[WeavingGryphon]

We've a new plot and discovered a big hairy thing slumped in the corner. We remember the children playing with pampas grass fronds during the summer that was hanging over the front fence of a nearby plot on that side hassling passers-by. So looking at what's sitting there we think we've inherited that plot.

Any suggestions on how to get rid of it or any reason not to?

We want to put a 330L composter there, could we fork out as much of the roots as possible, put the composter base on top of it and just hope that if we put enough grass in there that in the battle of composter vs pampas grass the composter wins?

Also can anyone tell us the name of a native grass, 2-3 feet tall that becomes straw like in winter. With a hollow core, light brown in colour and forms little clusters of green-brown or reddish brown bulbs on the surface and top inch of the soil? Their very small, less than 1cm across. The head has broken off so we have nothing to identify it with. They are also really hard to remove.

[Growster...]

Weavers, pampas has quite short roots, and is usually diguppable without too much effort!

As for the other stuff, well, try and do the same!

[JayG]

There's an urban myth about growing Pampas grass in your front garden which I'll leave you to look up (still a source of amusement with my next door neighbours who are in their late 70's!)
As Growster says, quite shallow rooted so easy to get rid of, although I still maintain a small, frequently cut down specimen in my BACK garden for sentimental reasons. 

[WeavingGryphon]

There's an urban myth about growing Pampas grass in your front garden which I'll leave you to look up (still a source of amusement with my next door neighbours who are in their late 70's!)
As Growster says, quite shallow rooted so easy to get rid of, although I still maintain a small, frequently cut down specimen in my BACK garden for sentimental reasons. 

In your experience is Pampas grass good for anything?
Like encouraging wild life (not life being wild) and besides the kids tickling each other's and our faces and insinuating about the inhabitant's nocturnal activities. We've decided to put the composter away from the path side edge so it doesn't need to go.

[richyrich7]

There's an urban myth about growing Pampas grass in your front garden which I'll leave you to look up (still a source of amusement with my next door neighbours who are in their late 70's!)
As Growster says, quite shallow rooted so easy to get rid of, although I still maintain a small, frequently cut down specimen in my BACK garden for sentimental reasons. 

In your experience is Pampas grass good for anything?
Like encouraging wild life (not life being wild) and besides the kids tickling each other's and our faces and insinuating about the inhabitant's nocturnal activities. We've decided to put the composter away from the path side edge so it doesn't need to go.

Simply put no, most grasses don’t offer a lot to wildlife unless it’s a native grass then probably something feeds on it. Maybe a little shelter for the snails & possibly the birds might feed on the seeds it produces. If you want to encourage wildlife there’s better plants out there. Even if you used the space to sow a packet of wildflower seeds
They are pretty easy to remove, I put the strimmer over ours then dug it out. 

[Growster...]

They burn well too!

I can remember my dad setting our pampas on fire, and it went up with a roar! They used to do this to get it to re-sprout with nice clean fronds!

[mrs bouquet]

We used to have one and burned the centre out every year, otherwise it just grows in an ever increasingly large circle with dead in the middle.  Burning out the centre encourages new central growth and thus preventing the plant from getting larger and larger.    Mrs Bouquet

[WeavingGryphon]

There's an urban myth about growing Pampas grass in your front garden which I'll leave you to look up (still a source of amusement with my next door neighbours who are in their late 70's!)
As Growster says, quite shallow rooted so easy to get rid of, although I still maintain a small, frequently cut down specimen in my BACK garden for sentimental reasons. 

In your experience is Pampas grass good for anything?
Like encouraging wild life (not life being wild) and besides the kids tickling each other's and our faces and insinuating about the inhabitant's nocturnal activities. We've decided to put the composter away from the path side edge so it doesn't need to go.

Simply put no, most grasses don’t offer a lot to wildlife unless it’s a native grass then probably something feeds on it. Maybe a little shelter for the snails & possibly the birds might feed on the seeds it produces. If you want to encourage wildlife there’s better plants out there. Even if you used the space to sow a packet of wildflower seeds
They are pretty easy to remove, I put the strimmer over ours then dug it out.

This one's remains has mice in it, there's tunnels visible and we watched one fisstling about the other day.
It coming out is on the To do list. I want to plant Rosemary or lavender or herbs or some nice flowers.

Any suggestions anyone what I could plant?

[WeavingGryphon]

They burn well too!

I can remember my dad setting our pampas on fire, and it went up with a roar! They used to do this to get it to re-sprout with nice clean fronds!

We used to have one and burned the centre out every year, otherwise it just grows in an ever increasingly large circle with dead in the middle.  Burning out the centre encourages new central growth and thus preventing the plant from getting larger and larger.    Mrs Bouquet

We'll I'm not having it start invading the place. It's near the new raspberry bed.

Can anyone suggest some nice perennial plants that are good for wildlife either in fruit or berries? preferentially both.
I know a lot about what you should grow for wildlife ecologically and nutritionally and why. But my knowledge runs dry on perennial flowers. I specialise in fruit.

If no one answers I shall plant more currant cuttings and just not net them. But I'd rather not grow something that will lure people into out plot or draw their attention. We get enough thievery as it is. Other plot holders have their compost heaps along the front. But since the entire bottom plot is unusable soil we want to maximise our growing space and are making a compost area down there instead.

[New shoot]

If you want something to do double duty for wildlife and to keep people away, there are a few options.

Anything from the thistle family is beloved by insects.  This includes edibles like globe artichoke and decorative plants like echinops and eryngium.  All are tall and spiky so not likely to make people want to push through.  Acanthus is another prickly customer that has tall spikes of flowers that bees like.

If you put some trellis up or even just posts and wire, you could grow pyracantha or dog rose - both have thorns.  After flowering, the hips of dog rose are very decorative and pyracantha has berries that the birds like to eat. 

Once you have the barrier plants in there are lots of other choices.  Open daisy type flowers attract a lot of insects so Japanese anemones, leucanthemum and erigeron are worth looking at.  Herbs also work well especially rosemary, lavender, marjoram and thyme.  You can grow annual stuff from seed like calendula, poppies and borage that would fill gaps.  Add some spring bulbs and you extend the nectar season by quite a lot.

[jezza]

Hi to cut Pampas grass you need a good brush cutter with a tri blade knife and be in a bad mood it soon secumbs to the brush cutter ,I took a 6 foot wide Pampas grass out on a road junction last year just kept cutting round and round till it was no more I cut 2 inches into the ground   jezza


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