Topic: Trimming ornamental grasses

[Steven]

I have an ornamantal grass (fescue i think) which has been in a pot for a few years now,but this year,the frosts have turned the blades yellow.

I know im probably supposed to give it a haircut,but several years ago,i did this to another and the whole thing promply died! Its gonna have to come out of the pot anyway as you cannot actually see it anymore,but am reluctant to trim because of what happened last time.Dont wanna loose it because in summer-it looks like a big green cushion and is a good size (2ft across).

Any ideas as to how i can keep this one alive after trimming???

[Palustris]

If it is an evergreen grass then you are not really supposed to give it a severe haircut. (Though doing so, should not kill it!) It is a long job, but with the blue leaved fescues which I have, I tend to comb through the clump (with fingers) removing as much of the dead material as possible. Obviously it is inevitable that you pull out some of the new growth, but the plant should be OK.

[Steven]

This time last year,i pulled out some of the dead material from the centre,but unfortunatley-the hole never sealed up again afterwards!

Oh well,gonna have to have a go eitherway-cheers! ;D

[ACE]

The damp english climate rots some of the ornamental grasses and it sounds as if you have suffered from it before. If when you comb out the dead leaves it has bald patches. Give it a light trim and keep it on the dry side until the temperature goes up a bit.

[Mrs Ava]

My blue fescues get a haircut come spring.  Not a crew cut you understand, but I love the way a cut makes them all spikey and proud.  I also go around the outer edge carefully pulling away the old dead bits.  I don't tend to go into the middle of the plants, only because I did last year on another grass I had, and as I pulled I ended up with a handful of little hair like splinters that itched like crrrazy and became very sore indeedy!  Wear gloves is the moral of this tale.  ;D