Also known as Cortaderia selloana, pampas grass comes from the Poaceae family and is a reedlike, tall grass that’s native to South America. It’s named specifically after the Pampas plains region in South America, where this grass is endemic.
While considered an invasive species in some areas, such as the southwestern United States, South Africa, and New Zealand, it’s widely cultivated as an ornamental in warm parts of the world.
This plant can reach 4 metres or 13 feet in height and is considered a perennial plant, meaning its average lifespan is more than two years. Its sharp-edged and long leaves form a tufted bunch with their folds at the midrib. Female pampas plants have plumelike silvery flower clusters that are approximately 30 to 90 cm or 1 to 3 feet long.
Pampas grass has an outrageous growth potential, therefore, its location should be carefully selected. Here are the plant attributes that’ll help you gauge its requirements:
As is evident from the attributes above, it’s best to grow pampas grass in well-drained soil and a sunny area. Due to its tough and resilient nature, the plant is fairly easy to grow with little effort required for fertilisation or watering. You’ll also require adequate space for the plant to grow and self-seed. You will also need to wear long sleeves, gloves, and protective eye gear as a safety precaution against its sharp leaves.
Incorporating pampas grass into your home, office, or retail space adds a put-together and classy yet boho-chic and carefree touch to your space. However, you’ll still need to do due diligence to select the appropriate pampas grass type.
While the petite but fluffy stems are perfect for small bouquets, the extra-tall and extra-fluffy grass goes well with grand displays. Here are some pampas grass types and alternatives you can consider for your specific creative vision:
While technically not a pampas grass plant, the Saccharum Ravenna ‘Erianthus’ is often called hardy pampas and can grow over 3.5m tall. You may also find it under Ravenna grass or elephant grass. Its flowers are a mix of silver and white and while its leaves originally reveal a white stripe, they turn bronze in winter.
Reaching the height of 7m in its prime, the Cortaderia jubata ‘Andean Pampas Grass’ has thin, razor-edged, and long leaves that cluster into a large grass tussock. While the flowers turn cream in colour as they age, in their bloom, they start with beautiful hues of pink and purple.
Unlike most, the Silver Comet isn’t known for its flowers but for its striking leaves. The plumes look dull compared to its leaves with white patterns on the edges.
This plant creates a grey-green foliage with silver-white flowers that sit at the top of the 2.5m stems.
Cortaderia selloana ‘Sun Stripe’ is typically perfect for borders with its silver-white flowers and gold-striped leaves. Most commonly, this species is ideal for a fence in your garden or a windbreak.
A shorter variant of the pampas grass, this species is great for container growing and is known to be hardy. Its stalks are covered in white fluffy flowers and its leaves are streaked in a beautiful gold shade.
Image Name: You can also grow Splendid Star in small pots for garden decor.
Image Description: Cortaderia selloana plants.
Image Alt Text: Cortaderia selloana plants.
This species grows tall stems, which house relatively big flowers and densely packed green leaves.
As the name suggests, this variety produces rosy pink blooms that grow out of tightly clustered leaves, and the plant can reach about 180c in height.
Unlike most varieties, this one is less prone to clumping. The Sunningdale Silver has pinkish silvery flowers and it can grow over 3m.
Typically remaining under 175cm in height, the Pumila is more compact than its relatives. This species is available in pale yellow, pink, and ivory shades, making it a popular choice amongst DIY-ers and decor enthusiasts.
This species has white feathery flowers containing a silver sheen and silvery-white striped leaves. It is very similar to a gold band.
This pampas grass variant is a compact yet evergreen plant popularly known as a slow-growing species. However, it’s pertinent to note that it can grow up to 180cm tall. The flowers can range from white to golden tan and its leaves are slender with golden stripes.
If you’ve previously ordered pampas grass and noticed that it looks quite unimpressive and flat upon arrival, there are a few ways you can easily fix this. The quickest and most effortless technique to make it fluffy and voluminous is to put it inside a sturdy vase, making sure it’s standing upright, and putting it outside in the gentle breeze.
The breeze will help the plumes to return to their natural state and open them up. If you don’t have enough time on your hands, you can also use your hair dryer to speed up the process. Just make sure your dryer is set at the lowest setting possible.
You can run wild with your imagination when it comes to creating artistic DIYs incorporating pampas grass. You can use pampas grass to create:
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