Pampas Grass- a bit long, feel free to ignore!

[Flummery]

This bit of the board is supposed to be about the best way to grow non-edibles. However, I'm here for advice - or just a good snarl - about ridding my garden of this spawn of the devil!

Pampas grass was planted by our predecessors to fill a space at the end of the garden. It's screened from the rest of the garden by a trellis with honeysuckle and clematis. This little plot is on my hit list as a new site for the 3 daleks. Where they are currently sited will be an area for a water collecting system for the new shed - due to be started in March-ish. However, I have just spent half an hour with secateurs, spade and fork attacking it from above and below. It now looks like it's had a bit of a haircut - and slightly exploded! It's tempting to set fire to it - lots of dried stuff from previous years - as you can tell, I haven't lavished any TLC on it, hoping it would become discouraged and die. However, it looks like such a nice winter shelter for something - hedgehog mebbe, that I can't do it.

Has anyone here successfully eradicated one? I'm sure the advice it to keep at it - a bit each day etc. I'd love someone to say 'the foolproof way is just to ....' In my dreams eh?

Rant over.

Ta for listening.

Flum

[shirlthegirl43]

Flum open this link then use your 'find' option to search for pampas - there are a few people asking about how to remove a pampas and the advice is on here. Hope it helps you.

BBC - Lancashire - Nature - Yuccas, bamboo, pampas grass and cordylines...

[Alison]

Somebody once told me that swingers put pampass grass in their front garden as a sign to other swingers, I now always giggle when I see a clump - don't know if it's true though!

[Seahorse]

Oh Alison! Flum's secret is out now!!!

[HeyWayne]

Somebody once told me that swingers put pampass grass in their front garden as a sign to other swingers, I now always giggle when I see a clump - don't know if it's true though!

I'd heard that too, and that a lot of it went on in villages, keys in a bowl, that kinda thing. People ribbed LadyWayne and I about it before we moved to the village. There are quite a few clumps of pampas grass around the village and the neighbour but one has an innordinate number of cars....

[JennieAtkinson]

Somebody once told me that swingers put pampass grass in their front garden as a sign to other swingers, I now always giggle when I see a clump - don't know if it's true though!

Crikey! They grow all over Shetland .... hmmm, mine is the back garden. Does that mean I'm a closet swinger

[HeyWayne]

Crikey! They grow all over Shetland .... hmmm, mine is the back garden. Does that mean I'm a closet swinger

Surely you'd be better caber tossing?

[Flummery]

Flum open this link then use your 'find' option to search for pampas - there are a few people asking about how to remove a pampas and the advice is on here. Hope it helps you.

BBC - Lancashire - Nature - Yuccas, bamboo, pampas grass and cordylines...

Great link Shirl - thanks for that. Seems like I need a sharp spade (got 2!) and a pick axe (not got one - wonder if Himself can borrow one from work?) and possibly some root our or stump killer. I don't want it shoving my Daleks over !

[Flummery]

Oh Alison! Flum's secret is out now!!!

It's in me back garden honest - only those 3 horses can see it - oh hell I feel faint!!

[Paul Wagland]

In your back garden Flummery? I can't imagine what that says about you!!!

I had one at my last house - with the added attraction of a wasps' nest in the middle. I spent a full day running up to it, bashing it once and then running away fast.

I worked from the outer edges at ground level. Inside the vicious outer leaves I found lots of dead, dry materials that came away easily in big handfuls. Under this, the roots didn't go down far and I could cut through underneath it, finally rolling the whole clump out in one go. Not an easy job, but not as hard as I'd expected.

Some people advise lighting a fire in the root hole, but I settled for building a ten-inch thick drive over it...

[Flummery]

Says it about the previous house owner Paul!
I daren't try setting fire to it - it's close to a power line which skims our far end and powers the cottage next door. Covered in creosote or something so it would go up like a rocket. Also it might have something hibernating in the dross.
I have cut it back hard and found all the dead-ish stuff which does come away easily. Still can't get near enough to the roots to dig anythingup though. I reckon it will need several sessions.

[shirlthegirl43]

Take it steady Flum - don't do yourself a hurt getting shot of it!

[Flummery]

That's why I only did half an hour this morning Shirl. I know me limits!

[groanathome]

Sharp spade doesnt make great headway as the roots are quite spongey due to the fibres etc ... on the odd occasions I have removed large pampas specimens I made steady progress with a large heavy sharp mattock as you need a wider end to your tool than a pick provides ... bonne chance ...

[shirlthegirl43]

Glad to hear that Flum, reading groanathome's post, you are going to need a fair few goes at it! It has warned me off ever planting one!!!