I’ve always had a difficult time over wintering ornamental grasses in containers so last fall I decided to try something different. We pulled the grasses out of the pots and heeled them in an above ground, but not really raised bed. Then we mulched around them with potting soil to make the roots were not exposed to air.
At the time I did This Post and Video about what we were doing.
Recently One of Our Members asked me how that worked out and I promised to do a video of what those grasses look like now. The short answer is that it worked really well. See the videos. It’s one of our “Mondays with Mike” series.
As you can see the grasses that we over wintered above ground, but in a bed, did amazingly well. I can assure you, had I left them in containers the results would have been really poor. Mostly because I don’t cover my plants for the winter. I should, I always recommend that others do, but I don’t have the room to set up large hoops or the energy to do small hoops.
Small hoops? Yea, like this; http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2013/11/over-wintering-protecting-plants-for-the-winter/
Questions, comments, mean things to say? Post them below and I will respond appropriately.
I am in zone 5-6 in NE California. I’ve got 10+ varieties of JM, mostly small in the landscape 1-3 years. This spring, many tips of leader and branches are brown and leafless. There was a late freeze that was brutal to many, but this issue was evident even before that. Do I prune? How/when? Thanks so much for your info & help!
Anita,
Just remove the dead would, they’ll be fine.
Hi Mike,
I would like to join your membership club. I’ve been watching for it to open. Please let me know when it is open so my husband and I can join. We have a small farm in Aiken South Carolina and we love watching your videos. We’ve learned so much from you.
Frances,
If you are on our mailing list you will be notified. Pretty sure it will be open around the 20th of May this year, 2019.
I live in south east Michigan and have several warm season grasses (pampus). I cut them down in November and need to thin them out. Can I transplant them that late in the year? If not I will wait until Spring to thin and transplant.
Vonda,
In November you should be able to transplant them easily.
I have quite a number of rooted cuttings in sand in large pots. I don’t have time to pot them before winter. Will they overwinter if I bury the pots in my garden and keep them moist or can I overwinter them gathered together as bare roots repotted in potting soil and buried in my garden? Thanks for all you help.
Richard,
Out of the pots and heeled in the garden is probably best for the winter.
Hi Mike
I show your video it’s great can you give me your wholesale Japanese maples information for my backyard nursery
Thanks Dil from Virginia Usa
Dil,
You have to get that information in the members area, I can’t post it here. http://backyardgrowers.com/join
What is the best way to take care of my Candytuft?
Anita,
Best thing to do with grasses is leave them alone, just let them grow, then cut down in the fall.