed pads
• Developments
• Residential
• Commercial
• Erosion control
• Demolition