Plant ornamental grasses

The ‘cool climate’ ones will cope with our colder season weather

Autumn’s a good time to plant some grasses, namely the so-called cool season varieties, which hail from colder climates around the world. The reason to plant them now is because they tend to come into growth in late winter – much earlier than warm climate grasses in spring – so they need more time to establish themselves before this happens.

Plus they can cope much better at establishing in our autumn and winter conditions, where ‘warmer’ grasses may suffer if planted before spring.

If you’re popping them in a pot as a statement specimen, be sure to plant them up in a ‘permanent’ compost, such as a John Innes No 2 or 3, mixed with multi-purpose so it doesn’t get too heavy.

In the ground, make sure your grass is planted in really welldraining soil and in lots of sun. Consider where you put them in the border, too. Tall ones can get large and wide, and may obscure other plants. There’s no need to feed them, just a light watering in dry spells when they’re newly planted. Once they get to about three or so years old, divide them in early spring and replant so they can continue to grow healthily.