One of the best plants we’ve grown in recent years is Stipa lessingiana. We always get asked for Stipa tenuissima, which is a great plant for it’s tactile, feathery seed heads. However, it is a very short-lived grass, especially with the wet Winters we have been getting. Once the seed-heads get wet, they can form a horrible matted clump.
Stipa lessingiana is very similar in appearance but is more rigid and stands up better in wet conditions. It also overwinters far better than tenuissima – give it a try.
