Page 4 - Midway District - March 2017

AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCES MICHELLE BUCHANAN

Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental Grasses can add texture, variety,  Use as a ground cover. Low growing and
color, and beauty to your landscaping. They are mid-size grasses make great ground covers.
often easy to grow and maintain. Grasses change
with the seasons and evolve throughout the year What ornamental grasses will do well here?
making a wonderful accent in the garden. Most ornamental grasses are warm season

How can I use ornamental grasses in my grasses - they green up in the spring after the last
landscape? frost and go dormant with the first killing frost in
the fall. Check the labels for hardiness and select
 Plant in groupings. plants that are hardy to 6a for the Midway District.
 Consider using them as a replacement for When should I cut back my ornamental grass?

shrubs. The only maintenance really needed for
 Plant in containers on patios and porches. ornamental grasses is cutting them back each
 Consider planting them in natural flowing spring. This is usually done up to the time when
new growth is starting in early April. To receive the
borders throughout the landscape, mixed in longest ornamental value out of the plant, then
with clumps of wildflowers, perennials, or enjoy them all winter long, cut them back in mid-
shrubs. March. Cut them as close to the ground as
 Use as a privacy screen. practical. Grasses may be divided in early spring at
 Plant to attract wildlife. Grasses such as the time of greenup to plant in other areas of your
prairie dropseed, blue gramma grass, and landscape.
indian rice grass are great for birds and other
wildlife. Visit the following website to see some of the
 Create landscape flair. Grasses such as
feather reedgrass or big bluestem have a prairie bloom ornamental grasses:
distinctive upright form that can be attractive
and formal. http://www.prairiestarflowers.com/Prairie%

20Bloom%20pages/OrnamentalGrasses.html

“Unless we confront and acknowledge the mistakes of the past, we are destined to repeat them in
the future.”… There are a number of mistakes that we make in maintaining landscapes.
Here are my Top 10:

 Inadequate Soil Preparation – Don’t work soil when wet, add sand to clay soils, ot exces-
sively till (pulverize).

 Improper Planting Procedures – Wrong planting depth, time, or space. Inadequate watering
after planting.

 Improper Use of Mulch – Don’t apply too deep or create a volcano.

 Construction Damage to Trees – Don’t change the grade around trees, cut roots inside of
the “critical root radius”, or compact the soil over the root zone of trees.

 Improper Pruning Practices – Don’t top trees, prune early spring flowering shrubs before
they bloom, or prematurely cut the leaves off of spring flowering bulbs.

 Improper Mowing Practices – Don’t cut off more than 1/3 of the height of grass at one time
or cause damage to trees with mowers or trimmers. Do keep mower blades sharp.

 Wrong Plant, Wrong Location – Make sure to select the appropriate plants for your plant
hardiness zone, the planting location, and for the amount of rainfall or irrigation that they
will receive.

 Inappropriate Fertilization – Don’t fertilize without soil test recommendations. Do fertilize
cool season grasses in the fall and warm season grasses in late spring.

 Pesticide Misuse – Don’t allow pesticide to drift off target or apply when not needed. Do
read and follow the label.

 Never Attempt…Failure to Try to Landscape – You can’t make mistakes if you don’t try,
but not trying may be the biggest mistake you can make. Take a risk and if you do make a
mistake, learn from it and do better next time.