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Not sure what this is called but for now I'm just calling it tall grass. I have a couple of things around my house. To me these grass stalks look dead from winter. Am I good clearing them off? I already cleared off one section will it regrow in the next month or so as spring hits hard?

Taking a look down at the bottom I see some fresh green coming up, but not much.

Thanks for the advice!

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Yes, you are good to cut away the dead growth (and want to do it soon, before new growth makes it difficult.) The tops die back each year and new growth comes up from the roots each year.

"Ornamental grass" is a more common catch-all phrase for these.

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  • Cool... I wasn't exactly sure if the growth pictured was dead? But you are sure it is correct? Now I have an empty space where the Ornamental grass was which is slightly concerning lol
    – aherrick
    Commented Apr 21, 2015 at 14:37
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    It will fill in shortly. Having some seasonal change is a design aspect of using ornamental grasses rather than evergreen shrubs as landscaping.
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Apr 21, 2015 at 15:26
  • Looks like you've got a weed tree growing in there as well. It'll die quicker the sooner you start regularly cutting it down.
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 2:17
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Yes cut it down to make room for the pretty new growth. It's easier in the fall when it's still standing and you can take a weed whacker to it.

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    ...but then you lose all the winter "dried flower sticking out of the snow" aspect, which is part of the seasonal changes. Personally, I'd not use the weed whacker on it - short work for sharp shears.
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Apr 21, 2015 at 15:33
  • Well the stuff is tough, like reeds...I have three clumps of the stuff, and I used sheers exactly once on them.
    – Escoce
    Commented Apr 21, 2015 at 19:15
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    Sickle is the tool that cuts these easily
    – rockerBOO
    Commented Apr 23, 2015 at 12:18
  • Well if you are lucky enough to have a sickle. You don't just buy them, they are made for you and require a lot of care and they are designed for harvesting huge fields of hay with the least manual effort. I don't think anyone should want a sickle to take care of a single or few clumps of tough ornemental grass.
    – Escoce
    Commented Apr 24, 2015 at 11:43
  • I think you are confusing a sickle with a scythe. A sickle is a small hand tool. A scythe needs to be the correct size for the person using it - but they don't need "a lot of care" except regular sharpening, knewance.com/comparisons/sickle-v-scythe.html For many species of ornamental grass , the most "natural" way to clean them up is by burning, unless that would be a safety hazard. Warning - you might get a surprise at how fiercely and quickly they burn!
    – alephzero
    Commented Apr 25, 2015 at 21:55

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