Is it now. or when , to divide Grasses

[fozzie]

I have been putting this off for at least two seasons, so have forgotten the advice. Is this also the time to cut them back down to ground level??

Ta

Foz

[Tig]

Hi Fozzie
I wanted to know the answer to this a few weeks back - and I found this which is attributed to our dear GWD 'friend' Mr Titchmarsh - hope it helps Tig

"Dealing with grasses
To make the most of ornamental grasses, you need to tidy them at least once a year. This is a simple task, but one often overlooked. I think it’s partly because they are otherwise such undemanding plants, but also because grasses are looking their best in autumn. They get forgotten until mid-spring when the new growth is showing, making it too fiddly to cut back. Ornamental grasses, such as Festuca and Carex need next to no attention – simply comb through the foliage with your fingers during late winter or early spring to remove dead foliage and seedheads. However, if you want to stimulate new growth and better leaf colour, you can cut them back in early spring. Other grasses, such as Deschampsia, Stipa, Pennisetum and Miscanthus should be cut back in late winter, removing last year’s stems and dead leaves before the new foliage appears. Taller varieties of Molinia tend to collapse in late autumn and so are worth tidying before Christmas, though smaller varieties, such as the variegated Molinia caerulea subsp. caerulea ‘Variegata', often remain upright throughout the winter and can be cut back before the new growth appears in spring. A few grasses can self seed prolifically. In my garden pheasant-tail grass likes to scatter itself around, but I find a thick mulch makes it easy enough to weed out the seedlings in spring. Vigorous grasses can spread rapidly by underground runners and so it’s worth checking at least once a year and severing any runners with a sharp spade to restrict their spread."

[fozzie]

Thanks Tig,
thats the w/e sorted Sat rugby in the rain, Sun No2 Felco and shears Grass and Roses here we come. I guess this must be a good time to lift and divide. I have got to move a rose so will do the grasses at same time.

Fxx

[Weeterrier]

Great advice..............if only I could remember what kinds of grass mine are.

[beanie]

this is a good grass site , you may be able to identify some from there. i think most of them have a pic
www.grassgardens.co.uk/grasses.html

[Weeterrier]

Thanks Beanie, that will be very useful

[Tig]

I want some Pennisetums - I have a list of 'to buys' ;D ;D