A pain in the grass

Pampas grass is having a moment, but beauty needs proper attention

- DIARMUID GAVIN

As I write this I'm aboard a boat in Belfast Lough, with 100 disappointed passengers whod planned to spend a day visiting gardens. However, Storm Floris roared in and the garden itinerary has been decimated due to the possibility of falling trees.

We're edging towards late summer and I'm considering the potential damage to one species that, pre-storm, has been looking wonderful.

Pampas grasses are having a moment. You'll see them everywhere this year, in floristry, on Instagram, and in the garden itself - they're a statement. Towering, dramatic, architectural.

Behind that glamour is a plant that can, over time, become a problem.

In mature specimens, the centre of the plant may begin to die off. This happens to many flowering perennials in our borders. The outer ring keeps expanding and before long, you're left with what looks like a doughnut: growth around the edges but rot and collapse at the heart.