Decorative Grasses in the Rain Garden

Fall is upon us and soon we'll be settling into the winter weather season.  If your rain garden functions both as a storm water retention site and a decorative feature of your yard, you'll be looking at the grasses and wondering what to do.

By now, most grasses in USDA zones 5, 6 and even 7A have turned brown or beige.  Frosts have stopped the production of chlorophyll in the grass blades and they have died to ground level turning brown in the process.  Here in the Piedmont, our grasses are just beginning the color change that will last through winter.  The brown to beige grasses are quite interesting as they sway with each bit of winter wind.  I consider them one of the more attractive features of my winter rain garden.

So now is not the time to cut them back while tidying up the garden.  At the base of each grass blade is a tiny tube from which the grass blades sprout in spring.  Think of this tube as a straw.  Think of winter snows and rain running down into this straw and soaking into the roots.

I'm sure many of you have seen clumps of grasses with the center of the clump gone.  This is because the roots in that area have rotted out.  New growth forms around edges causing the 'ring' of grass you sometimes see.

Grasses should be trimmed back in early spring.  Since each variety comes out of dormancy at a slightly different time, you will need to check the clumps during your winter garden inspections and look for the tiny new green shoots emerging.  I usually cut back all of our grasses during February in North Carolina when the new shoots are about two inches in height.  If you wait too late in the spring, you risk chopping the tops out of this summers grass display.

Be sure to use sharp pruners and wear long sleeves and gloves when cutting back the clumps.  The dry brittle blades can irritate skin.

Enough technical info for today.  

Look for my next post that describes my hike through the Glenstone Preserve and information about the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Associations good work in promoting clean water and healthy creeks, streams and lakes.

Cheryl