Okay, so I’ve been meaning to get to my purple fountain grass for, like, weeks. It was looking pretty sad and scraggly after the winter, all brown and floppy. Time for a haircut!
Gathering My Tools
First things first, I needed to grab my stuff. I made sure I had:
- Sharp pruning shears – Gotta have clean cuts, you know? Dull ones just make a mess.
- Gloves – Those leaves can be a bit sharp, and I didn’t want to get poked.
- A tarp or something– to catch all the trimmings. Makes cleanup way easier.
Getting Down to Business
I started by just looking at the plant. Figuring out where to cut. Basically, I wanted to get rid of all the dead, brown stuff and shape it up a bit. I started snipping away at the dead leaves, pulling them out from the base. Some were stubborn, but a good tug usually did the trick.
Cutting Back
Once I got most of the obviously dead stuff out, I started cutting back the rest. I went down pretty low, leaving only about 2-3 inches of the plant above the ground. It looked a little drastic, I admit, almost like I butchered it! But I knew it would come back strong.
Cleaning Up
After I was done cutting, I gathered up all the clippings onto my tarp. I shook off as much dirt as I could, and then bundled it all up to toss in my yard waste bin. Super simple.
The Waiting Game (and Watering!)
Now, it’s just a waiting game. I gave the little nubs a good watering. I always feel like that helps them recover from the shock of a major pruning. It looks kinda bare right now, but I know in a few weeks, it’ll be sprouting fresh, purple blades. I can’t wait to see it all fluffy and full again!
I’ll try to remember to take some “after” pictures when it grows back in. It’s always so satisfying to see the transformation. This is one of the best-looking plants I have when it’s happy and healthy.
