Ornamental · Poaceae
Pampas Grass
Cortaderia selloana
Not much beats a pampas grass clump in full plume for sheer show, but those silver feathers ride on razor-sharp leaves.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 7–10
6–12 ft · 1.8–3.7 m
Overview
Pampas grass is that big, feather-plumed grass you've probably seen anchoring a wide border or blocking off a view. It comes from South America, goes by the botanical name Cortaderia selloana, and belongs to the grass family. Once it's settled in, it barely asks for a thing, and it takes drought, heat, salt spray, and wind in stride.
The plumes are what everyone's after. Come late summer each clump throws up a fountain of silver-white feathers that keep their shape well into winter, all riding on arching foliage that can spread over 12 feet across. But here's the catch with that foliage: every blade is lined with fine, razor-sharp serrations that'll cut bare skin the second you touch them.
There's a second catch worth knowing before you dig in, too. In mild-winter regions along the Pacific coast and in Hawaii, pampas grass self-seeds into a serious invasive, muscling out native plants and feeding wildfire. Where it behaves, it's a bold, low-effort feature; where it doesn't? It's one to skip.
Care
The short version: give it full sun and well-drained ground, water it only while it's getting established, and cut the whole clump down hard every late winter, with gloves and long sleeves on each and every time.
Light
Pampas grass really wants full sun if it's going to plume well and stand up straight. It'll put up with partial sun or light shade, but give it too little light and the clump goes loose and floppy while those famous feathers thin right out.
Water
Water a new plant regularly through its first season so the roots can get down deep. After that it's highly drought, heat, salt, and wind tolerant and barely needs any extra water. Just keep it out of wet, poorly drained spots, which shorten its life and invite winter damage.
Soil
This grass isn't picky, and it'll take almost any well-drained soil, whether that's clay, loam, sand, or rocky ground, and anywhere from dry to medium moisture. It handles a wide pH band too, roughly 5.5 to 8.5, so soil chemistry is hardly ever what holds it back.
Temperature
It's tough across a big range, from about 10°F to 100°F (-12°C to 38°C), which lines up with zones 7 through 10. Drop below that line and the cold can kill the crown, but the heat up top? Doesn't bother it one bit.
Humidity
Regular outdoor humidity is fine, so there's no number for you to chase. Air movement matters more than moisture in the air, and an open, breezy spot is exactly what this wind-tolerant grass is after.
Feeding
Feed it lightly with a balanced general-purpose fertilizer in spring during the growing season. An established clump needs almost nothing, so piling on the food only pushes soft, weak growth you don't want.
Pruning
Cut the whole clump back hard to about 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 cm) in late winter, before new growth starts, using hedge shears, loppers, or power pruners. Always work in gloves, a long-sleeve shirt, and eye protection, because those serrated blades cut skin without even trying.
Repotting
Pampas grass hardly ever gets repotted and it'll live for years in one spot. Only move or divide it when it outgrows its space, the center of the clump goes dead and thatchy, or the crowded crown starts lifting out of the soil.
Size & spacing
A grown clump stands roughly 6 to 12 feet (1.8 to 3.7 m) tall and spreads about 4 to 7 feet (120 to 205 cm) wide, so give it room to breathe. Put it somewhere open, well clear of paths and play areas, so nobody brushes those sharp leaves walking by.
When to plant
Pampas grass is a warm-region perennial that's happy in zones 7 to 10. Set new plants out in spring so they can root all through the growing season, enjoy the silver plumes as they come up from late summer into fall, then cut the clump right to the ground in late winter before the fresh growth kicks off.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: spring
- Harvest: late summer to fall, plumes persist into winter
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 7–10
Temperature: down to -18°C
Troubleshooting
Pampas grass hardly ever loses out to a pest or a disease. The two problems that really count are the cuts its blades hand you and the way it spreads beyond where you want it. Both are easy to spot, and easier still to head off.
Seeing new clumps pop up far from where you planted?
That's invasive self-seeding, and it's honestly the plant's biggest weak spot. One plume can toss well over 100,000 wind-blown seeds in a year, and even broken bits of root or rhizome will take hold in damp ground, so you'll spot little ones downwind on open, coastal, or disturbed land. The fix is simple enough: dig young crowns out whole while they're still small, and cut and bag the plumes before the seed ripens instead of composting them or hauling seed-filled soil around.
Fix:
- Remove volunteer seedlings while young by digging out the entire crown
- Cut and bag flowering plumes before seeds mature and disperse
- Do not compost plumes or move soil containing seed
Got stinging cuts on your hands or arms after handling the plant?
Here's the thing, this isn't a bug or a disease that snuck in, it's just the leaves doing what they do. Every blade has razor-sharp, finely serrated edges, so the moment you grab a handful they slice you, and the cuts come out thin, clean, and deeper than you'd think. So before you touch it, put on thick gloves, a long-sleeve shirt, long pants, and eye protection, and let shears or loppers take the clump down instead of pulling the foliage with your bare hands.
Fix:
- Stop handling bare-skinned and wash and dress any cuts
- Always wear thick gloves, a long-sleeve shirt, long pants, and eye protection
- Cut the clump back with hedge shears, loppers, or power pruners rather than pulling foliage by hand
Toxicity
Good news on the poison front, plus a heads-up on the hardware. No part of pampas grass is toxic, and the ASPCA rates it safe for cats, dogs, and horses. The real hazard's physical, since the leaf edges are razor-sharp and slice skin like paper, so handle it in gloves and keep pets and kids from running through the clump.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Good news, nothing in this grass will poison a cat, so a quick taste won't do any chemical harm. The only thing to watch is the blade edge, which can nick a mouth, so it's worth nudging a cat away from chewing it.
Dogs None
A dog can hang out around this plant with zero poisoning risk. Just don't let an excited one bolt through the clump, because those serrated leaves can leave a thin cut on a nose or paw.
Horses None
No toxic worry here for a horse either. That said, a grazing horse could still scrape its lips or tongue on the sharp-edged blades, so fencing the clump off is the easier call.
Rabbits Safe
Nothing here will trouble a rabbit, since there's no toxin to speak of. And honestly? The stiff, cutting leaves are way too coarse to nibble, so a rabbit probably won't bother with it anyway.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can share a pasture with this grass and never risk poisoning. Most just leave it be, put off by the harsh, blade-edged foliage that isn't worth the trouble to graze.
Birds Safe
Birds come to no chemical harm, and plenty of them tuck into the dense plumes for shelter. Same catch as everyone else, the edges are sharp, but flying visitors hardly ever brush up against them.
People Safe
No part of the plant will poison you if you handle it or sit nearby. The real thing to respect is mechanical, because the razor-sharp leaf edges cut skin like paper, so throw on gloves and long sleeves whenever you're working close to it.
Not poisonous, but the sharp-edged leaves can inflict deep cuts on skin. Wear gloves, long sleeves, and eye protection when planting, handling, or pruning, and keep pets and children from running through or chewing the foliage to avoid mouth and skin cuts.
Varieties
Pampas grass shows up in a handful of named forms that differ in size, plume color, and leaf markings. These are the ones you're most likely to run across.
Pumila
It's a compact dwarf that stops around 4 to 6 feet and handles cold better, which is why you'll see it planted more than any other.
Rosea
It swaps the usual silvery-white plumes for a soft pink tint.
Sunningdale Silver
It's a tall, vigorous one that people grow for those big, full, silvery-white plumes.
Silver Comet
It's a variegated pick with white-and-green stripes running along the leaves.
Gold Band
It's a variegated form with gold-banded leaves striped yellow and green.
How to propagate
There are two ways to make more pampas grass, but only one keeps those showy plumes true. Whichever you go with, those sharp leaves mean gloves and long sleeves aren't up for debate.
DivisionModerate
Late winter to early spring · 1-2 growing seasons
Division is the go-to way to make more pampas grass, and you do it in late winter to early spring. It's also the only method that keeps those showy female plants true to type, so it's worth the effort. Give a divided clump one to two growing seasons to settle in and fill out, and here's the catch: the crowns are dense and the leaves are sharp, so glove up and cover your skin before you start hacking one apart.
SeedEasy
Spring · 1 growing season to first flowering in favorable climates
This plant self-seeds like crazy, and in a mild climate a spring sowing can flower in just one growing season. The downside? Seedlings come out all over the map, with plenty of plain, less-showy male plants in the bunch. Just skip seed entirely wherever pampas grass is invasive, because all you'd be doing is helping it spread.
Myths
All large, feathery pampas grass is the same plant.
Easy to assume, but no. The showy ornamental most folks plant is Cortaderia selloana, and it's a different species from jubata grass, or purple pampas grass, which is Cortaderia jubata. Jubata's the much pushier invader, setting seed without any pollination at all and taking over coastal and redwood-forest land. They look almost the same and share those sharp serrated leaves, so what's the difference in practice? Well, jubata grass sticks to cool, foggy coasts while selloana also shrugs off hot, dry inland heat.
Pampas grass is poisonous to pets.
Nope, and you can stop worrying about that one. The ASPCA lists Cortaderia selloana as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and it's got no poison in it at all. The only real danger is a mechanical cut from the razor-sharp leaf edges, not anything a pet could actually be poisoned by.