yellow leaves on Ornamental Grass
Quick answer
If your Ornamental Grass has yellow leaves, the most likely cause is: Warm-season ornamental grasses like fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) naturally turn yellow and brown as temperatures drop in fall, then bleach out to cream as the season progresses. Warm-season grasses go dormant with the onset of cool temperatures and often display brilliant fall colors of orange, red, and purple before settling into winter dormancy.
Start here:
- 1. Leave the dried foliage and seed heads standing through winter for wildlife cover and visual interest, then cut the plant back close to the ground once a year in early spring before new growth resumes.
- 2. Cultivate lightly around clumps in spring to uproot any unwanted self-sown seedlings so the refreshed foliage is not crowded by volunteers.
Why Ornamental Grass gets yellow leaves
Ornamental Grass
Warm-season ornamental grasses like fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) naturally turn yellow and brown as temperatures drop in fall, then bleach out to cream as the season progresses. Warm-season grasses go dormant with the onset of cool temperatures and often display brilliant fall colors of orange, red, and purple before settling into winter dormancy.
How to reverse yellow leaves on Ornamental Grass
- 1
Leave the dried foliage and seed heads standing through winter for wildlife cover and visual interest, then cut the plant back close to the ground once a year in early spring before new growth resumes.
- 2
Cultivate lightly around clumps in spring to uproot any unwanted self-sown seedlings so the refreshed foliage is not crowded by volunteers.
Keep yellow leaves off this Ornamental Grass
Choose a cool-season grass such as most sedges (Carex spp.) or hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) if you want year-round green foliage; otherwise accept the natural dormancy cycle of warm-season ornamental grasses.