My DIY Pampas Grass Christmas Tree Tutorial was a total experiment.

It came about one day in early December when I was scrolling through IG.

That is when I saw a life size Christmas tree made completely out of pampas grass. STUNNING is not even accurate.

I had major pampas grass envy.

I immediately went to Pinterest. NOTHING.

I googled “How to Make A Pampas Grass Christmas Tree”…….NADA

And, so there I was.

I could not stop thinking about that tree.

So, at 3 am one December morning, I got out of bed and decided to give it a go.

pampas grass bushes in rock garden - J Dub By Design™
Here is some of the pampas grass I cut this past summer.

As I said earlier, I had no idea how or if this project would turn out well.

And, as I got further and further into this project, this tree got huge quickly.

You need ALOT of pampas grass stems to create the effect.

I was shocked at the amount of stems I needed as the cone I started with was not that big.

In fact, I ended up wandering around out in my yard at 5 am in 27 degree weather searching for the few stems I had left so that I could fill in the gaps.

Pampas Grass DIY Christmas Tree - J Dub By Design™
Pin For Later!

Supplies

Cone (Mine is 5.75 inches diameter by 24 inches height)

sharp scissors (that you don’t mind being extremely dull after this project)

glue gun

pampas grass (I ended up using 567 stems I cut from plants in my yard)

A full can of hair spray (if you make a smaller tree, you probably won’t need as much hair spray).

Steps to Create the Pampas Grass Christmas Tree

  1. Remove the plastic from your cone.
  2. I started at the top of my cone. Because the top is very narrow and small in diameter, I chose to glue the short pampas grass stems around the top. I did this instead of piercing the cone which could have weakened it or broken it.
  3. Once, I worked approximately 4 inches down the cone, I began sticking the stems directly into the cone.
  4. In order to do this, you will want to cut your stems on the diagonal.
  5. Once you make the cut, there may be layers of “paper” type bark that will peel off the stem. That is okay. You are just looking for the sharp end that will be underneath.
  6. I worked between the very top and the very bottom of the cone in the beginning.
  7. When I was working at the bottom, I pierced the cone with pampas grass stems horizontally.
  8. When I was working at the top, I pierced the cone diagnonally.
  9. I used longer stems at the bottom and shorter stems at the top, following the natural Christmas tree shape of the cone.
  10. Once I felt comfortable with the shape I had created, I began piercing the cone all over in random areas to finish creating the shape.
  11. Then, I filled in as needed to hide the green part of the cone.
  12. After I had completely filled in the cone with grass and was happy with the shape, I sprayed the grass heavily with a can of hair spray.
  13. I used the entire can of hairspray to minimize shedding.

Photos of the Process

pampas grass DIY - J Dub By Design™
The cone I chose.
pampas grass DIY - J Dub By Design™
Glue the pampas grass feathers to the top.
pampas grass DIY - J Dub By Design™
Cut the stems diagonally so you will have a sharp edge to pierce cone.
pampas grass in cone - J Dub By Design™
Place bottom stems in horizontally.
Pampas Grass DIY Christmas Tree - J Dub By Design™
Place top stems at a diagonal.
pampas grass in cone - J Dub By Design™
Hold the cone while you pierce the stem with the opposite hand.
pampas grass DIY - J Dub By Design™
Fill in randomly with short and long stems.
pampas grass DIY - J Dub By Design™
The pampas grass will start to resemble a Christmas tree shape.

Tips I Learned….

pampas grass debris - J Dub By Design™
Some of the mess I made.
  • This project is messy. I made my tree in my workroom. And, I had a huge mess to clean up later. Consider making working on this project outside in a sheltered area.
  • My tree got huge fast. It was almost too big for me to get through my workroom door and up the stairs. My tree ended up being over 4 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter. The size of the cone is very deceiving with the size of the tree you will eventually create.
  • This project would have been cost prohibitive for me had I not had a lawn full of pampas grass plants. I ended up using 567 stems of pampas grass to achieve a full look.
  • You will want to spray the tree every 3-4 months with hair spray to keep the shedding to a minimum.
  • You can also add lights and small ornaments if you desire. My variety of pampas grass produces light and airy stems. So, I chose not to use ornaments as that would drag down the branches. I may add lights later.
  • Certain varieties of pampas grass are more full. If you use those, you would probably not need as many stems.
  • You could also reverse the direction of the stems and have them go down instead of up.

I am thrilled with the way my DIY Pampas Grass Christmas Tree turned out.

She is definitely a statement maker in our living room.

Pampas Grass DIY Christmas Tree - J Dub By Design™
Pin For Later!

I can not wait for my pampas grass to bloom again. I can promise you I will be re-creating this project again and again……maybe just on a smaller scale 🙂

Drop me a comment and let me know what you think of my DIY Pampas Grass Christmas Tree.

Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for more DIY ideas and decor inspiration!

Looking for More……