Personally I don't see the point of whacking the tops off of any ornamental grasses. I have feather grass and several different Muhlys (gulf, lindheimer, seep etc.). I just let them stand as they are. If they get too much dead stuff once they start growing again in spring, it's pretty easy to just pull it out with a rake. I think some of them like Lindheimer Muhly really resent being cut back and personally I think they look really dumb after being cut down to little round nubs.

I guess this is a case of to each his own.

Teri

I prune all ornamental grasses in very early spring. Doesn't take long for new growth to appear and I think it looks neater with the previous year's growth removed.

I am still thinking about Mex feather grass as a cool season grass because mine gets deadish in winter and grows new leaves in spring. It is blooming now but it holds on to them and grows through the summer. I will have to keep my eye on it. I guess it does cycle earlier than the muhlies.

I highly recommend bamboo muhly. It has amazing texture, and you never have to cut it back. Ours is about 7-8 years old, and we only cut it back once.

Thanks for the help! I just got a book called GRASSES. It has grasses from all over the States but a lot from our area too. Gorgeous book and great pics. I highly recommend it if you enjoy grasses.