i guess i should also confess...when i divided it, i didnt really have the right tools.

used a sharpshooter drain shovel, and a another regular shovel

didnt have an axe or a sharp spade.

so i kind of had to beat the hell out of it to get it divided. i suppose this could have an adverse effect

First, let's make sure we have the ID of the grass right. Are you sure it's Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)? I ask, because there are very few cultivars which are winter hardy in your zone. I'm a tad warmer, and haven't been able to grow any of them successfully. The few times I managed to maintain one over winter, it was May before I got any new shoots.

Next, I'd say it's unusual for all of your other grasses to be near their full height this early in the year, even if you had an unusually warm spring.

Finally, it isn't uncommon for a grass to suffer a bit of shock from division, under the best of circumstances. It may well be late in recovering.

Donn,

there's a very good chance I have the name wrong. I asked a guy from texas what they were called and that's what he called them.

I'm uploading some pics to the thread.

Also, theyre not full height, but they the ones i didnt divide are looking very good.

here is one that I did NOT divide. looking nice

this is the plant that was divided, and i put the biggest chunk left back in the original spot.

I guess the last time i really looked hard at it was Tuesday, and it has really grown quite a bit since then. so maybe they are recovering.

I have also been pouring liquid mixed plant/shrub food on them (have done a couple of times over the last month.

this looks probably 50% better than it did just two days ago.

also, i need to cut the dead parts back further and earlier in the year - i always wait too long and then get scared that im going to cut too much green part away

this is one of the divided pieces that i planted on the other side of the house.

it probably does not get as much sun as the other plants.

but hopefully they will make it

these have also probably had 50% growth since i last really looked at them two days ago.

all these pics were taken this morning

Frankly, it looks more like Miscanthus sinensis to me. I've never seen a C. selloana with a single white mid-vein. Do you have a photo of it blooming? That would tell the tale.

I think part of the problem is the fact you didn't cut the old growth down far enough. It should be no more than 6" from the ground. It's hiding a lot of the new growth, but the new growth I can see looks healthy enough.

I'd stop the fertilizer. If you give grasses too much fertilizer, they'll flop. All I give my grasses is a yearly topdressing of compost under the mulch around them. Rake away the mulch, apply an inch or so of well-aged compost, and rake the mulch back over it.

Donn,

I bet the common name is maiden grass. they sell that at my local nursery and they are planted all over the place here.

i definitely didnt cut the dead growth down enough. I will rememdy that next year when I'm cleaning up for pre-spring

I will stop the fertilizer also.

thanks for the tips, bro