Planting Guide
Ornamental Grasses
Selection
Ornamental Grasses are a wonderful addition to the garden.
Their fine, graceful form adds texture, motion and grace to
the landscape. They soften the landscape and give it a more
natural look. Ornamental Grasses can give year-round effect
in the garden: from the bright lushness of spring and summer
foliage, to the colors some varieties give in the fall, to the
distinctive architectural statement their brown outlines give
in winter. The way their foliage catches the light makes them
a natural eye-catcher, and lends serenity to the garden. There
are a multitude of different grasses to choose from. They range
in height from a foot tall or less to dramatic, upright forms
eight to even ten feet tall. Foliage ranges from soft green
to whites and yellows to blue and even purple. There are variegated
varieties that contribute interest and color to the landscape.
Planting
Dig
a hole twice as wide and only as deep as the root ball of the
grass. Be sure to adjust the hole so that the top of the root
ball is 1" to 2" above ground level. Next, remove
the container. Plastic pots can be removed by turning the plant
upside down or laying it on its side and gently tapping at the
pot until the grass slides out. Refill the hole with a blended
mixture of 1/3 Sunshine Peat Moss or Soil Pep and 2/3 of your
garden soil. Firm the backfill by tamping it gently. Build a
watering basin around the plant high enough to hold 3"
to 4" of water. Make the basin at least as wide as the
hole that was dug. Immediately water the plant deeply by filling
the basin with water once, letting it soak in, and filling it
up a second time. The use of Fertilome Root Stimulator at planting
time will greatly reduce transplant shock and encourage your
grasses to resume their normal growing habits more quickly.
Feeding
Fertilize Ornamental Grasses are generally not that demanding
in their fertilizer requirements. There are a number of fertilizers
that you can use, but we've found that Bookcliff Gardens Choice
Professional Turf Food does a great job. Fertilize them in late
April, and then again in mid June. Be sure to water it in well
after applying.
Pruning
Ornamental Grasses should be left to dry naturally in the late
fall. Their bare silhouettes lend interest to an otherwise drab
and bare winter landscape. They should be cut down to within
six inches of the ground early every spring. Don't wait too
late in the spring to do this, you want to be sure to cut them
before the new sprouts begin to emerge. If they have, and you
cut the ends of these new sprouts, you will have unsightly,
brown ends on your grass blades. One trick that makes clean
up easier is to tie the dry clumps of grass together with twine
before cutting them. Once they're cut, you have a neat bundle
that's easy to dispose of. It's generally not a good idea to
burn the dry clumps of grass down. In the City limits, it's
not allowed, but you can sometimes hurt the tender, emerging
new shoots as well.
Watering
It is impossible to give a watering schedule that will be right
for everyone all of the time. Factors such as the soil type,
how big the plant is, how fast the plant is growing, air temperature,
humidity, wind and light intensity all will affect how often
a particular plant will need watering.
The basic rule of thumb is to water deeply, but infrequently.
Get the water down a minimum of 18" at each watering. This
encourages the plant to develop a deep, drought tolerant root
system. Then give the soil a chance to dry slightly between
waterings. It is common for people to kill or unnecessarily
stress their plants by watering too frequently. The roots of
a plant require oxygen in order to function. If the soil is
constantly waterlogged, there is not enough oxygen available
to the root system and the roots suffocate and begin to die.
Knowing this, our recommendation is to water deeply by building
a basin around plants that are not watered by lawn sprinklers.
It should be wide enough to accommodate the root system of the
plant (generally out to the drip line of the plant) and high
enough to hold three or four inches of water when full. Fill
the basin full, let it soak in, and fill it a second time. Then
don't water the plant again until the soil in the basin begins
to dry. Don't just look at the soil surface; dig down 4"
to 6" to see how dry the soil is. The soil should be showing
some significant drying down at that depth. One little trick
is to scoop up a handful of soil from that depth and squeeze
it into a ball. If the ball holds its shape after you let go,
the soil is still wet. If the ball falls apart, its time to
water. Using this method several times, you will be able to
determine your own watering schedule.
For plants that will be watered with lawn sprinklers, water
as described above at planting time. Then remove the basin.
Most of the plant's day to day water needs will be met by the
lawn watering. However, a deep soaking every month or two is
recommended in addition to the lawn watering. In addition, during
the winter a monthly deep soaking of all newly planted shrubs
is a good idea. This should be done for the first two winters
after planting.
Our Guarantee
Thanks for buying a plant from Bookcliff Gardens. Our goal
is that you be successful with every plant you purchase from
us. We'll try to give you as much information and instruction
as it takes to make this happen. If you have any questions,
please ask! We'll do our best to answer them. However, since
this is not a perfect world, and in spite of the best of both
of our efforts, plants sometimes die. If this happens within
the first year after buying the plant from us, we will replace
it; give you an equal amount of credit; or refund your money
if you have your receipt. We limit our guarantee to replacing
a plant only once, and the guarantee does not apply to annual
bedding plants or house plants. If you're having a problem with
a plant, come in and talk to us about it; we'll try to find
out what happened so we won't lose another plant. It's in both
of our interests that the plants you buy from us grow and thrive.
We want you to be successful!
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Bookcliff Gardens
(970) 242-7766
755 26 Road (North 1st at I-70) • Grand Junction, Colorado 81506
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©2008, Bookcliff Gardens
