Non-invasive substitute for Pampas grass?

I'm looking for a big tall grass that I can plant as a screen between my yard and my neighbors in a couple of places. I love the look of Pampas grass and it's definitely got the height I want so I'm looking for something that would have similar height, and hopefully pretty showy blooms too but not be invasive. Or are there some cultivars of Pampas grass that are sterile? I've heard that the dwarf one isn't quite as problematic as the regular one, but unfortunately it doesn't have the height I'm looking for. It also has to be at least somewhat drought tolerant, most of the other things in my garden don't need a ton of summer water so I don't want something that's going to have hugely different water requirements.

You might look into some of the new cultivars of Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) being grown in California. There are quite a few varieties reaching 12+' in height, and if it blooms in your climate, the plumes are similar to Pampas Grass.

Thanks! I do like the look of that one, it definitely goes on the list! Is there something special it needs to make it bloom? If for some reason it wouldn't bloom here then I'm not as interested in it but I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't.

Believe it or not, your climate may not be warm enough. I can't speak for the new cultivars, but the species sometimes refuses to bloom unless it's in a truly tropical climate.

Another potential problem is moisture. The species requires a good bit of water. Again, check out the cultivars. They may have lower moisture requirements.

Another very tall grass you could check is Arundo donax. The green species version can easily reach 20' but it can also colonize rather aggresively, so it may be a problem. It's very drought tolerant, and you can slow it's spread by cutting back on it's water. There are also some beautiful variegated cultivars available, which aren't as tall, but still 10'+.

After Arundo, the tallest drought tolerant grass I know of is Big Sacaton (Sporobolus wrightii). High Country Gardens sells the Los Lunas cultivar, which can hit 10'. This is a xeric grass, requiring very little water.

http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/91933/

Thanks! If my summer is like last year, I think it gets hot enough to make it bloom (we hit 115 a couple of days during a big heat wave!), but typical temps are more like the 80's so that may not be enough for it. I like the idea of the Sporobulus, it doesn't sound like it would be invasive at all, and it's tall enough, drought tolerant, and is pretty. I think that may be it!

ecrane, I know little about grasses, but I have a purple fountain grass and a pink muhly which I have potted in a 5 gal. containers and buried those inground. I don't know how invasive my particular varieties are, however, I don't want to mess with thinning them out. The pots keep mine quite well behaved.

I you have a large property I guess size is not a consideration but for urban/suburban gardens, the buried pots have been a great solution for me.

How tall does the pink Muhly get? I've grown the purple fountain grass and it doesn't get to the height I'm looking for. I didn't think the Muhly's were that tall either, but maybe I haven't looked at the right ones (the Pampas grass that I like the look of is ~10 feet tall or so) And thanks for the tip on the pots, if I find a grass I like that spreads aggressively I'll definitely have to try that! Unfortunately a lot of the things that are invasive out here are because of the seeds though :(

yes, pink muhly is rather short. Mine is about 2 ft tall, a 3 year old plant.

ecrane, I also wanted to add that I don't completely bury the pots, half way is just enough. First, the pots sink over time and secondly, if you add mulch it conceals the pots for that "inground" look.

Also, depending on the plant, the roots might sneak out via the drain holes, in which case it might be hard to pull them out, as roots will attach to the actual soil. I recently read, but don't remember in which forum, a person that sinks an empty pot, then pots his plant in a slightly smaller pot and places the potted plant inside the empty pot. I think that is a marvelous idea as then it must be extremely easy to pull your plant out when needed. I've made a note of this tip for future use.

Ecrane: I'd go with some of the clumping bamboos or more drought tolerant cultivars of sugarcane (which has the added bonus of being useful as a source of raw sugar)..... Whatever you do, DON'T plant Arundo donax.... It is considered a First-Class noxious weed in CA (up here, at the limit of its hardiness range, it doesn't usually bloom before the first hard frost, so it is not a problem, but I've seen HUGE groves of it in San Diego where wind spreads the seeds around.....)

Definitely don't want that one then! Right now I'm leaning toward the Sporobulus wrightii that donn suggested, or possibly the bamboos, I love the look of them but need to figure out which one I would want. I like the sugarcane too, but if my weather's not hot enough to make it bloom then I'd rather get something different.

vossner--thanks for the tip on the pots so that you can pull them out again easily, I'll definitely keep that in mind if I ever plant anything that spreads by runners (although those sorts of plants tend to make me nervous, so I'm not sure I would do it even with the pot!)

There is a HARDY sugarcane (actually two of them) that people grow around here, and they bloom.... One is S. Ravenae and the other is S. arundinacea.... S. ravennae looks almost exactly like Pampas grass, only bigger.... S. arundinacea looks much like S. ravenae, but it has purple plumes.

Some Miscanthus grow very tall, M. giganteus to over 10' and it's fairly drought tolerant. It clumps, but I don't know if it would be invasive.

http://aolsearch.aol.co.uk/image?query=miscanthus&isinit=true

S. ravennae is deceptive in height. The foliage only reaches 4-5' but the bloom stalks shoot up another 5-10' beyond the foliage. Keep this in mind if using it for a screen.

I have never heard of pampas grass being invasive. When I actually had property (I am an apartment dweller now) I had several plants and at no time did I ever have any trouble with them being invasive.

I do like the suggestion of the sugar cane. I don't think sugarcane will grow in most places but in at least tropical to sub tropical climates. It is grown in southern Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.

There are some very tall Cannas too - some going 12 ft or more but not sure if it would fit your requirements. Some larger ones are Intrigue, Musafolia Grande & Omega. They might be hard to find but the internet is your best bet on this and anything else.

Good luck with finding something that will work for you.

The climate you're in can make a difference in what's invasive and what's not--Pampas grass may not be a problem where you are but it is out here. I like the suggestion of cannas, they are very pretty but unfortunately all the other things in that part of the garden have very low water requirements so I don't think they would be very happy on the amt of water they'd be getting there. I'm still leaning towards the Sporobulus wrightii that donn suggested a while back for that very reason--it's got the height I want plus is xeric so it'll get along without needing more water than the rest of the garden.