It is March, winter’s end, and time to cut back the grasses and perennials in the Perennial Meadow gardens here in Amsterdam.
It is still possible that some grasses are beautiful even after a long wet winter, but it is now time to cut them back and tidy up the garden.
Some grasses like Hakonechloa and Molinia can be simply tidied by tugging at the dead foliage with a gloved hand. The foliage of these grasses is brittle and breaks away from their crowns easily. Other grasses like Sporobolus and Pennisetum are not so accommodating and you need to take your secateurs to them.
By the end of winter the grasses are bleached but earlier their autumnal tints can be spectacular and dramatic.
Together with Piet Oudolf, Michael is the author of Gardening with Grasses that transformed the look of modern gardens. As a member of the perennial perspective movement and the Dutch Wave, Michael has guided gardeners and designers wishing to embrace naturalistic gardening for what is now more than three decades.
His latest book about ornamental grasses goes a step further by offering detailed planting plans, not so much as templates to copy, but more to inspire and inform readers in the various approaches to using grasses in their planting plans and gardens.
Learn more here.
