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A Guide for Flower Growers

Sep 3

How to Grow Pampas Grass: A Guide for Flower Growers

Team Flower

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If you’re a cut flower grower or flower farmer, you’ve probably already noticed the growing popularity of using pampas grass in floral design and home decor. Are you wondering how to grow pampas grass, harvest it, and make money off it? If so, you’ve found the right resource!

(And if you’re a home gardener or flower fan who’s found your way here—welcome! You’re in good company. There’s great stuff in this article for home gardeners, too!)

Pampas grass wedding floral design and event decor has found its way all over Pinterest—and rightly so! (1)

You’ll find the following in this article:

Should You Grow Pampas Grass (If You Can)?

Pampas grass has found its way all over Pinterest in wedding floral design and event decor, but it’s also popping up in everyday bouquets and home decor.  

If you’re a cut flower grower (or even a micro flower farmer!), you might be wondering if you can get in on the pampas grass trend and earn additional revenue off this popular ornamental grass.

How can you provide this easy-to-grow popular cut plume to your market—and as soon as possible? 

This grass can be challenging for floral designers to easily source due to its popularity. If you have the growing space (and even the drying and storage space) for this sought-after ornamental grass, you could earn additional revenue for your floral business. 

“This grass can be challenging for floral designers to source due to its popularity.”

And if you’re a home gardener who has a ton of it, you may be able to earn a little extra gardening money in the late summer and fall by getting in contact with floral designers in your area ahead of the pampas-grass blooming season. 

But growing pampas grass isn’t for everyone—and only you know what’s best for your farm, garden, and your local market. Let’s dive into a quick list of some of the pros and cons!

Curious about growing flowers for market? Love to grow flowers but want to earn money doing so? Check out our online flower growing classes to learn how to make money growing and selling flowers.

Pros to Growing and Selling Pampas Grass

There are benefits to growing pampas grass to sell at market—let’s look into some of the pros below!

Cons to Growing and Selling Pampas Grass

Growing pampas grass isn’t for every farmer or gardener. Below are some cons that you’ll need to think through before diving in.

Again, only you know what’s right for your farm or garden! 

Growing pampas grass in bulk may be best for those who have significant growing space. That way, the plant is cultivated away from other flower farming endeavors, having plenty of wiggle room to grow and reducing seed distribution in other growing spaces.

But if you know that growing this beloved ornamental is right for you, let’s move into some growing tips!

Pampas grass and dried florals stand out against a bright green backdrop. (2)

How to Grow Pampas Grass

Pampas grass is easy to grow, but you’ll need to be strategic about where you plant it. While some varieties do well in containers (especially the dwarf varieties), you’ll need to plan out your growing space ahead of time if you’re growing the full-size plant in bulk for cut flower use. 

Quick facts about growing pampas:

“Remember: Pampas grass is easy to grow, but be strategic about where you plant it. It needs lots of room!”

Growing pampas grass from seed

Growing pampas grass from seed is simple, straightforward, and cost-effective, but it does take some patience. 

Remember, if you start pampas grass from seed, you won’t have the fluffy plumes for 2 to 3 years.

  1. Sow your pampas grass seeds in your growing medium in flats or trays.

  2. Leave the seeds on the surface of your growing medium—don’t press them down into the soil or bury them.

  3. Keep your tray of seeds moist—but not wet—and in a warm area (no less than 65 degrees F).  

  4. Pampas grass seeds need consistent light to germinate, so ensure your seeds are getting at least 6-8 hours of light a day. 

  5. Once the seeds sprout, you may need to transplant them individually into small containers until they mature further.

  6. Once any risk of frost is over and the seedlings themselves are slightly grassy or bushy with some solid root development, you can move them into your garden or growing space, keeping the 6–14 feet spacing between plants in mind. 

If you prefer to get growing right away, you can purchase more mature pampas grass plants for sale in one-gallon and three-gallon containers from many plant retailers and garden centers. These can be more expensive to start with; however, they may shorten your wait time for those beautiful pampas plumes. 

Caring for pampas grass

“Each year, pampas should be pruned and cut back close to the ground to encourage new, healthy growth. ”

Pampas grass care is simple: Each year, it should be pruned and cut back close to the ground to encourage new, healthy growth. Leave several inches of length behind, so your pampas grass plant looks like a little shrub that received a buzz cut!

Pruning should take place in late winter or early spring—and prune with care using the right tools and safety gear, as the blades of grass are sharp and can be prickly. Some gardeners even recommend a chainsaw for pruning due to the heartiness and thickness of the plant (3).

Harvesting Pampas Grass: Drying, Storing, and Selling

Pampas grass blooms in late summer and early fall. Depending on your growing zone and season, pampas grass may bloom (or maintain its blooms if not cut) throughout the winter.

To harvest pampas, simply snip the stalk of the plumes at your desired stem length. Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind before harvesting the plumes:

If you plan on drying pampas grass plumes and storing them until they’re purchased or shipped, ensure you have a warm, dry place to dry. Spritzing the plumes with a light coat of cheap hairspray as needed during the drying process will keep them intact and help with preservation.  

If you’re storing dried pampas for some time before fulfilling orders or using in design work, Team Flower Member Jennifer Parker recommends storing dried pampas grass in large garbage bags to keep it contained, minimizing the shedding mess. Simply fluff before shipping or taking to market and include instructions for the receiver on continued careful preservation.

Where to Sell Pampas Grass

If you’re growing and harvesting pampas grass to sell, there are several ways to get your cut pampas plumes to customers.

You can connect with Slow Flowers to join the site directory to be found by floral professionals and consumers looking for local flower growers.

You also can join the Team Flower Community (that’s us!) to be included in the directory. Many of our community members are looking for regular pampas grass wholesale resources!

“Consider allowing others to carefully forage the grass from your property at a pay per stem rate. ”

You could also consider allowing floral designers, interior designers, and even pampas grass home decor lovers in your area to forage the grass at a pay per stem rate. (However, just make sure you have the proper insurance on your property in place and that everyone is wearing the appropriate safety gear, taking safety precautions, and using the correct harvesting equipment.)

You could also sell your fresh-harvested or dried pampas grass in places such as:

Check out our Growing and Selling Flowers for Market online class to equip yourself to sell your floral products confidently to your community!

Beautiful Substitutions for Pampas Grass

Despite pampas grass being easy to grow and requiring minimal care, perhaps you’ve decided it’s not the right choice for your flower farm or garden space. But how can you take advantage of the fluffy, fun, and striking ornamental grass trend?

“Consider adding other ornamental grasses or plants to your growing operations!”

If growing pampas grass isn’t for you, you may want to consider adding other ornamental grasses or plants to your growing operations that provide a similar visual impact in floral designs and home decor.

While there is no alternative to pampas grass that is truly interchangeable (it’s in a league of its own!), some ideas are included below. 

Finding a substitution for pampas grass can be difficult, but it isn’t impossible. (3)

In addition, some dried and bleached cut palms and ferns can offer a similar look and may be a well-received offering by your cut flower customers. This can be a great product to provide your clients if you have the space and operations to dry, bleach, and store cut botanicals.

For a more extensive list of pampas grass substitutes—including design and storage tips—read Where to Buy Pampas Grass Wholesale + Practical Design Tips for Floral Pros.

Is Growing Pampas Grass for You?

If you’re already growing cut flowers and are wondering if you should add pampas grass to your offerings, it can be easy to start doing so. 

Currently, pampas grass is in high demand for weddings and events and in the floral design and home decor industries, so it’s a great time to start growing.

“Pampas grass is in high demand for weddings, events, and in the floral design and home decor industries.”

Just make sure you have suitable space and growing conditions before you begin! (And the patience to wait for those sought-after, fluffy plumes!)

Do you have a pampas grass growing tip or correction to this guide that you’d like to share? Contact us via the red chat button on the bottom right! We love hearing from our readers.

Photography Credit: Design by The Flora Club

Team Flower

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Where to Buy Pampas Grass Wholesale + Practical Design Tips for Floral Pros

How to grow pampas grass: follow our tips on when and where to plant this striking grass

(Image credit: Alamy)

Want to know how to grow pampas grass? You're in good company as it's one of the most on-trend plants around and the good news is that it is very easy to learn how to grow.  

Once dismissed as a Seventies relic, its presence in suburban front gardens was said to suggest that the owners were up for wife swapping! The plant’s popularity plunged for a couple of decades, only to make a comeback over the last couple of years. 

With a muted palette of silvery white, cream and milky coffee tones, and feather duster shaped flowers on long arching stems, this perennial grass fits perfectly with current Scandi/Boho trends. It has become so coveted that a single stem can fetch £25 in an upmarket florists’ shop. 

So why not save yourself some money and learn how to grow pampas grass in your own garden instead? It's an easy to grow, hardy plant, which is tolerant of heat, drought, exposed spots and coastal climates. It works well as part of a textured prairie border, on its own as a striking focal point, or it can be contained in pots to make a patio feature. 

Once pampas grass is established, the only issue is controlling its growth. Many are large, fast-growing plants which can self-seed. In some states of America, it is classed as an invasive species. However, armed with some knowledge and easy-care tips, pampas grass is a stylish and welcome addition to the garden.  

Keep reading for our expert tips, plus check our guide on how to grow ornamental grasses for more ways to introduce stunning grasses to your bed, borders and containers.  

HOW TO GROW PAMPAS GRASS

It's best to choose a spot with plenty of space for your pampas grass

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The easiest way to grow pampas grass is to buy it as a small plant which is ready to put in the ground. Although dwarf varieties are available, most will grow to at least 2 to 3 metres tall, so check the label carefully for the ultimate height and spread. 

Choose a spot with plenty of space around it. Avoid areas close to paths and where children play, as the leaves can be razor sharp. This grass prefers a sunny or partly sunny position with free draining (not soggy) soil.  

Plant it out before midsummer’s day (June 21), so strong roots can form before winter. It flowers around late August to early September, but the plumes look good for months. The female plants produce the softest, prettiest flowers in pale colours. The male ones have smaller, greyish pink flowers. 

Pampas grass can be grown in a container, although this will limit the size. Choose a large pot, and add some handfuls of horticultural grit to the compost for good drainage. You will need to pot the plant on as it grows larger. Find out how to do this in our guide on how to repot a plant. 

What type of pampas grass should I choose?

Cortaderia selloana 'Pumila' in the garden landscape

(Image credit: Alamy)

The most commonly grown species is Cortaderia selloana, which originates in South America, although other types come from New Zealand and New Guinea. There are 24 species, varying in colour and size. 

‘Pumila’ is deservedly popular, because it is relatively compact, and it has striking white plumes which appear in late summer and early autumn against mid-green foliage. This plant will grow up to about 2 metres tall. 

For an architectural plant which needs plenty of room to grow, try ‘Sunningdale Silver.’ It has tussocky grey-green leaves and arching stems with densely fluffy white heads. It will reach up to 3 metres tall, and 2.5 metres wide. 

If space is tight, opt for ‘Silver Feather.’ It is worth tracking down this small and compact plant with variegated green and cream foliage, arching stems and shimmery silver-white plumes which are excellent for drying. It will grow to about 1 metre tall.

HOW TO GROW PAMPAS GRASS FROM SEED

It's possible to grow pampas grass from seed

(Image credit: Flower Council of Holland)

Pampas grass can be grown from seed. Start them off indoors, sowing any time between February and April.

  1. Plant the seeds 6mm deep in a tray of seedling compost. Keep in a propagator or place them on a warm, sunny window ledge with cling film over the top of the tray. They should germinate in 21 days.
  2. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, pot on into some gritty compost. There's top tips in our guide on how to transplant seedlings. 
  3. The plants will soon become bushy and they are ready to plant out in the summer, once frost risks have passed. Plant them in rows 30cm apart in finely raked soil. 
  4. As they grow, thin the seedlings to 23cm apart. Replant the ones which have been removed.
  5. It will take a couple of years for new plants to flower. 

HOW TO PLANT PAMPAS GRASS

For a ready grown plant from a nursery or garden centre, dig a hole that is the same height and width as the root ball of the plant. Add some mulch or a multi-purpose fertiliser into the hole. 

Ease the plant from its pot, gently teasing out the roots with your fingertips. Put the plant in the hole and backfill with soil. Press down gently and water with a full can. 

There's more advice on the benefits of using mulch in your garden in our ultimate guide to mulching.  

HOW TO CARE FOR PAMPAS GRASS

Tidy up pampas grass in March or April by removing straggly stalks

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Pampas grass foliage lasts all year round, but it can look scruffy around March and April. This means it's a good time to tidy up the plant, using the best secateurs to remove any dry, damaged or dead leaves from the dense tussocks at the plant’s base. 

Wear sturdy gardening gloves (you can find the best gardening gloves in our guide) and arm protection for this job, as the leaves can cut. You can also remove tatty plumes around this time, although bear in mind that birds use them to line their nests.

Fertilise plants once in the early spring, but avoid overfeeding, because this boosts foliage growth, rather than the elegant flowers.

PROBLEMS WITH PAMPAS GRASS 

Pampas grass is low maintenance and therefore relatively easy to care for

(Image credit: Flower Council of Holland )

Resistant to most diseases and tolerant of even the driest growing conditions, pampas grass presents few problems, other than its tendency to self-seed and spread where it is not wanted. If the plant is becoming too large, it can be divided in early spring. 

In hot countries where wildfires are a risk, it is advised that this highly flammable plant should be grown away from houses and outbuildings to reduce fire hazard.  

HOW TO DRY PAMPAS GRASS

Dried pampas grass will make striking indoor arrangements

(Image credit: Cox & Cox)

  1. Cut the stems when the plant is in its first full bloom, usually in late August or September. Choose a dry day, and harvest after midday, when the dew has dried.
  2. Tie a bunch of three or four stems together with string. Make a loop for hanging.
  3. Choose a warm, dry space and hang the bunch upside down, making sure that the air can circulate around it.
  4. Leave for two to three weeks. 
  5. Once the plumes are dry, turn the grasses the right way up, fluff them out gently with your fingers and apply a squirt of hairspray before displaying in a rustic vase or a vintage glass carboy. Head over to our guide on how to dry flowers for more tips. 

Where to buy pampas grass

Whether you want to grow pampas grass from seeds or prefer the idea of planting out a small plant straight in the garden, there are plenty of striking options to choose from. Use our quicklinks below to buy now, or keep scrolling to check out some of our favourite varieties to try in your garden. 

Buy pampas grass in the UK: 

Buy pampas grass in the US: 

Cortaderia selloana 'Pumila' from Waitrose Garden
This variety has silvery-yellow flower plumes in late summer above bushy mounds of mid-green leaves. It's a hardy variety that likes fertile, well drained soil. It's compact (growing to 1.5 metres high) so also suitable for smaller gardens. Delivered in a two litre pot. 

Prairie Seeds - Pampas Feathers Mix from Suttons
Want to try growing pampas grass from seed? Then give this colourful mix a go. These seeds include a mixture of creamy white and pale pink plumed plants, perfect for the back of a border and screening ugly fencing. 

Cortaderia selloana 'Tiny Pampa' from Thompson & Morgan
A dwarf pampas grass, the shortest species of them all, which works at the front of a bed because it only reaches 60cm tall. August-flowering, it has fluffy, silvery plumes on top of grass-like evergreen foliage. 

Cortaderia Pink Pampas from Burpee
This has large silky plumes from early summer to mid-autumn. Colors will range from a subtle pink beige to sand-pink and even light salmon pink. It can work well as a dried flower and will make a striking arrangement in your arrangements. 

An experienced freelance journalist, editor and columnist writing for national magazines and websites, Fiona now specialises in gardens. She enjoys finding and writing about all kinds, from the tiniest town plots to impressively designed ones in grand country houses. 

How to take care of pampas grass and prepare it for winter: useful tips, video

Gardeners choose cortaderia, or pampas grass, to form flower beds in the plots. A plant from the cereal family grows up to 3 m in height and width and blooms until frost.

Natalya Chebakova

legion-media

Pampas grass looks great. Its elongated, pointed leaves hang down under their own weight, which gives the bush a neat, rounded appearance. Silver, pink or yellow flowers are collected in fluffy panicles and delight with their flowering from August to late autumn. nine0003

Contents of the article

How to plant Cortaderia

Pampas grass bushes can be planted in spring from the end of March. The sooner you plant a plant, the sooner it will take root by the start of the growing season. When planting, be sure to use drainage - this will help ensure normal circulation of moisture in the rhizome.

It is important to remember that pampas grass grows up to 3 m wide, so there should be plenty of space for it. When planting several plants, a distance of 1.5-2 m is maintained between them.

The place should be sunny, however, even in a little shading, the cortaderia will feel good, as long as this area is closed from direct wind.

Caring for pampas grass

Watering

Cortaderia is easy to care for. The main care of the plant is systematic watering. In the first couple of years of intensive development of the root system, watering should be regular, as needed. The soil must be well drained and permeable. On average, one cortaderia bush needs 1-2 buckets of water every 2-3 days. nine0003

Top dressing

Pampas grass can grow to a decent height, so it can require a lot of nutrients. Fertilizers should contain phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen in equal proportions. During the growing season, once every two weeks, you can feed the plant with Azofoska's solution. It is not advised to fertilize the plant during the first 45 days after planting the grass and after five years.

Pruning

Faded inflorescences of cortaderia retain their decorative effect for a long time, so it is better to cut them in spring. At the same time, you need to cut off dead leaves. nine0003

The plant is pruned in March in preparation for the new flowering season. Pruned non-overwintered foliage, flower stalks remaining from last season. In general, a comprehensive cleaning of the bush is carried out, clearing the space for new green growth.

Wintering of pampas grass

In November, the bush is cut, leaving 30-40 cm and tied with twine. This will make winter easier. After that, dry foliage and grass are poured onto the soil around the stems with a layer of 40 cm. When grown in the northern regions, pampas grass is additionally covered with a film or warm cloth from above. Under such shelter, the plant will safely endure even severe frosts. nine0003

It is necessary to cover the cortaderia when the temperature starts to drop below -10 C. It is important to give it the opportunity to "harden" before severe frosts and not allow it to be banned in case of warming.

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Cortaderia - a bright accent in the garden

In autumn, summer residents and flower growers, planning work for the next season, buy planting material. Among the bright exotic herbaceous plants, cortaderia is particularly decorative. nine0066

On straight thick peduncles, which rise above the leaves and can reach a height of one and a half to three meters (depending on the variety), dense, huge (up to half a meter) lush pyramidal inflorescences flaunt. In one inflorescence there can be up to ten small pink, white, lilac, golden or silver flowers. A lot of long, narrow, pointed to the top of the leaves, which are located in the lower part of the bush and over time are able to recline in different directions. The foliage is dark green or greenish blue with a matte finish veined in a light shade. The plant literally dominates with its splendor, especially in open areas of the garden. nine0003

Cortaderia is a dioecious plant, that is, only female or only male inflorescences can be located on one bush, and female ones differ in that they have spectacular long hairs, so they look much more beautiful. Inflorescences do not die off even in winter. Flowering lasts for several months (approximately August - October). Female peduncles retain their decorative effect until the very first frost, while male ones lose it already in early September.

In the wild, in the steppes (pampas) of South America, this plant from the grass family is considered a weed. In California, New Zealand, South Africa, Hawaii, the cultivation of this herb is even prohibited. In favorable conditions, its seeds are dispersed by winds, germinate easily, and over time, perennial cortaderia displaces other species. In addition, dry pampas grass there often causes fires. And in Europe it is used to decorate gardens and parks. Pampas grass gained particular popularity in the UK during the reign of Queen Victoria. In Russia, cortaderia is used by landscape designers and amateur flower growers to create exquisite garden compositions. In winter, pampas grass in the form of dry bouquets decorates a house or apartment. nine0003

For the successful cultivation of this exotic, it is important to take into account some of the nuances in planting and care.

Cortaderia is usually propagated by seed or by dividing the rhizome or bush. When growing pampas grass from seed, it will flower in the fifth year. Before sowing, the seeds are first kept for 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator. The plant is sown for seedlings in March-April, a universal soil mixture with a slightly acidic reaction is suitable. The seeds of the plant are small, so they are simply evenly distributed over the surface of the soil, without pressing them or sprinkling, moistened with a spray bottle. The seed container is covered with glass or film, which is removed from time to time for airing or watering. Sometimes gardeners use peat tablets to sow pampas grass. Crops are kept at room temperature, shoots appear in about 2–2.5 weeks. When the seedlings grow up and get stronger, they are planted in separate cups, and seedlings are planted in open ground after the threat of spring frosts has passed, by this time the plants will become strong and their stems strong. nine0003

Place for planting cortaderia is chosen sunny or slightly shaded, without stagnant melt and rainwater (does not tolerate swampy soils). In the lowlands, it is grown in high beds.

When planting pampas grass by dividing the bush, the plant will delight in flowering in the first year of growth. It is better to plant in the spring. The planting hole should be located at a distance of at least 1.5 m from other horticultural crops. The depth of the hole should be equal to the length of the rhizome, while the seedling is taken with a large clod of earth, it is undesirable to clean its roots from the soil. Then the planted plant is watered abundantly. nine0003

A planted shrub grows quickly, so you should take care in advance to limit its growth with a fence.

It is believed that pampas grass gets used to any conditions, the main care is timely (1 time in 7 days) plentiful (20 liters of water) watering and spring top dressing with complex fertilizer (for example, azofoska).

To make the bush look neat and spectacular, it is regularly pruned: every year in early spring, the foliage is thinned out, dried flower stalks are removed and the root system is cut. At the same time, they take into account: the edge of the leaf plates is quite sharp, you can easily injure your fingers, therefore, tight gloves must be used when working with the plant. nine0003

Pests and diseases in the wild do not affect cortaderia, but in our conditions, aphids or spider mites can sometimes settle on the plant, then it is treated with an insecticide. Also, pampas grass can be affected by powdery mildew (the foliage wilts and its color becomes paler). In this case, the bush is sprayed with a fungicide solution.

Despite the fact that frost-resistant varieties have now appeared, in our region the cortaderia is covered for the winter, , because at a temperature of minus 12 degrees the plant dies. Therefore, in the fall, its stems are cut to 0.

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