Do ornamental grasses cause problems also?
Many of them are all right for pets. The major ornamental grass currently on the hit list in our area is the purple fountain grass. It’s for a different reason though. It is very invasive and causes major problems along the Colorado River spreading out from Laughlin. The invasive potential of ornamental grasses into natural areas is an ongoing issue; one that is gaining importance. For example, pampas grass is already recognized as a pest in California. Volunteer seedlings of miscanthus, sometimes called silver grass, maiden grass, feather grass or combinations of those names, have begun to appear in natural areas in Indiana. Japanese blood grass has been banned in many states because of its presumed invasive quality, but there is disagreement in what forms are truly aggressively invasive. Development of sterile cultivars is cited as one possible avenue to accomplish this goal. President Clinton, during his presidency, gave federal backing to the concern of invasive biological organism
