Keep this trendy plant in a vase, not in your garden.
Sarah Crowley / BHG
Pink pampas grass looks magical and airy in a vase.
The feathery, larger-than-life plumes decorate homes, weddings, and photo shoots.
Credit:Sarah Crowley / BHG
Given this plant’s popularity, you might be tempted to include it in your landscape, too.
What is Pink Pampas Grass?
Pampas grass(Cortaderia selloana) is native to South America, specifically Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.
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It got its name from the Pampas Plains.
This tough grass thrives in heat andplenty of bright sunlight.
It grows quickly into abig, bold plant.
Once established, the grass can grow an inch a day.
The plumes themselves grow between one and three feet in length.
There are several varieties of pampas grass.
Some are big, some are small, and a few are pink.
Types like Rosea and Pink Feather showcasebright pink blooms.
Other pampas grass plumes look white, silver, cream, or bluish-green.
There’s even a purple one called Andean pampas grass that can grow up to 22 feet tall.
The plants can be female or male, each with distinctive plumes.
The female plumes are much bigger and more wispy-looking.
Male plumes are more slender because they lack the additional feathery hairs around the seeds.
The only way to determine if apampas grassplant is male or female is to wait for it to bloom.
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Is Pink Pampas Grass Invasive?
Some states likeCaliforniaand Texas have deemed that pink pampas grass is aninvasive species.
In these places, the plant proliferates and spreads fast.
It seeds itself freely intonatural ecosystemsand wild plant communities.
Once it takes root, pampas grass degrades grazing lands and native plant habitats and becomes a fire hazard.
Other states, such as Washington and Oregon, consider it a noxious weed.
Pampas grass is banned in Hawaii to help protect its native flora and fauna.
The leaves are razor-sharp and serrated like a knife.
Therefore, it’s considered a dangerous garden plant for people and animals.
Pampas grass also has a high pollen count, so if you have allergies, brace yourself.
How to Remove Pink Pampas Grass
It’s not easy to get rid of pink pampas grass.
It’s a perennial plant where it’shardy in Zones 7-11, so it will come back every year.
The root system of this grass can grow over a foot deep.
It may take a combination of chemical and physical actions to do the job completely.
Plus, the foliage on these alternative grasses isn’t as sharp as pink pampas grass.
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
