Circular Greenhousethoughts of gardening & green living

Have you given any attention to your ornamental grass  yet this year? I don’t mean your lawn, as the middle of March is the time to start thinking about your this . I’m actually talking about ornamental grasses.

Over the past few years , ornamental grasses have become extremely popular in the UK . From humble sedges (such as  i.e. Carex ) and Oat Grass (Helictotrichon) to the major grasses like pampas grass (Cortaderia), you will normally  find at least one if not a cluster of grasses in the average garden. Gardeners have realized that carefully selected  grasses are a tremendous way to add structure, theme and colour to gardens without a great deal of ongoing maintenance  .

Other benefits of popular ornamental grasses include :

- Resistance to pests and diseases.
- Hardiness to frost & cold weather
- Fast growth
- Adaptability to a wide range of soil types
- Their ability to provide movement

  But probably the biggest incentive for any gardener, especially a cost consious  one, is the fact that ornamental grasses can be divided up to produce more specimins . There’s no need to grow from seed, just divide and multiply .

Grasses from cool climates include Carex, Festuca, Helictotrichon, Stipa, Chasmanthium, Deschampsia, Calamagrostis, Hakonechloa, and Molinia. Dividing these grasses every three years not only provides you with free plants, but prevents overcrowding.

How to divide  ornamental grasses 
Carry out all division on a damp day with damp soil and no strong winds. This is because your first job  is to carefully dig up the grass clump, exposing it to the air.

Small, soft rooted grasses can be pulled apart simply by using your hands. If the clump is tough use two garden forks inserted back to back in the middle of the cluster, then prise them apart. On a very tough root you may even have to chop with a secateurs .

Make sure each division has several healthy buds or shoots and a reasonable amount of root attached. Select larger divisions (12.5cm/5in or larger) for replanting in your garden. You should use a half topsoil and half compost back-fill mix for transplanting.

Your smaller divisions can be potted up for growing on, then planting out later. Water the transplant heavily and ensure you water well for its first year.

Other Grasses including Cortaderia, Miscanthus, Phalaris, Arundo, Imperata, Panicum, Pennisetum and Spartina. Grasses from warm climates are divided in the exact same manner as the cool climate grasses. However, extreme care must be exercised when handling pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) as it has really -sharp leaves.