Pampas grass
Cortaderia selloana · Poaceae Popular
A huge fountain of narrow, saw-edged leaves topped in autumn with tall, feathery, silver-white or pink plumes. The leaf edges cut skin like a blade.
- Size
- 10 ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 7 to 10
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late August to late November
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
Invasive in parts of North America. Self-seeds on the wind over long distances. Listed as invasive in California and Hawaii, where it has taken over coastal slopes and roadsides. Check local guidance before planting. The planner never chooses it.
Where pampas grass goes in a border
At 10 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
Each plume can release a hundred thousand wind-blown seeds, and it has overrun coastal hillsides in California, so the planner will not choose it. For big plumes, use a tall switchgrass instead.
- A dramatic lawn specimen in mild climates
- Screening
- Dried plumes
What to plant with pampas grass
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Russian sage: in flower together for three weeks, from late August; low enough (4 ft) to stand in front of it.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': in flower together for seven weeks, from late August; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- Blue oat grass: flowers first, early June to early July, so the spot is never empty; low enough (2½ ft) to stand in front of it.
Questions about pampas grass
Does pampas grass need sun or shade?
Pampas grass grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does pampas grass grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 10. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does pampas grass flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late August to late November. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 7 | Late August to late November |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Late August to late November |
| Zone 9 | Mid August to late November |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should pampas grass be planted?
6 ft (180 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 ft (300 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many pampas grass plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6 ft (180 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
Is pampas grass poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension and the ASPCA.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
What can I plant instead of pampas grass?
Pampas grass is listed as invasive in parts of North America, so the planner never uses it. These do the most similar job, and are native:
- Deer grass: the same job in a bed; 6 ft shorter, 2½ ft narrower.
- Switchgrass 'Cloud Nine': the same job in a bed; 3 ft shorter, 3 ft narrower.
- Dwarf white pine: the same job in a bed; 5 ft shorter, 8 in wider.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat pampas grass?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will pampas grass spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is high. Self-seeds on the wind over long distances. Listed as invasive in California and Hawaii, where it has taken over coastal slopes and roadsides. Check local guidance before planting.
It is listed as invasive in parts of North America, and the planner never chooses it.
What does pampas grass look like in winter?
Pampas grass keeps its grey-green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Every fact on record
- Type
- Grass
- Size
- 10 ft (300 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 ft (180 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late August to late November; feathery plumes; cream, pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; grey-green
- Shape
- Arching, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Poaceae
- Comes from
- South America
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, salt, black walnut, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.