Cortaderia richardii

This is the New Zealand equivalent of the better known South American Pampas grass (pronounced Toy-toy, the Māori name). Greener, more evergreen, more elegant and summer flowering. They seem adaptable to all sorts of soil types as long as they’re not water-logged. As with all grasses, they like masses of light. Pampas grass is best cut down every winter to grow again as they are not evergreen but this can be left. Having said that, cutting them down every three years is a great way to rid the plant of old leaves.