This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a qualifying purchase.

Sometimes, I feel a little embarrassed in the winter time when my neighbors have already cut down their ornamental grass, but then I remind myself of the benefits of waiting- both for me and nature!

Benefits of cutting down ornamental grass in the spring

Why should you wait until the spring to cut down your ornamental grass?

  1. Birds. All of the birds that stick around through the cold winter will appreciate the additional food source and shelter.
  2. Privacy. When all the leaves are gone and it is easier to see into the neighbors’ yards, your ornamental grass will provide a natural privacy fence all winter long.
  3. Beauty. It looks nice and provides some interest to an otherwise bland winter landscape.
  4. Time-Saver. There is so much yard work to do in the fall that it’s nice to take one thing off the list. You can concentrate on all the other yard work that needs to get done while the ornamental grass patiently waits for your attention until spring.
  5. Easier. The ornamental grass gets extra brittle by spring. You guys, this is reason alone to wait until spring. It is so much easier to cut down, saving you more time and effort.
  6. Free Straw. You can use it for straw over your grass seed in the spring.
  7. Less Work. You don’t have to bag it up for fall curb pickup. And you don’t have to store it over the winter if you plan to use it as straw over grass seed.

Here’s exhibit A:

Our yard has a lot of ornamental grass strategically grown to hide the utilities. I’d say that’s another good reason for us to leave it alone until spring- hiding the eye sore utilities for as long as possible!

I used our hedge trimmer and sliced through the grass much easier in the spring. I was done before I knew it! Usually my trimmer keeps getting jammed.

When I cut the grass down, I chopped it up a little more finely, and then carried it to our backyard to spread over the grass seed that I planted. (Post coming soon with the results of that!)

So, I hope you can now rest easy and feel good about leaving your ornamental grass cutting chores until spring. It’s the most beneficial thing to do.