You have seen pampas grass whether or not you know what it is. They are those enormous clumps of wide-bladed grasses that produce tall plumes in the fall. It should be called jungle grass because you can imagine walking through it in a jungle and becoming lost because the grass is significantly above your head, and it is true that the grass comes from South America. In the residential garden, pampas grass makes its home as borders or focal points, and it survives well in the Piedmont Region of the Southeast so long as you choose the right cultivar.
Pampas grass comes in many varieties with different colored plumes. Some can be a light pink color, and some are more of a silver-white. They also come in a variety of sizes. There are some dwarf versions, which is understandable. One pampas clump of grass can grow to 10 feet tall and be as wide as 6 feet. If you are in the Piedmont region of Georgia, pay attention to how cold it gets where you live. There are cultivars that are heartier than others, but most cultivars should be able to survive all of Georgia’s climate.
Once it is established, pampas will come back every year and requires very little maintenance. You just have to cut it down to the ground in the winter prior to the next growing season. If you don’t, you’ll have an unattractive mix of last year’s vegetation and the next year’s growth. Otherwise, it should survive with regular to minimum watering. It is typically disease and bug resistant, but if you want, some fertilizer can maximize growth.
Not in Georgia, but some states have classified it as a noxious weed. The female plants are the most highly sought after because they produce silky hairs over their flowers. You cannot tell the sex of a plant until it is grown, so most pampas grasses are propagated by division, or separating the clump of grass in to multiple clumps.
Pampas grass takes up a significant amount of room, but if you have it, this ornamental grass is beautiful in the right environment. It is also good to plant on bank sides that are at risk for erosion. It is not good to plant it near buildings, as it is a fire hazard when it dries and is at its most beautiful. Those dried plumes look excellent in flower arrangements and can even stand alone as their own arrangement. Is pampas grass right for you? The answer depends on a lot of variables, but you are lucky if it is for you.
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