Ornamental grasses are more popular than ever, and for good reason. They can add texture to the landscape, and they are tough plants that are easy to grow in a variety of conditions. Ornamental grasses can also add beauty to the winter landscape.
But should ornamental grasses be cut back to the ground in winter?
Most ornamental grasses develop tall seed heads late in the summer that naturally persist through the winter. When temperatures start to drop the plant will die back, leaving the dried foliage, stalks, and seed heads. The general rule that you should cut back the grasses before the next growing season, so that the new year’s growth will be more vigorous and healthy.
I have found a couple of exceptions to this here in the Denver area, particularly with Mexican Feather Grass (Nassella tenuissima), which did not regenerate as well or look as good the year after I cut it back. I have since started leaving it uncut, which results is the new growth coming up right through the beautiful finely textured golden old growth. But with most varieties, they should be cut back before new growth starts in the spring.
So the question, then, is whether you should cut them back in the fall, or wait until the spring. Many people enjoy the colors and movement that these elements provide in winter. Others prefer a more “neat” or formal look.
I thought it would be interesting to explore the advantages each approach:
Advantages of leaving the grasses for the winter and waiting until the spring to cut them back
When shrubs lose their leaves, and perennials wither to the ground, grasses can provide form in the landscape
Texture: Interesting textures can stand out, collecting frost or snow, and reflecting sunlight
Movement: Winter winds and soft breezes can move and sway the stems and seed heads of ornamental grasses
The grasses can add color to the drab winter landscape, including shades of reds, yellows, browns, and blues
Upright grasses can be used to help screen views when deciduous plants have lost their leaves
The grasses can provide habitat and shelter for birds and other small animals
Advantages of cutting back ornamental grasses right away in the fall or early winter
This can be interesting and different look, I have seen some nice formal plantings that looked stunning with the grasses cut back
Some grasses hold their form better than others, while some varieties may flop over under heavy snow
Cutting them back may give the impression (rightly or wrongly) that a commercial landscape is being better maintained
In some cases the grasses may block sight lines, such as to important signage in a shopping center
In high foot traffic areas, it may be beneficial to cut back ornamental grasses to avoid them being trampled
So what do you think, is one method better than the other? My personal taste is to leave the grasses up all winter, but there are situations where you may want to cut them back. And you can always decide to cut them back later, if you feel the need to tidy them up.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
It can save you money on water bills and maintenance.
There are many reasons for you to renovate your landscaping to save water. But why would a water provider or utility want you to use less of what they provide- water?
Since we work with customers to reduce their water-use, we hear this question quite often. It does seem counter intuitive: Why would someone who is in the business of selling water want you to use less of it- in many cases offering rebates and incentives to do so?
Can you imagine a Walmart employee standing outside of the store offering to give you $20 back, if you spent LESS money inside the store?
There are a few key reasons why water conservation is encouraged by water providers:
First, water demand will always continue to increase, regardless of how much our water use is reduced. Population growth and land development put a great deal of strain on our water supply and the water delivery system.
Because the demand will always be there, it is in the water provider’s best interest to slow the rate of growth as much as possible. There are large systems for treating, storing, and delivering water that need constant expansion and repair.
Secondly, water conservation is already built into the billing system. Most water suppliers now use a conservation-oriented “tiered” rate structure. These rate structures charge a base rate regardless of how much water is used, and separate rates for the levels of water that is actually consumed.
Finally, water utilities often consist of complex public/private partnerships, so there are environmental and public health considerations that are just as important as profit. Would we really want our water system to be based totally on how much revenue and profit could be generated?
When considering the public good in terms of water conservation, there are numerous considerations: Preparedness for droughts; the health of our rivers, lakes, and streams, and aquifers; impacts to other cities and states “downstream”; and even national security.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
The other night I watched the classic holiday comedy, Christmas Vacation. Clark Griswold provides endless laughs in the course of his struggle with ladders and Christmas lights. Occasionally, the lights actually work and at one point Clark has the following exchange with “Aunt Bethany”:
Aunt Bethany:Is your house on fire, Clark? Clark: No, Aunt Bethany, those are the Christmas lights.
While anyone can load their house up with a gazillion flashing holiday lights and plastic reindeer, there is a lot of planning and work that goes into decorating a home tastefully for the holidays.
Ideally, the entire curb appeal should work together to create a scene that enhances the building and looks like it belongs there. The shrubs, trees, and other landscaping (along with the structure) are important elements to the scene you are creating.
So, how can landscaping enhance the holiday decor? Here are 5 ways to plan your landscape to work well with holiday decorations.
1. Select plants that have good winter interest
Try to use a variety of plants that not only look good in the summer, but also have good winter interest. There are many trees and shrubs available that have interesting bark and stem color (think red twig dogwood).
Utilize ornamental grasses, shrubs, and perennials that will catch the snow on their stems and branches. On a cold day or night the snow will glisten in the sunlight or from the glow of holiday lights.
Also, use a mixture of evergreen and semi-evergreen shrubs. Semi-evergreen shrubs are those such as Fernbush and Broom that have green stems and whose leaves may persist into the winter.
Landscape rebates are becoming popular across the county as water conservation becomes a bigger issue and more people look for ways to save water.
Population growth is straining water supplies and delivery systems, causing many water providers to provide great incentives to reduce water use. Homeowner’s, businesses, and HOA’s are also looking for ways to trim their budgets and increase their long-term sustainability.
But landscape renovations can get expensive. Thankfully, there are some great rebates out there that you can take advantage of to help offset the costs. When you factor in the rebates, as well as significant water and maintenance savings, a landscape renovation can make a lot of sense for your property.
Irrigation Upgrades vs. Turf Removal
Most of the rebates out there focus on 2 main areas: Irrigation Upgrades and Turf Removal.
Irrigation upgrade rebates are offered to water customers to increase the efficiency of their irrigation systems. Rebates are often offered to install more efficient spray nozzles, rain sensors, and controllers.
The rebates for these items are usually calculated per item installed, for example, $5 per efficient rotary nozzle, and $50 for a rain sensor. For larger commercial properties there are often limit to the maximum rebate that can be obtained.
Turf removal rebates are geared toward removing areas of high water-use landscaping (usually lawns and turfgrass) and replacing those areas with low water-use landscaping. The replacement landscaping can consist of Xeriscape, native plants, and a variety of colorful shrubs, perennials, trees, and ornamental grasses.
The following video by Brad Lancaster illustrates how much water the landscape is capable of absorbing- Check it out! I first saw Brad do a presentation a couple of years ago in Denver, and he is a really funny and effective presenter with some great ideas.
How can this be applied to our own residential and commercial landscapes?
Brad advocates a change in the way rainwater and storm drainage is thought of. Often times buildings are designed to get water to drain off of the site as quickly as possible, and into an elaborate system of storm drains. This approach treats rainwater as a nuisance, where it is not being used on the site at all. With a landscape design and drainage design that captures and directs water so that it can be used for gardens, flowers, and trees, this water can be utilized on-site as a valuable resource.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
Ornamental grasses can also add beauty to the winter landscape.
water supplies and delivery systems, causing many water providers to provide great incentives to reduce water use. Homeowner’s, businesses, and HOA’s are also looking for ways to trim their budgets and increase their long-term sustainability.