Take a quick look at your freshly cut pampas and shake off any hitch-hiking bugs. Shake off as close to the pampas grass plant as possible so those little bugs can go on living their happy lives. You want to only take home the fluffy plume to ensure a long life for your pampas.

The Pampas, also called the Pampa, Spanish La Pampa, vast plains extending westward across central Argentina from the Atlantic coast to the Andean foothills, bounded by the Gran Chaco (north) and Patagonia (south).

The Pampas of South America are a grassland biome. They are flat, fertile plains that covers an area of 300,000 sq. miles or 777,000 square kilometers, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Andes Mountains. It is found primarily in Argentina and extends into Uruguay.

With that in mind, you’ll find that early spring is the best time to plant pampas grass seeds in a garden. As the temperature rises, the grass begins to flourish, producing those tall, 10 – 13ft plumes within a few months so that you can enjoy the full effect of your ornamental grass by the summer.

According to the University of Arkansas and Mid Town Animal Clinic, pampas grass when ingested can cause sickness or death. Dogs can have a varied reaction to the poisonous pampas grass such as vomiting, drooling diarrhea, seizures or coma. Pets that eat poisonous plants often hide from their owners when they feel bad.

According to the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, pampas grass is not known to cause symptoms of plant poisoning if ingested by humans. However, any plant can cause allergic reactions or other adverse effects if ingested. Choking is a concern with plant ingestion, especially in children.

Pampas grass, also known as Cortaderia selloana, is native to the moist South American grasslands, known also as the pampas. The fast-growing grass can live in almost any habitat, but it grows especially well in rich soil and mild climates.

While the grasses originated in South America, they are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture gardening zones 5b to 11. Commonly used for formal landscaping, the tall plumes can be harvested and easily dried for decorative purposes.

So what are the rules about picking flowers? Under the 1968 Theft Act and the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, it’s illegal in the UK to: pick, uproot or destroy any wild plant without permission from the landowner or occupier.

The bluebell is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981). This means digging up the plant or bulb in the countryside is prohibited and landowners are prohibited from removing bluebells from their land to sell.