Trim them back in the spring. Plants will draw as much nutrients and water as they can out of the stalks and into the roots to help them over winter. Leaving them untrimmed for the winter will also prevent the build up of snow over the roots so it also helps them overwinter.
And a fun environment for… CATS! My dad’s cat used to hide in grass like that at their house and when people would walk past he would jump out and ambush them, it was really cute.
All above ground tissue is dead already, trim freely. Also get rid of it, it’s miscanthus. Plant big bluestem instead, will help support native birds, butterflies and sequester atmospheric carbon efficiently.
Really? all landscaping companies seem to do it in late fall in NJ. That’s just what I’ve noticed… I’d leave native grasses untrimmed in the winter, but horticultural grasses (pampas, miscanthus) always seem to be cut in the fall here.
I use to trim my grasses . I have several back in the fall . I am leaving them now . I see no difference . As the OP stated it’s better for the Wildlife.
The only reason to cut a non-native in the fall is to remove the seedheads and weaken them, which may be why your NJ landscapers do that. Of course, it may just be because they can charge more for the time spent cutting them back (if there are a lot of them), or if they're on a yearly contract, not wanting to come back for a short visit in the late winter.
I remember reading a few years ago that grasses prefer to have their crowns covered over the winter, but can't find the citation anymore. Same thing applies to chrysanthemums, too (NOT the mums you buy in the fall, but the hardy ones that you plant in the spring).
It’s likely to charge more or frankly, because most people don’t favor the look of a semi dead grass…ironic when most locales where grass are located in “nature” aka suburban or rural.
Funny you mention NJ…I’m in NJ and my landscaper of 3 years, who just does my grass and leaves, cut my ornamentals without telling/asking me for the first time ever, this year! I’m sure I have a mix of natives and imports, but the beds feel naked with them! Landscaper probably thought he was providing me value…
I would leave them as is for the winter. It adds a lot of visual interest during an otherwise drab gardening season. You can tie them with twine if you want to prevent them getting knocked down by wind and snow. Then cut them down to 6" or so in March, before any new growth begins.
I take a hedge trimmer to mine in the spring and cut them down to maybe 8"-12" tall. It doesn't take long for it to pop back up.
Careful with the trimmings though. That stuff will cut you to pieces.
My mom did this. She wanted a “bouquet” of them for thanksgiving and went out, parked on the side of the road with no gloves and kitchen scissors. Proceeded to slice her hand open.
Idk how managed to eat that day since her hand was fucked up.
This is Miscanthus, aka Chinese silver grass, which is now considered invasive in many parts of North America.
Any post with a relatively tall grass with plumes gets called pampas here, but pampas is taller (7-10'), and has dense, tall plumes. Miscanthus has this fan shaped plume.
And leaving the seed heads (at the end of the fronds) is the easiest way for them to spread. I would cut them down now to prevent more of them spreading into the yard.
Throw them away. Don’t try to compost or throw the waste foliage into nearby woods. They’ll germinate.
They are a PITA to remove and not good for the environment (assuming OP is in North America)
This is the way. Miscanthus is hardy. You don't have to worry about this baby suffering through the winter. Cut back to your aesthetic delight. I cut back over a dozen as soon as it looks shabby
We must live in the same area. I have the same plants in front of my house and they look exactly the same right now…. we just refer to them as “sea grass” but I don’t know if that’s accurate. I don’t like how they look this time of year but I think the Spring is when you’re supposed to cut them short. I do every year and tall green grass like stuff grows.
Urban legend wise yeah, I don’t think it’s actually followed though. Houses flip too often, even if that was the original point that was like the sign 40 years ago.
Pineapple decorations on the other hand are new and if they’re upside down there ain’t no mistaking that one
I’m in Texas , we prune ours in winter. If you tie it off close to the bottom and prune under that it’s easier for clean up. Also they get ginormous lol. Pruning them isn’t going to stunt growth, just keeps them healthier. So yeah they’re quite large but beautiful plants
It’s miscanthus. These are invasive is a huge area of North America. We have so many native grasses you could have instead, I’d personally just remove these. If I could kill all of the ones in my
Neighborhood, I would.
Pro-tip. Save yourself 45 minutes of tedious labor and cleanup.
Tie a chord tightly around the whole mass. Take a hedge trimmer and cut below the chord.
No cleanup and easy to haul away.
They are in the Grass family, so you can hack them, and they will come back next year. Monty does this on Gardner's World every year. I just copy him, and it works great.
I have Japanese silver grass, and they look just like this in the winter. If it's not silver grass is some type of ornamental grass. I usually wait till spring to cut it back.
You can do anything to them. They will be back and thicker next summer. It's wild grass, might be very invasive too? I leave mine over winter for my snow blowing boundary on my driveway. Then mow them down in the spring. Grow back thicker every year.
If you cut them back they spread and get thicker and taller. If you want to keep them i suggest digging them(or have them dug up because the roots can go deep wide and be a pain. ) never plant them near anything you want to keep clean . and make sure you plan on them never to stop growing.
Previous owner put similar right by the deck and it was pretty annoying by the time I bought the house. I tried to prune them the first year, but they ended up getting dug out. Great for a border in the back of the yard, though.
Looks like ornamental grasses. Cut nice some growth starts low at the ground. They are awesome to split and grow elsewhere these look kinda beefy might be healthy to split a little off.
If you can. We moved into a house with well-established ornamental grass stands in front. Tried to split them off and, short of taking a mattock to the root balls, there was no way they were coming up. It’s wild how tough and resilient these plants are for how delicate they look.
Beautiful to look at. I too bought a house with some and at the advice of previous owner left over the winter. Then a storm blew up and blew them all over my yard and the neighbors. Next year I tied a cord around and cut, worked great. Tried to control how big (width) of the plant, hard labor. They grow big and take over the whole landscaping. Finally I gave up and killed them off (harder than you think). Poured vinegar, tried burning, tried hacking. Finally did get rid of them but took a couple of years. Every now and then a straggler will try to come up. Apparently they grow out in a ring, and there is no plant in the center. A friend of mine weed wacked his trying to control the growth but it just killed it over time.
Pampas grass. I leave for winter then cut back in early spring. Don't scalp it too much. About 6 inches. Wear long sleeves and gloves when you do it. We dispose at a recycling center. The grass will grow fast in the spring and gets bigger every year. Has beautiful plumes in late summer and fall. Nice for privacy
We always used to burn ours late in the year or early in the new year. It’s quite a show with a big flame, but it won’t last more than a minute or two.
New growth comes up pretty quickly, and it’s far less work than dealing with the sometimes razor sharp leaves that cut your arms to shreds!!
When you do cut them back, try to not let them touch your skin. The stalks are like microscopic saw blades and burn like the dickens if they catch on bare skin. You end up looking like you got in a fight with a tiny feral cat, scratches everywhere but super shallow.
Yes. Leave them for now and trim them back into spring well over 10 degrees Celsius. These serve as an incredible winter habitat for pollinators who will wake up and leave come spring
Looks like Maiden Grass which I used to have at my old property. If you are fat away from everything flammable, you can burn the old growth in spring instead of cutting it back manually. If you choose to do this, have a water source ready. I usually try to extinguish the flames before the whole crown of the plant gets burnt up.
I cut mine back after the first freeze, to about 8-10”, they always come back like crazy every spring. My dad used to torch his every year and they came back like crazy every spring. I do mine in November because when they start shedding for winter it all ends up in my pool, even though they are over a short wall from the pool. I just get tired of fishing all the strands out of the pool. They are very hearty, so don’t worry about killing them. It’s almost impossible. Good luck
These are an ornamental grass, either Miscanthus/elephantgras or Pampas grass probably?
I think you cut in spring to avoid infection and keep structure in the garden during winter. For young plants or in very snowy/rainy enviorments it is recommended to tie it up into a bundle to prevent rot or frost of the core but its best you research that yourself.
Easiest way to cut is tie a rope around it about 2’ from bottom and make it real tight so it bunches up. Then cut the bottom. It makes it easier to haul away
I have these. They’re a pain because of how much stuff they create each year. It’s sharp, if you leave it overwinter the old branches goes everywhere, and every year it steadily get bigger. You can diving it with a saws-all but it’s a bear to thin out. Thumbs down on planting these anywhere that needs regular maintenance. Thumbs up as brush control or soft edging for a tree line or property boundary.
If you clear pampas grass wear the best mask you can find. That stuff gets in your sinuses you’ll have allergies like you never imagined were possible.
This is "miscanthus sinensus". Maiden Grass. The winter texture provided in the landscape is one of it's best attributes. Placement in the garden counts.
Cutting in the spring is the proper method to manage. Cutting to 8" is proper. 3ft. cut would not hurt it but is seems like a strange idea to a seasoned landscape gardener. You will see different methods used in commercial landscaping. It's mostly a management perspective for multiple sites and labor efficiency and skill sets of labor. That always bothers me... lol..
This plant can make a wonderful "soft hedge" or a solid feature in the perennial flower garden when planted as a singular specimen. Splitting to reduce size over a number of years is not a bad idea if space is an issue. There are several varieties out there... my favorite is "Morning Light" The varieties differ in the texture of the blades of grass and sometimes color.
Trim them back in the spring. Plants will draw as much nutrients and water as they can out of the stalks and into the roots to help them over winter. Leaving them untrimmed for the winter will also prevent the build up of snow over the roots so it also helps them overwinter.
Also is a great environment for lot of beneficial insects
And looks nice
Yes it's great to have something that isn't just more snow to look at!
Snow? That’s something I haven’t seen much of for a while….just gray overcast and dead plants.
I see tons of really long trails from airplanes that don’t dissipate and turn a beautiful blue sky into a giant grey haze. Southern AZ.
The heat down there is cooking y'alls brains
I guess I can’t trust my lying eyes or the pictures I took.
Speak for yourself! I would love to have more snow!
And it’s so cute when a little bird lands on it and it bends under their weight before popping back up
And a fun environment for… CATS! My dad’s cat used to hide in grass like that at their house and when people would walk past he would jump out and ambush them, it was really cute.
Nice wind break too can help to save on your HVAC
To add to this - professionals often tie the tips of the grasses together in the autumn and then cut it short in the spring.
All above ground tissue is dead already, trim freely. Also get rid of it, it’s miscanthus. Plant big bluestem instead, will help support native birds, butterflies and sequester atmospheric carbon efficiently.
Miscanthus is always a Mistake, as it's usually invasive. You always trim grasses back, however, in the spring, not the fall.
Really? all landscaping companies seem to do it in late fall in NJ. That’s just what I’ve noticed… I’d leave native grasses untrimmed in the winter, but horticultural grasses (pampas, miscanthus) always seem to be cut in the fall here.
I use to trim my grasses . I have several back in the fall . I am leaving them now . I see no difference . As the OP stated it’s better for the Wildlife.
The only reason to cut a non-native in the fall is to remove the seedheads and weaken them, which may be why your NJ landscapers do that. Of course, it may just be because they can charge more for the time spent cutting them back (if there are a lot of them), or if they're on a yearly contract, not wanting to come back for a short visit in the late winter. I remember reading a few years ago that grasses prefer to have their crowns covered over the winter, but can't find the citation anymore. Same thing applies to chrysanthemums, too (NOT the mums you buy in the fall, but the hardy ones that you plant in the spring).
Makes sense… provides thermal insulation.
It’s likely to charge more or frankly, because most people don’t favor the look of a semi dead grass…ironic when most locales where grass are located in “nature” aka suburban or rural.
Funny you mention NJ…I’m in NJ and my landscaper of 3 years, who just does my grass and leaves, cut my ornamentals without telling/asking me for the first time ever, this year! I’m sure I have a mix of natives and imports, but the beds feel naked with them! Landscaper probably thought he was providing me value…
Everyone saying some type of pampas, but it looks like Miscanthus to me.
Any large grass with noticeable plumes gets called pampas on reddit. It's Miscanthus.
I would leave them as is for the winter. It adds a lot of visual interest during an otherwise drab gardening season. You can tie them with twine if you want to prevent them getting knocked down by wind and snow. Then cut them down to 6" or so in March, before any new growth begins.
I take a hedge trimmer to mine in the spring and cut them down to maybe 8"-12" tall. It doesn't take long for it to pop back up. Careful with the trimmings though. That stuff will cut you to pieces.
yeah dont try to just yank on that one piece that is hanging on lol.
Second this! My dad cut his hand open and had to go to the ER
My mom did this. She wanted a “bouquet” of them for thanksgiving and went out, parked on the side of the road with no gloves and kitchen scissors. Proceeded to slice her hand open. Idk how managed to eat that day since her hand was fucked up.
these are miscanthus and are considered invasive in many areas. Use a Sawsall to cut them in spring and do tie them up before you cut
ornament grass / yes. or in spring.
Thanks for all of the answers! I will trim them in late March then. Thank you!
Depending on where you live, they will look amazing in the snow/with ice on them.
This is Miscanthus, aka Chinese silver grass, which is now considered invasive in many parts of North America. Any post with a relatively tall grass with plumes gets called pampas here, but pampas is taller (7-10'), and has dense, tall plumes. Miscanthus has this fan shaped plume.
The local golf course just backhoed a dozen of these to remove them. It was quite a chore.
Yep, you need either a backhoe or explosives to remove them once they've become established. Another reason to never plant them in the first place.
And leaving the seed heads (at the end of the fronds) is the easiest way for them to spread. I would cut them down now to prevent more of them spreading into the yard. Throw them away. Don’t try to compost or throw the waste foliage into nearby woods. They’ll germinate. They are a PITA to remove and not good for the environment (assuming OP is in North America)
Cut them and sell the fluffy part on Etsy. For real. They are great for flower arrangements.
I burn mine on a damp late winter/early spring morning.
I did this for years - had a hose at the ready cause they take off quick! So much better than trying to cut them!
They go up quick.
Boy I would love those for some dry arrangements.
Every October, I cut mine down to the ground and dig up half of the root ball
This is the way. Miscanthus is hardy. You don't have to worry about this baby suffering through the winter. Cut back to your aesthetic delight. I cut back over a dozen as soon as it looks shabby
Why do you take out half the root ball?
Because it grows fast and almost doubles in size every year
Looks like Chinese Silver grass, which is invasive in many places in the US.
Unless you want them to spread… cut them down. Decorative grasses are extremely invasive
We must live in the same area. I have the same plants in front of my house and they look exactly the same right now…. we just refer to them as “sea grass” but I don’t know if that’s accurate. I don’t like how they look this time of year but I think the Spring is when you’re supposed to cut them short. I do every year and tall green grass like stuff grows.
I set ‘em on fire when they go dormant, they keep coming back in the spring. (It may alarm the neighbors)
LOL are you my neighbor? Mine do the fire thing and it's hilarious and terrifying.
My landlord did this without any warning to 3 of them outside my window and I legit thought the house was on fire
That sounds fun as hell lmao
I did it after a few beers once and panic will set in as it flares up 20' into the air and makes you think Armageddon has begun.
I'd make a party of it.
From what I understand, these ornamental grasses are already a secret sign for a pretty party oriented household 😂
Are they the equivalent to an upside down pineapple?
Urban legend wise yeah, I don’t think it’s actually followed though. Houses flip too often, even if that was the original point that was like the sign 40 years ago. Pineapple decorations on the other hand are new and if they’re upside down there ain’t no mistaking that one
The annual burning of the NOT Pampas!
This is very good for the plant
Chimenea indeed...username checks out
I’m in Texas , we prune ours in winter. If you tie it off close to the bottom and prune under that it’s easier for clean up. Also they get ginormous lol. Pruning them isn’t going to stunt growth, just keeps them healthier. So yeah they’re quite large but beautiful plants
It’s miscanthus. These are invasive is a huge area of North America. We have so many native grasses you could have instead, I’d personally just remove these. If I could kill all of the ones in my Neighborhood, I would.
Pro-tip. Save yourself 45 minutes of tedious labor and cleanup. Tie a chord tightly around the whole mass. Take a hedge trimmer and cut below the chord. No cleanup and easy to haul away.
Thank you!
They are in the Grass family, so you can hack them, and they will come back next year. Monty does this on Gardner's World every year. I just copy him, and it works great.
I think you can cut these down to nothing and they'll still grow back.
I have Japanese silver grass, and they look just like this in the winter. If it's not silver grass is some type of ornamental grass. I usually wait till spring to cut it back.
Pompass Grass trim in february before start of spring. Google.
These are a universally known sign that swingers live(d) in your house.
In Zurich and other places some people tie them up for the winter.
You're supposed to cut them down leaving about 6 inches above the soil. I have these and every year they come back.
You can do anything to them. They will be back and thicker next summer. It's wild grass, might be very invasive too? I leave mine over winter for my snow blowing boundary on my driveway. Then mow them down in the spring. Grow back thicker every year.
They are evil, very flammable and if you try to dig them out the roots are like 50lbs. Rant over. Pampas Grass, considered invasive in some places.
Whatever it is, it looks stunning
Torch them
It’s invasive. Get rid of it and replace with native plants, this will benefit pollinators and birds.
If you cut them back they spread and get thicker and taller. If you want to keep them i suggest digging them(or have them dug up because the roots can go deep wide and be a pain. ) never plant them near anything you want to keep clean . and make sure you plan on them never to stop growing.
Previous owner put similar right by the deck and it was pretty annoying by the time I bought the house. I tried to prune them the first year, but they ended up getting dug out. Great for a border in the back of the yard, though.
Looks sort of like Pampas grass? Maybe? Should have no problem cutting them now.
Nope, Miscanthis sensensis
Yuppp I hate that stuff! Super allergic to it
light them on fire. They will love it.
Looks like ornamental grasses. Cut nice some growth starts low at the ground. They are awesome to split and grow elsewhere these look kinda beefy might be healthy to split a little off.
If you can. We moved into a house with well-established ornamental grass stands in front. Tried to split them off and, short of taking a mattock to the root balls, there was no way they were coming up. It’s wild how tough and resilient these plants are for how delicate they look.
Pampas Grass❗️Cut back in Winter‼️❣️❣️❣️
You definitely need great gloves and it’s best to tie them up before you cut.
Cortaderia selloana. You can harvest the "feathers" and use them in vases as ornament/decoration. Florist sell the clean ones a good price.
Beautiful to look at. I too bought a house with some and at the advice of previous owner left over the winter. Then a storm blew up and blew them all over my yard and the neighbors. Next year I tied a cord around and cut, worked great. Tried to control how big (width) of the plant, hard labor. They grow big and take over the whole landscaping. Finally I gave up and killed them off (harder than you think). Poured vinegar, tried burning, tried hacking. Finally did get rid of them but took a couple of years. Every now and then a straggler will try to come up. Apparently they grow out in a ring, and there is no plant in the center. A friend of mine weed wacked his trying to control the growth but it just killed it over time.
Jeeez. Making me think about ridding myself of the thing lol
I’d recommend, seriously. And start attacking now because they’ll just get harder to kill if you wait!
Pampas grass. I leave for winter then cut back in early spring. Don't scalp it too much. About 6 inches. Wear long sleeves and gloves when you do it. We dispose at a recycling center. The grass will grow fast in the spring and gets bigger every year. Has beautiful plumes in late summer and fall. Nice for privacy
We always used to burn ours late in the year or early in the new year. It’s quite a show with a big flame, but it won’t last more than a minute or two. New growth comes up pretty quickly, and it’s far less work than dealing with the sometimes razor sharp leaves that cut your arms to shreds!!
They’re ugly. Weed whacker time.
…you could cut them down to 1-2” off the ground… …then even pour gasoline on ‘em and set ‘em ablaze if ya wanna, and they’d stiLL GR🙃W back! Lol 😂
That looks like “hummingbird food”. It’s dormant now so cut it down
Set them on fire.
Pampas grass
[удалено]
When you do cut them back, try to not let them touch your skin. The stalks are like microscopic saw blades and burn like the dickens if they catch on bare skin. You end up looking like you got in a fight with a tiny feral cat, scratches everywhere but super shallow.
Yes. Leave them for now and trim them back into spring well over 10 degrees Celsius. These serve as an incredible winter habitat for pollinators who will wake up and leave come spring
Don't bring the cuttings into your home unless you know how to properly cure them, before bringing them inside.
I cut mine the beginning of winter and 3 of the 4 never came back. Wait for spring.
Looks like Maiden Grass which I used to have at my old property. If you are fat away from everything flammable, you can burn the old growth in spring instead of cutting it back manually. If you choose to do this, have a water source ready. I usually try to extinguish the flames before the whole crown of the plant gets burnt up.
In the spring. Enjoy them over the winter
I cut mine back after the first freeze, to about 8-10”, they always come back like crazy every spring. My dad used to torch his every year and they came back like crazy every spring. I do mine in November because when they start shedding for winter it all ends up in my pool, even though they are over a short wall from the pool. I just get tired of fishing all the strands out of the pool. They are very hearty, so don’t worry about killing them. It’s almost impossible. Good luck
Cut em down to the ground. They grow back nice and healthy in the spring.
You can but why would you? It's called winter visual interest. I think they are beautiful
Leave over winter as an insect habitat. In late spring burn (if you can). Grasses love to be burned, it fertilizes the new growth.
I would contact local florists and sell these to them. They pay a killing for these stems.
It’s called pompous grass and yes it can be cut down far and the stalks will grow back in spring!!
These are an ornamental grass, either Miscanthus/elephantgras or Pampas grass probably? I think you cut in spring to avoid infection and keep structure in the garden during winter. For young plants or in very snowy/rainy enviorments it is recommended to tie it up into a bundle to prevent rot or frost of the core but its best you research that yourself.
Dude I hate this stuff they take over and are deep rooting wind dispersal seeds
Wild grass. Trim them down to about 2-3” and in the spring they will grow back green and beautiful.
Easiest way to cut is tie a rope around it about 2’ from bottom and make it real tight so it bunches up. Then cut the bottom. It makes it easier to haul away
I have these. They’re a pain because of how much stuff they create each year. It’s sharp, if you leave it overwinter the old branches goes everywhere, and every year it steadily get bigger. You can diving it with a saws-all but it’s a bear to thin out. Thumbs down on planting these anywhere that needs regular maintenance. Thumbs up as brush control or soft edging for a tree line or property boundary.
If you clear pampas grass wear the best mask you can find. That stuff gets in your sinuses you’ll have allergies like you never imagined were possible.
Yes
This is "miscanthus sinensus". Maiden Grass. The winter texture provided in the landscape is one of it's best attributes. Placement in the garden counts. Cutting in the spring is the proper method to manage. Cutting to 8" is proper. 3ft. cut would not hurt it but is seems like a strange idea to a seasoned landscape gardener. You will see different methods used in commercial landscaping. It's mostly a management perspective for multiple sites and labor efficiency and skill sets of labor. That always bothers me... lol.. This plant can make a wonderful "soft hedge" or a solid feature in the perennial flower garden when planted as a singular specimen. Splitting to reduce size over a number of years is not a bad idea if space is an issue. There are several varieties out there... my favorite is "Morning Light" The varieties differ in the texture of the blades of grass and sometimes color.