Home Gardening Advice from the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa Clunty
Client's Request: I've got quite a few ornamental grasses and several Japanese Maples. I know I'm supposed to prune them sometime this winter, but I'm getting confusing recommendations on when and how to do it. Would you please provide some guidance and/or references I could use to properly prune them this winter.
HGCC's Help Desk Response: Thank you for contacting UC Master Gardeners with you question and request.
You asked about pruning your grasses and Japanese maples. Our UC information indicates that February is a good time to prune both of these plants.
epending upon whether your grasses are evergreen or winter dormant, you may want to wait until they have brown foliage before pruning. For evergreen grasses, you can rake out the dead stuff and thatch build-up. If these get too big, you can cut them back every couple of years.
Here are two UC Master Gardener websites with good information about ornamental grasses and pruning:
http://sacmg.ucanr.edu/files/117290.pdf
http://sonomamg.ucanr.edu/2010_Feature_Articles/Pruning_Ornamental_Grasses/
I hope this is helpful, and good luck with your gardening! Please do not hesitate to contact us again.
Help Desk of the UC Master Garden Program of Contra Costa County (SMW)
Note: The UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/ MGCC Blogs can be found at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/HortCoCo/ You can also subscribe to the Blog (//ucanr.edu/blogs/CCMGBlog/).