leave it alone for the winter, to enjoy the textures of the frosts and
snow's and a place for the birds to hang out (not to mention the neat sound
they make in the wind when they're dry........) and cut them back in March
just as the new growth is coming up. leave about a foot or two of dead stems
to support the new grasses and break down and provide nourishment when the
stems decay. I sometimes pull out the rotted older stems later on and
compost them. But I never cut my Zebra grasses back even when they flop
about like lazy teenagers towards the driveway (like they are doing so now).
It's far neater to see the grasses in winter splendor. But it's a personal
thing. if you gotta clean it up because you just gotta do something, then go
ahead. Me? I'd wait because it also protects the structure of the plant
against freezing by holding up the snow and cold temperatures with the old
foliage.................
madgardener up on the cold ridge, back in Fairy Holler, overlooking a
sparkly pre-winter's night on English Mountain in Eastern Tennessee where it
finally feels like the month it is......(November was spring-like until the
last few days)
"tomkanpa" wrote in message
oups.com...
A Google search said to do it in the spring. One source said to leave
it intact for a "Winter effect."
Can I cut it back now?? I don't want it drying out and have pieces of
it blown everywhere.