When it comes to ornamental grasses, not all varieties are created equal. Beyond just looking different or reaching different heights, these plants vary a lot in how they handle the winter chill. If you want your garden to bounce back in the spring, it’s important to know which species can take the frost and how to give them a little extra TLC.
Winter-Hardy Varieties
The following ornamental grasses are the tough guys of the garden. They can usually handle heavy frost and plenty of winter rain without breaking a sweat:
- Maiden Grass (Miscanthus)
- Diamond Small Reed Grass
- Tufted Hairgrass
- Fountain Grass
- Giant Feather Grass
- Switchgrass
- Lovegrass
- Pampas Grass
- Silver Spike Grass
- Northern Sea Oats
- Bearskin Fescue
- Feather Reed Grass
- Japanese Sedge
- Mace Sedge
Prepping for the Cold
To keep your grasses from getting damaged by the elements, a little prep work goes a long way. First off, you’ll want to stop fertilizing your grasses by September. It’s also super important to skip the pruning shears in the fall. Even though the blades and stems usually die back once the cold hits, they act as a natural umbrella for the roots. Ornamental grass roots can be pretty sensitive to excess moisture, and that dead foliage helps keep the crown from getting waterlogged and rotting.
Extra Protection Tips
For some added insurance, try spreading a layer of fallen leaves, brush, or mulch from your compost pile around the base of the plants. This is even more critical if you’re growing ornamental grasses in containers on your patio or balcony. Since the root balls in pots are more exposed to freezing temps, you should wrap your containers in burlap or garden fleece. In a pinch, old blankets or other insulating fabrics work great too!
Don’t Forget to Water!
Tucking your pots against a house wall provides great shelter, but it also means they won’t get much rain or snow. Believe it or not, you still need to water your grasses in the winter. Just be careful not to overdo it—you don’t want standing water freezing in the pot. Always dump out any excess water from the saucer right away. When it comes to winter watering, it’s all about consistency rather than quantity!
