Wear protective gear when pruning and propagating, as the blades of grass are very sharp. Use gloves, eye protection, and long pants and sleeves. Propagating pampas grass is easily done by division.

There's also some anecdotal evidence about pets hurting their throats after chomping on pampas' leaves. But even if you manage the placement, you'll face trouble when it's time to prune the grass ...

The tall grass is one of the more exotic-looking plants to happily grow on UK soil and is popular with gardening fans thanks to its minimal upkeep - but it's not as highly regarded in other countries ...