How to prune beautiful feather grass

Late winter (February–March) for the main cut; remove spent plumes in early summer. Cut the clump down to 3–5 inches with shears in late winter. Remove spent long-awned plumes individually by hand or with scissors once they dry out, to reduce prolific self-seeding.

Annually. Beautiful feather grass (Stipa pulcherrima) produces spectacular silky plumes up to 30 cm long in late spring. After the plumes fade and dry, trim them off to prevent excessive self-seeding. Cut the whole clump back hard in late winter to encourage vigorous new foliage before its brief but showy flowering season.

Cut the clump down to 3–5 inches with shears in late winter. Remove spent long-awned plumes individually by hand or with scissors once they dry out, to reduce prolific self-seeding.