Dried Pampas Grass

Types of pampas grass

When it comes to pampas grass, it’s posh name is ‘cortaderia’ and there are four types:

• Cortaderia selloana: arguably the most popular pampas out there, selloana is silvery or white in colour, occasionally with pink tinges. Pretty, fluffy, sophisticated, chic – she’s just all the good words.

• Cortaderia jubata: if you love purple you’re going to have a lot of love for jubata. Commonly known as simply purple pampas grass, it’s a close relative to selloana but bigger (it can get as big as 7 metres in height!). That’s a lot of purple.

• Erianthus ravennae: an absolute giant of a grass, ravennae is also known as ravenna grass or plume grass. It’s a hardy grass and can definitely stand its ground. If you look on Wikipedia, it describes this grass as ‘aggressive’ but it looks pretty friendly to us.

• Miscanthus sinensis: this is a Japanese pampas style grass and is also called ‘Chinese silver grass’ – probably because it can look silvery in colour, but it also comes in an almost dusky pink colour that is ridiculously dreamy.

Tips on buying pampas grass

Like adopting a more conventional furry friend, we want to make sure the pampas you choose is right for you, so we’ve put these tips together to ensure you fall in love and your new pampas has a loving, forever home.

When shopping for pampas grass, think about:

Where will your pampas live?

Will it sit on the floor in a busy thoroughfare and get a bit frazzled from all the passers-by? Or will it be so high up it gathers dust? Your pampas will stay looking its best if you can give it a blast of cold air from a hair dryer every now and then, so make sure you have somewhere you can reach it for this reason, plus you’re going to want to stroke it every now and then too.

What size pampas will work best?

If you’re putting your pampas in a window or in a narrow space, a smaller pampas like Alfie might be best for you. On the other hand, if you have a lot of space and want to make a statement, you’re definitely going to achieve your goals with a Naomi or a Mabel.

What colour pampas is going to look the best?

Not all pampas are the same colour. Even a white or silvery pampas will vary in colour from a ‘natural’ light brown coloured pampas sometimes. And there are the glimmers of pink that we mentioned earlier to look out for. If you’re not sure what colour pampas would suit your personal style or your fireplace, just send us a picture and we’ll recommend a match for you.

Do you have a long necked vase for your pampas?

If you’re not a big fan of long vases, you might find putting a pampas in the equivalent of a tea cup will mean it slouches and/or falls over. They’ve got too much natural grace and elegance for this, so make sure you get a strong vase with a solid base and ideally a long neck, so your pampas can maintain its perfect posture.

Looking for ready made arrangements with pampas grass in? Take a look at our fluffy pampas bouquets or letterbox flowers for large and medium sized pampas grass bouquets.