Statuesque with tufts of foliage bursting with emerging seed heads in early summer, Stipa gigantea (Golden Oats) is an impressive ornamental grass. Evergreen or semi-evergreen, it forms a dense mound of slender, arching gray-green leaves, up to 18 in. tall, from which emerge erect flower spikes rising 4 ft. above the foliage. They bear elegant panicles of silvery spikelets, with long awns and dangling golden anthers which sway gracefully in the slightest breeze and persist well into winter. Spectacular when backlit by the rising or setting sun!
Part of the Butterfly Bed & Breakfast Project.
