Scientific name: Anemanthele lessoniana
Synonym: Stipa arundinacea
Family: POACEAE
Common names: “Pheasant’s tail grass” “New Zealand wind grass”
Plant Type: Evergreen perennial
Conditions:
Zone: 8-10
Light: Full sun – part shade
Exposure: Sheltered
Soil: Any moderately fertile, tolerates clay
Moisture: Well drained, drought tolerant once established
Aesthetic:
Plant Size: H 3′ W 3-4′
Leaf and Stem shape: Narrow arching leaves, becoming tinged with red or orange in summer – autumn and the bright colours hold through winter
Flower: Airy arching sprays of feathery red-brown flowers in late summer
Maintenance: Low, don’t cut back! groom out brown leaves with a hard rake, seeds about a little, will handle being cut back but generally not done
Landscape use: Mixed border, garden edging, gravel garden, prairie planting
Propagate: By seed and division
Pests & Disease: Rust
*Deer resistant
Comments: ~AGM winner, gorgeous low maintenance clump forming grass
