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Cortaderia selloana ‘Pumila’ (Pampas Grass)

Pampas Grass 'Pumila', Dwarf Pampas Grass

AGM Award
Cortaderia Selloana 'Pumila', Pampas Grass 'Pumila', Dwarf Pampas Grass

Cortaderia selloana ‘Pumila’ is a compact Pampas Grass that is perfect for mid-sized gardens. Quite showy, this South American native features magnificent, dense tussocks of arching, narrow gray-green leaves that are gracefully topped from late summer to mid-winter by huge, silky, creamy-white plumes.

  • Tough as nails and requiring very little care, this showy perennial, evergreen grass is among the most cold-hardy pampa grasses.
  • Won the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society.
  • Grows up to 4-6 feet tall (120-180 cm) and spreads 3-4 feet wide (90-120 cm)
  • Welcomed in any garden style, it is versatile and can be used as a specimen plant, in groups, or en masse to create dramatic backdrops, view barriers, or windshields. It is ideal in the landscape where it provides texture, color, and contrast, and great in naturalistic meadows. Excellent in dried flowers in arrangements.
  • Performs best in full sun or light shade, in dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils, and provides fall – winter interest.
  • Tolerates almost all soil conditions, drought, once established, as well as salty and dry winds. Deer resistant too!
  • Cut back old foliage to the ground in late winter. Showier, female plants produce the best plumes and lots of seeds. Self-seeding freely, they are considered invasive in certain areas of the US.
  • Cortaderia selloana species is native to Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.
  • Find where this species is invasive in the United States. This cultivar is also considered to be invasive. Given the large number of seeds that Pampas Grass plants produce, being “nearly sterile” is not safe enough for use in several US states.
  • Discover beautiful U.S. native plant alternatives.

Requirements

Hardiness 6 - 10
Heat Zones 7 - 11
Climate Zones 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, H1
Plant Type Ornamental Grasses
Plant Family Poaceae
Genus Cortaderia
Common names Pampas Grass
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Summer (Late)
Fall
Winter
Height 4' - 6'
(120cm - 180cm)
Spread 3' - 4'
(90cm - 120cm)
Spacing 36" - 48"
(90cm - 120cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Dried Arrangements, Plant of Merit, Showy, Evergreen
Tolerance Drought, Deer, Salt
Attracts Birds
Garden Uses Beds And Borders, Hedges And Screens
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow
How Many Plants
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Recommended Companion Plants

Monarda ‘Gardenview Scarlet’ (Bee Balm)
Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea (Purple Japanese Barberry)
Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ (Bloodtwig Dogwood)
Cotinus coggygria (Smokebush)
Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’ (Black-Eyed Susan)
Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’ (Coneflower)
Sedum ‘Herbstfreude’ (‘Autumn Joy’)
Pennisetum alopecuroides (Fountain Grass)
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker)

Find In One of Our Guides or Gardens

A Pretty Late Season Border Idea with Perennials and Architectural Grasses
Cortaderia selloana (Pampas Grass)
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
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Requirements

Hardiness 6 - 10
Heat Zones 7 - 11
Climate Zones 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, H1
Plant Type Ornamental Grasses
Plant Family Poaceae
Genus Cortaderia
Common names Pampas Grass
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Summer (Late)
Fall
Winter
Height 4' - 6'
(120cm - 180cm)
Spread 3' - 4'
(90cm - 120cm)
Spacing 36" - 48"
(90cm - 120cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Dried Arrangements, Plant of Merit, Showy, Evergreen
Tolerance Drought, Deer, Salt
Attracts Birds
Garden Uses Beds And Borders, Hedges And Screens
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow
How Many Plants
Do I Need?

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