Q. I have 3 large pampas grass that I would like to trim as far down as I can. The middle of all of them is old, dead remnants of previous years. How far down should I cut it and is now a good time to do that? Thanks, Sydna Lefebvre – Tacoma, WA
A. Because of our mild winters we can cut back pampas grass in the fall or in the spring. The tops of grass are usually left in place over winter for their interest in the landscape and as protection against cold weather. If you like the look of the plant and don’t need to remove it now then wait until spring. If you do want to cut it down now I would cut it down to about two feet and then again in the spring as close as you can get to the ground without cutting into the new growth. This will protect the plants crown in the event our winter isn’t as mild as usual. Just like lawn grasses the active growing points of ornamental grasses like pampas grass are at the soil line. Wear long sleeves, pants and gloves (some people wear goggles too) since the leave edges can scratch and cut exposed skin (and corneas).