pampas grass zone 5; keep or return?

I was so excited when I found it at Lowe's. Pampas grass in gallon containers for $6. Then I got home and realized it wasn't the hardy pampas. Should I take it back or give it a try? Why would they even sell it in zone five with a one year guarantee, especially if it is not hardy?

Places like Lowes and Home Depot don't pay much attention to what will do well in your zone. And I think they count on the fact that most people don't bother to bring back the dead plants, they've obviously realized that the additional sales caused by people knowing they can bring things back outweighs what they actually end up having to pay out for the few dead plants that people bother to return. Since they've got the guarantee, it's worth enjoying it for this season at least. They also aren't known for labeling their plants correctly so it may turn out to be the hardier type after all!

You do make a good point. And I really doubt the hardy and non-hardy look completely different. I will go ahead and plant. Thanks ecrane3!

Just don't forget to save your receipt so you can return the corpse next spring if it doesn't make it! LOL

LOL @ corpse.

Thanks for the smile.

I am sure it will be a corpse. Just to try and improve its chances, where should I put it? I was planning on putting them in my front yard that faces east and gets all day.

If it's true pampas grass..cortaderia...it doesn't stand a chance no matter where you face it. I'd be surprised if Lowes sold cortaderia in stores in your area. The plant programs are worked out for the buying areas by growers in the know, even if the Lowes workers have no clue. What's more common are mis-labeled plants.

Cortaderia selloana is only hardy to zone 7 so I agree it doesn't have much chance in zone 5. But if it turns out to be C. jubata, that's hardy to zone 5 unless Plant Files is wrong. Or of course it could be another grass entirely.

What's it look like? Real pampas grass is very sharp around the edges and kind of broad leaved, often having a kind of bluish look to it.
Hardy pampas grass )ravenna grass is also very sharp on the edges, but not as broad leaved. It often has a very thin white vein down the center that makes it look like a thin stripe. And it's more of a well, grass, green!

cabrlamo, I know it's a little late for this suggestion with the weather we've been having but I had some Purple Fountain Grass that is not hardy in Zone 6 but I thought I'd try and keep the roots warm in hopes it comes back up next spring. I placed a cage made from rabbit fencing over the "stump" after I cut the grass back in November and filled the cage with loose straw to insulate it. Don't know if it will work but I figured it was worth a try!

Doug

Doug, I decided to just let the guys go and see if they make it through the winter. I will chalk it up to a lesson learned and an impulse buy. They looked great over the summer in my tree stumps out front. The end result was cheaper than paying someone $3 an inch to grind two giant hollow stumps!

Sandy, Oh someone from Muncie, IN! I actually cut myself on both of these this summer. One had some very pretty stalks come up and the other did not. They both had thinner leaves. One in particular was much more "grassy" in its coloring than the other. The profiles of the two plants were even a bit different, one "weeped" more than the other.

We will see in the spring!