TomRainKing
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Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:58 am
Location: Southern New Jersey

Ornamental Grass Winter Question

I live in Southern New Jersey and have had great success with planting ornamental grasses. They do very well in the full sun and survive my ignorant neighbor's cat's pee. My question lies in a particular grass that I planted, and loved, this year...its a "fireworks" grass that is hardy to about 35degrees. We'll certainly see temps lower than that. How should I go about preparing for the winter to try and save these for next year. I def want to leave them in the ground, should I cover them with anything? Cut them back early or late? Any info would help.

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

Good luck with that! Since you hadn't gotten an answer, I looked up fireworks grass, which is a variety of fountain grass. But this variety is only rated hardy to zone 9. I'm guessing you are in zone 6, which is a huge difference. So I don't know if there is anything you can do to keep it alive in the ground.

If you want to try, I would cut all the grass down as soon as it goes dormant and then pile it over the root. If the plant isn't very big yet, so that's not a big pile, add other mulch to make a thick layer. If we have a mild winter like last year, you may just get lucky.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I've no idea what fireworks looks like, but hardy to 35° is definitely not going to make it outside over the winter in NJ where winter low can at times drop down to negative single digits.

However, I save lemongrass from season to season and they have similar -- hardy to zone 9 or 10 -- requirements, and this is what I do:
I cut them down to 12-18" and dig up and divide into manageable clumps -- sometimes only a single stalk. I will pretty ruthlessly chop off roots to fit in as small containers as possible. Then I pot them up, bring inside, and grow them in south-facing window all winter. They usually wake up and start growing too long so I "mow"/harvest several times over the winter.

Lemongrass can grow to 4-5ft, but if fireworks is a larger grass, or if you want to save the entire clump intact, or larger section than you can grow inside, I think what might work is to dig them up, trim the tops to just above the solid stems, stuff them in large garbage bags or something similar with the top folded open, and keep in basement or other freeze-proof but cool area. You may want to wrap the roots in moistened newspaper or cardboard if there aren't enough soil in the rootball. Filling with moistened wood shavings would work too. Check occasionally and keep barely moist, but don't let the roots get completely dried out. Don't bother with light. Dark is OK as long as it stays dormant.

I suspect your grass would have gone dormant by now after this morning's 35-38° low (surprise, surprise!), and if it hasn't, tonight-tomorrow morning's predicted 32-35° will definitely affect it. If you can, dig it up today. f you can't and have to wait until tomorrow/weekend, trim down the top, pile a mound of leaves on it and cover with sheets frost blanket, etc. for tonight to protect the roots.

(I'll be scrambling to get the last minute stuff inside today. But you may have been lucky and didn't get the super-chill this morning like I did, nor get the freezing temp predicted for tonight. If that's the case, no need to panic since after that, we're going to see a few more days/nights of warmer temps. :roll:)

I honestly haven't tried the dormant storage method so I can't tell you that this will work for sure, but I think the theory is sound. You may want to pot up a few small clumps/stalks and grow inside as backup. Wait until after frost and plant them out in spring.

Christophe
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Location: Cornwall

I grow fireworks.....pennisetum grass. It is tender so needs to be kept indoors in winter to about 4c. To my mind rubrum is better for flowering but both are fantastic foliage contrasts inthe garden

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Location: Cambridge UK

my favourite grass is hakonechloa Macra Aureola (won the perennial plant of the year in 2009), and I include them in all gardens that I landscape... hardy in zones 5-9:

https://www.sugarcreekgardens.com/Grasse ... Hakone.pdf



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