ORNAMENTAL PLANTS - Pruning for Flowers and Fruit - page 61

Table 4.5 Evergreen and *deciduous grasses.
Arundo spp.
Arundinaria spp.
*Calamagrostis spp.
Carex spp.
Cortaderia spp.
Cymbopogon spp.
Desschampsia spp.
Danthonia spp.
Erianthusravennae
*Miscanthus spp.
Poa spp.
*This can be dependent on climate.

Figure 4.17 The intercalary meristem is located where
the stem joins the leaf blade. This is the point where the
blade grows from even when the tip of the blade is cut.
Never cut below this point.

Evergreen ornamental grasses
Evergreen grasses replace their leaf canopy
throughout the season leading to a build up
of old leaf blades and flowering stems (see
Table 4.5). Once the plant has established,
usually in its second year, it can start to look
rather drab with the old leaf growth crowding
and blocking the new. Pruning to rejuvenate
the canopy is simple. Grab the hedge shears or
the secateurs and remove all the leaf growth
above the intercalary meristem. This point of
growth is relatively easy to locate by looking at
the base of your plant (see Figure 4.17).

the fallen seed is smoked, promoting
germination and ultimately a denser sward
(see Figure 4.21).

If the grass is getting very congested, it may
be time to lift and divide the clump. Some

If the growth is pruned off below the
meristem it will die; regrowth is unlikely. For
those who want to maintain the soft graceful
outline of grasses rather than the hedgehog
look, comb through the leaves with you hands
(see Figure 4.19).

This is time-consuming but the results are so
superior to the shearing technique; as to
make it worth your time, unless you have vast
swards to attend to! Many Australian native
grasses can benefit from cool burning. This
effectively removes the dead leaf blades and

Figure 4.18 Grasses can regenerate from tillers, shoots
that develop from the base of the plant. This is why
grasses are 'tufty'. They may not be strong enough to
regenerate the plant if the intercalary meristem is cut.