too late to plant pampas grass?

celticbhoy27

well folks recently purchased 4 Cortaderia Rosea plants, two with pink plumes and two with white, i'm going to plant them in a row, with alternate colours side by side. question is - is it too late to plant them? will they be decimated by frosts? they're currently only about a foot high

looksee

I have to confess that my first thought when I read the title was 'yes, by about 30 years'. However that is unkind because pampas grass can be very pleasing in the right situation. Don't underestimate how big it gets though, you need to be planting yours at least 6-8 feet apart. and even at that they will be very close to each other in a few years time.

To answer your question, yes it should be ok to plant now.

celticbhoy27

haha it's all about opinions isn't it :pac: i personally think it's a lovely sight when its in flower, have a huge garden so space isn't an issue, also want them as close as possible together so plant about 6 foot apart should be sufficient?

yellowlabrador

mine is about 5 years old and 6 foot across. It's quite a job in spring lopping it all down to the crown . I've heard the right way to do it is to set fire to it, I can't because of electricity and phone wires directly overhead.

lottpaul

I'd be inclined to agree with looksee and not get them at all

That said, since you have them and like them they do have good features - just watching the ends twirl and dance in the wind can be lovely in itself.
I'd agree with everyone re the distance and size etc and just add that they should be far away from where anyone will normally be walking, working etc. They are razor sharp and will leave you looking like you lost a fight with a tom cat when you try to cut them back if you don't suit up properly.

Enjoy!