Is pampas grass cool or naff

[Bouncealot]

I need a big feature plant for my front garden. I loved pampas grass in the 1980s, but amongst my age group I think it has become synonymous with swingers. Obviously I don’t want random strangers knocking on my door...but maybe things have changed and I can safely plant it again.
Any suggestions?

It's all over Instagram, they cant all be wife swappers.

Maybe get some and then smile knowingly?

When I see it I often think it looks quite nice, but I keep that to myself and laugh along when DH makes the obligatory jokes about swingers

I think you'd have to make it clear it was postmodern and ironic, by surrounding it with mooning garden gnomes with the face of Boris Johnson or something.

Honestly, I can't walk past a house with pampas grass without chuckling at the owners potential activities. My neighbours have it. Worse, my grandparents had it 😂

I don't think it's the best idea but if you don't care about the connotations, go for it.

It's ok but it's all over Instagram now. It's the new grey or fake Chanel trend. In a few months, it'll all be in a charity shop or a bin.

We've just removed a large Pampas that we here when we moved in. We lived with it for five years but the centre of the plant started to break away. The fronds do look nice but when they are bigger the plants make a real mess. You will always be pulling the dead grass from the middle, picking up dead 'leaves' and they can easily get out of control. I would think twice personally.

We have pampas grass in our back garden and DH is desperate to get rid of it. Horrible plant!

Don't. Once planted it will spread and you'll never ever ever get rid of it.

We have 2 massive ones 🙈 I hate them but our cat likes hiding underneath them. We are not swingers, but maybe the previous owners who planted them were 🤷🏼‍♀️😂

We have 3 huge pampas grasses in our back garden. We’ve cut 2 of them right down to about 2 ft today because we haven’t touched them in 3 years and they look awful. They’ve made such a mess today. DH wanted to set them on fire - he saw a you tube video saying that was better than cutting them but I wouldn’t let him - now I wish I had. I might let him do it with the third.

Hedgehogs like to hibernate under pampas grass, and sparrows will take the flowery bits to line their nests in Spring, they look very cute with big beaks full of it. Ours is in our back garden

I like the look but also immediately think swinger, think it's because my neighbours growing up had it and were into that sort of extra curricular activity

Wow. .I just think 1970's when I see it.,never knew it was associated with singers!

Naff.

Miscanthus if you want the block of grass.

Stipa gigantea if you want the impressive height of plumes.

I think there are nicer grasses that don't grow as tall. Or have weird connotations!

I think swingers! Why is that? Is it/was it a thing or just an urban myth?

Remember taking one out of a school garden once (don't ask) and it being viciously sharp!

I know it's a pain but what about a buddleia if you aren't fixed on a grass? Although I want to copy the massive lavatera we had in the front garden when I was a kid.

It's so sharp! Do you have little ones? I remember playing hide and seek with my cousins in my aunt and uncle's patch in the 70s and I was shredded to ribbons - lots of proper cuts all over.

Already have borders with buddleia and lavatera, but I’d like something more substantial and eye catching right in the middle. Love the idea that cats and hedgehogs like pampas, but it seems the swinger connotations persist.Lemonswan-stipa looks promising-especially if I can underplant. Would one plant be enough as a centrepiece?

It helps to burn them at the end of the season. I have seen people braid grasses when they're young and I'd quite like to try it.

I’d think swingers

I've just put two in. A pink one and a white one. I hope the neighbours do think we swing, might stop them wanting to pop in as much!!

What about a phormium? They're a similar size and shape, come in some lovely colours and don't make people think of keys in a bowl!