How to Grow Ornamental Grass
Ornamental Grass At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Ornamental Grass
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -29°C
Plant Family
Poaceae
Growing Season
Cool & Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
In spring, just as new growth starts, dig up a clump from your garden or a friend's and cut it into pieces with a spade, each with plenty of roots and shoots. Replant the healthy outer pieces and throw away the tired, dead centre. Water well, and they fill out by summer, exactly like the parent.
Choose clumping grasses, which stay where you plant them, rather than running types, which spread underground and can take over a bed. Most clumps die out in the middle after a few years, and dividing them every 3 to 4 years keeps them full and healthy.
When To Start
First chance to plant
30 Days Before Last Frost
Last chance to plant
30 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Ornamental Grass?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Ornamental Grass Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Ornamental Grass Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Plant or divide your ornamental grasses now
Around your last frost· every year
Cut grasses back to 10 cm before new shoots appear
3 weeks before your last frost· every year· optional
Did you water your ornamental grass seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Time to thin the ornamental grass seedlings: snip the extras at soil level so each one has room to grow.
About 31 days after you plant it
Your ornamental grass is up! Keep the soil lightly damp while the young blades get going.
About 31 days after you plant it
Nice progress! Keep weeds away so your grass can fill in.
About 41 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your ornamental grass.
About 30 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Ornamental Grass's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
1 cm
Seeding Depth
10 cm
Plant Spacing
20 cm
Row Spacing
9
Plants / Sq Ft
Vertical Growing
Yes: Hanging.
Method: Hanging.
Succession Planting
Yes.
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 7–21 days
Growing Tips
- 1Plant ornamental grasses in full sun, at least 6 hours a day, for the strongest growth and the best plumes.
- 2They like well-drained soil, and a little compost at planting time is all most of them need.
- 3Water often in the first summer, then only in long dry spells once they are settled.
- 4Skip extra feeding, since rich soil makes the clumps floppy.
- 5Leave the dry leaves and plumes standing over winter for their looks and to shelter the crown, then cut them back in early spring.
- 6Few pests bother grasses, and the main problem is soggy soil, which rots the roots, so avoid low, wet spots.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~30
Days to Maturity
120 cm
Mature Height
90 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
60 days
When to Pick
Cut seed heads or plumes when mature
How to Harvest
- 1Cut plumes for dried arrangements in late summer, when they have fully opened but before they start to shed.
- 2Hang them upside down in a dry, airy spot for 1 to 2 weeks.
- 3In early spring, before new shoots appear, cut grasses that turn brown in winter down to about 10 cm above the ground.
- 4For evergreen types, just comb out the dead leaves with your fingers or a rake instead of cutting.
- 5Dig up and divide clumps that have gone bare in the middle.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Many grasses make seed you can save, but named varieties will not grow true, and some never make good seed at all. Wait until the plumes or seed heads are dry and brown, then cut them into a paper bag before the wind scatters them. Rub them between your fingers to free the seeds and let them dry a few more days. Store them labelled somewhere cool, dark and dry, and sow them within a couple of years. Some grasses also seed themselves around freely, so cut the plumes off before they ripen if you see too many seedlings.
Seed Production
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