Pruning Mexican Feather Grass

Mexican feather grass requires minimal pruning, but an annual tidy-up in March keeps it looking fresh and prevents the centre from becoming conggy or tatty. Unlike many deciduous grasses, this species is evergreen, so it retains its fine, hair-like foliage through winter. However, by late winter the older leaves often look bleached, damaged by frost, or simply tired, and the plant benefits from a light trim before new growth begins in spring. In March, use a pair of sharp garden shears or secateurs to comb through the clump and remove dead, brown, or damaged foliage. You can either trim the whole plant back by about one-third to one-half, or simply rake your fingers through the tussock to pull out dead material—this is gentler and preserves more of the evergreen structure. Avoid cutting right down to the ground as you would with deciduous grasses; the crown needs some foliage to photosynthesize and recover quickly. Wear gloves when handling Mexican feather grass, as the fine leaves can be surprisingly sharp and may irritate skin. Work on a dry day so you can see clearly which stems are dead. If the plant has self-seeded prolifically (it can be invasive in mild climates), cut off the spent flower heads in late summer before seed disperses, though this reduces the ornamental effect of the feathery seedheads. No other pruning is needed. The grass flowers from summer into autumn, producing soft, beige plumes that age to blonde and catch the light beautifully—leave these intact unless you want to control spread.