Gormless or What!

We had a pampas grass in our back garden, so we left it there. It must have originally been in the front as you could see the re-grassed circle in the middle of the lawn. Never heard of OMO or flamingos but we did have friends who would have liked to try a bit of 'wife swapping' but the rest of us weren't interested.

I’d heard this reputation about pampas grass years ago fortunately I dislike it so have never had it in my garden 🤣 Have no idea if it’s true or a modern day legend!
Btw I love gormless as a word, one of my mum’s favourites 🤣

Damn! I wish I'd known that.

Oh yes. Very large rumour in the 70s and 80s re pampas grass in the front garden.

I had no idea! What a sheltered life I must have led. We have a large clump of pampas grass near the gate.........it makes me wonder about the first owners, back in the 1970s!

Oh my! What an educational thread. I knew nothing of the secret life of pampas grass. Now finding some of these posts have become heavy with innuendo. Growing it in the front, how huge yours was, some of it poking out through hedge, whether or not you cut it back. Off to have a coffee and cool down.

I hadn't heard about this connection till my now DIL cut some down for decor at the wedding. It did look lovely.

Fleurpepper

welbeck

Abigail's Party.
it's really quite dark.

Absolutely loved it!

I really loved it too... I also had a large pampas in my back garden and was bewitched by the light coming through it as dusk fell..

My house was built in 1985 so I dont think the pampas grass has anything to do with swingers of the 1970s. This little estate is very diverse (mainly Indian/Pakistani/Middle Eastern) so perhaps they like it since they were taking bits of it away. If I thought it was a problem I would get my gardner to chop if down but its not doing any harm.

I knew about the 'secret language' of Pampas Grass, but not OMO or flamingoes! An aquaintence bought a house with a Pampas Grass in the front garden but wondered why complete strangers asked her when the party was. She thought they meant a house warming party, until I enlightened her. She was horrified, she was a vicar's daughter. The Pampas Grass was quickly removed.

In our village there is a very pretty thatched cottage with a huge pampas grass in the garden. I wonder.............???

mrsKen, I am an ex army wife and some of the wives used to put OMO in the window, it meant 'on my own', usually when the husband was away for a few months on exercise. I have to say I never did.

Pampas grass at from of house. Yes we had a huge one.
in 70 s. Yes my parents had it . Sadly they were Swingers too! I actually think I remember the key bowl thing too. Wasnt great t b h. 😌

Oh! Never heard of that …

I'm another who must have led a sheltered life never heard of any of these 😇

I didn’t put the apostrophe in!!!!

We have pampas’s grass in our front garden. It was here when we moved in seventeen years ago. I like it and the birds like it. I do cut it back regularly.

Oh my! I'll enjoy my dog walk in the afternoon now checking out gardens looking for pampas grass....

i must of led a sheltered life lol,never heard of that

Lots of bungalows around here pampas grass. Did swingers live in bungalows?

If any houses still have pampas grass growing in the front it may be because swingers once lived there in the 1970s!

Where my grandson goes to school there are two houses across from each other with huge lovely pampas grass plants in the front gardens. I often wonder if they are swingers.

I remember pampas grass was popular but didn't know its significance until years later.
The local 1960's housing estate had a reputation for "wife swapping parties" but it was probably because young couples were living there.
Funny, I thought PG in front gardens rather pretentious

I’ve known about the pampas grass thing for donkey’s years, but I always thought that it was an urban myth.
Is there any truth in it, does anyone know?

Yes, Abigail’s Party is brilliant.
Also starring a young Janine Duvitski (sp?).
Who then went on to play a very enthusiastic swinger herself, in ‘Benidorm’.
Alison Steadman was quite heavily pregnant (with Mike Leigh’s child) during filming, hence her rather impressive embonpoint

I remember Abigail's Party. I loved it. But very dark

I have a clump of it in my side garden and it pokes out through the hedge but Ive never even thought about it.. One day I saw three what appeared to be "ethnic minority" women cutting off bits of it to carry away. I did think of confronting them but couldnt be bothered. If thats the sort of taste you have whatever floats your boat. Maybe it was for their children.