I am in search of a small clump of Pink Pampas grass. I seem to be collecting grasses as I currently have two types of maiden (all green and varigated (white and green)), and white pampas grass. I would love a small clump of the pink to accent the white on my hilly backyard. I recently mail ordered one and it was delivered during the late fall of '07. I got busy and did not plant it right away and it died. Please reply if you are willing to share. For a selected list of items I have to trade, please see my trade page.

The previous owners of my house planted ornamental grass (ribbon grass and something similar that is solid green) in a bad spot. They are mature and I want them gone so I can have a vegetable garden. If you'd like to, you're free to come and dig up what you want. Please email me directly ASAP. I am in Woodbridge township - central NJ. kate**AT**composerlink**DOT**org

Weed B Gon...well, I'd test that theory before using it, although if the previous owner got away with it, it should be OK. There are plenty of species of grass you can't use it on. Still, I'm not willing to give it a green light without knowing the exact species of ornamental and seeing that species on the label as being OK and wouldn't recommend using it without testing unless you have that assurance. RoundUp will kill any green plant it touches that hasn't had a certain gene sequence inserted. Yours are not immune. Don't use it. With my Zebra grass, a lot of manual effort is required. It's often best to inspect weekly and take care of problems as they develop. That little tree is easier to remove as a tiny seedling rather than wait until it's a sapling. Annoying, sure. But that's true of most problems, I guess. Mulching will certainly help, as will application of Preen early in the season next year (although take a look at the weeds you actually get and match the correct pre-emergent to the correct weeds. I have been...well, less than impressed with Preen, let's just say, due to my weed profile). Reapply said pre-emergent when the shield runs out, which will be dependent on the pre-m and the dose used (my Prodiamine lasts 9 months, but that's the dose I use--and it's the maximum for the year). Like any other summer-growing grass, these also benefit from a moderate feeding on-schedule. You can look up care online, or just ask and we'll outline the care and feeding strategy for you. This is already getting kind of long.

It is certainly not recommended but if you don't care if the grass survives the winter and returns next spring, go ahead. Ornamental grasses come in both cool season and warm season varieties. Cool season grasses emerge very early in spring, grow rapidly and flower early. Warm season grasses are much slower to emerge, develop during the heat of summer and then flower in late summer to early fall. Pennisetums - and most other popular OG species - are warm season grasses. And they are not even recommended to be planted in fall, let alone divided. The reason for this is that once they start to flower in late summer, the roots begin to go dormant and stop growth. Without active root growth and development, cold and wet winter soils will generally result in the death of the plant. Division and planting of warm season OG's is advised to be done in spring to early summer. This is why warm season OG's are typically offered at a discount or sale prices late in the season. But if you don't care about winter survivability, feel free to go ahead and do what you want.