Pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana, is a great low maintenance landscaping plant that comes in a variety of sizes and shapes. This popular ornamental grass is a very fast grower, and can become quite large.  Be sure to plant somewhere that gives it plenty of room to grow.  Once established, pampas grass care is minimal; water in extreme drought.  It is best to prune to the ground late fall or spring. The grass can be given a balanced fertilizer following pruning to help stimulate regrowth.

Plant pampas grass in an area of full sun, but it can tolerate some partial shade. The soil should be well drained and moist.  It displays graceful, lush, sharp edged, green, grass-like foliage with creamy, fluffy white plums.  The plants are tough and aggressive and can grow 10 to 13 feet high and spread six feet wide and some dwarf varieties can be much smaller. They make useful privacy screens, wind breaks and camouflage for unwanted views.  Integrate these lovely plants into your garden and mix with other perennials like Echinacea Tomato Soup (Coneflower) or Forest Pansy Redbud (Cercis canadensi).