Hi Philip,

I would use caution with peat moss, it may get too wet for the grasses to survive. Instead try hilling up compost that has turned or mounding oak leaves, with a layer of mulch on top. Many grasses are very tough and will probably come back better than you think. The snow will help a lot too. I would mound the blood grass even more and if it's in a protected spot it will be fine. Good luck!

Jen

Philip,

Has the Imperata been through a winter for you yet? Im surprised it can handle zone 4. Snowfall is great winter protection though.

Being in Z4b-5 I have not had good success w/ Imparata grass. Lost 7 of 10 the first winter and the remaining 3 the following year. Minimal protection applied each year.

If you feel the need to winter protect, I recommend mulch around the crown but not over the top or fronds of the grasses.

I've done very little winterizing of our grasses and yes we have lost some that were hardy for our zone but again we've had others listed for higher zones make it through.

There are many variables that dictate if any plant, grasses or perennials will make it through the winter, read everything you can find and try what you feel most confident in.

Just because it worked for one may not even be close to working for you or another in like zones or climates.

Part of the fun w/ grasses is the success and failures that one endures from year to year.

Jake

Here's a potential way to protect your grass.

Definately don't pile any kind of mulch, peat moss or anything else over the crown.

Trim the grass down, as if you were doing a normal trim in late-winter/early spring.

Make a cloche, out of an appropriately sized recyclable container. A plastic 1-gallon milk/water jug, with it's bottom cut off, will cover an 8" crown.

Put that over the trimmed down crown of your grass, and pile mulch, and eventually snow, over it.

If the snow cover will exceed the height of the jug/cloche, poke some small holes in the lid of the jug. If it won't, leave the lid off.

FWIW this summer I planted a long 50' border strip of Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon Japonicus) for a subtropical flair. It is not a common ground cover where we live (WA). Everything I've read reports it cannot survive below 10 degrees F.

Sure enough Murphy's Law kicked in, and two weeks ago we had a night where the temperature dropped to 9 degress F - very, very rare for this area. Also very rare was the fact we got 14 inches of snow the day before, which may have saved it. It looks okay (for Winter) and I think will survive longterm.