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Submitted by: Kimberly

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Good Morning Jim, Kim here at landscape-solutions-for-you. Thank you for contacting me through my comment form and also asking your question on my website. I do understand your frustration with Pampass Grass, as many people in my area in South Carolina also have Pampass Grass. Pampass Grass is one of the largest members of the ornamental grass family. Like you said, it is invasive. Have you pruned back the grass in early spring at all? Pruning back Pampass every spring is a good way to keep this specimen under control. Pampass grass can be difficult to remove once the root system is established. Like many ornamental grasses, the Pampass grass center tends to die out in the summertime. A suggestion is to take a few divisions and plant in the center during the summer, as this will help the Pampass fill back in. As far as removing the Pampass, with it being established for two years, there is the chance of damaging other plants around it. There are a couple of options for you. One is to give the Pampass a massive trim when your weather warms up. You will need gloves as you probably know the end of the narrow leaves are sharp. My crew would wear long sleeves and gloves. Once you have pruned back, if you are not in harms way of stepping on other plants, dig around and down the base of the Pampass until you see the roots. I have had my crew wrap a chain around the base and pull out the tap and other big roots. If room is not available to do this, here is your section option. Prune back your Pampass in early spring, and continue to prune back every spring. This will keep it under control. If you want to plant some Karl Foerster ornamental grass as an accent near the Pampass, make sure there is enough sun with the pine trees around. KF plants do prefer full sun and a clay base soil. The KF will survive in a light shade, and some sandy soil. I am not sure of how much space you have around your Pampass, and feel free to ask me and I would be happy to give you additional suggestions. Coneflowers work well as a complimentary plant to the Karl Foerster's ornamental grass. I hope this helps some and let us know if you have any other questions or need more help with your Pampass. The best of luck to you and have a great day. Kimberly

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